Fugitive Slaves, Midwestern Racial Tolerance, and the Value of 'Justice Delayed'

Abstract

Despite the importance of swift justice, there are times when justice delayed can be justice acquired. This Article examines two cases that explore the problem of delaying justice in the context of fugitive slave renditions in the antebellum Midwest.

A careful reexamination of legal developments and cases in the antebellum North shows far greater complexity and ambiguity in Northern race relations than the generally bleak picture that scholars paint. The cases detailed in this article underscore the point that the North was far less racist than many scholars have claimed, and in the process tell us something about the meaning of race and race relations in antebellum America and in our own times as well.

Keywords: fugitive slaves, antebellum, race relations