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JANUARY 27, 1847
Francis Troutman and several others arrive at the home of the Adam Crosswhite family—Kentucky slaves who have escaped to Marshall. Troutman, who planned to return the Crosswhites to their former master, was confronted by several hundred Marshall residents, who threaten the slave catchers with tar and feathers. While Troutman was being charged with assault and fined $100, the Crosswhites fled to Canada. Since 1832, Michigan had an active antislavery society. Quakers in Cass County, Laura Haviland in Adrian and former slave Sojourner Truth in Battle Creek are only a few of the many Michiganians who worked on the Underground Railroad—an informal network that assisted escaping slaves. Southern concern over the Underground Railroad led Congress to pass a more stringent Fugitive Slave Law in 1850. In 1854, opposition to the extension of slavery prompted Michiganians to meet in Jackson and organize the Republican party. The following year, Michigan's first Republican-controlled state legislature adopted personal liberty laws, which prohibitted state and local officials from cooperating with federal marshals in recovering escaped slaves.
- Learn more about the Crosswhites and abolitionists:
Contact the Michigan Historical Center.
Updated 06/23/2011
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