NORFOLK, Va. — For Black History Month, we're highlighting important people and moments from throughout African American history. Today we are remembering a once enslaved man from Norfolk who stood trial after being captured but made it to freedom.
Shadrach Minkins was born in Norfolk in 1814. He served several masters before being sold to a local Navy officer. In the spring of 1850, Minkins escaped to Boston.
Months later, slave catchers tracked him down and arrested him with plans to send him back to Virginia.
The case drew an angry crowd to the courthouse in 1851. Minkins was the first escaped slave seized in New England under the newly enacted and controversial fugitive slave act which allowed slave owners to recapture runaways even in states where slavery was illegal.
Amid the ruckus, a group of Black men rushed into the courtroom, overwhelming the guards successfully, and rescued Minkins. They hid him until they could safely escort him into Canada.