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Description of  The Princeton Fugitive Slave: The Trials of James Collins Johnson

WINNER, NEW JERSEY STUDIES ACADEMIC ALLIANCE BOOK AWARD James Collins Johnson made his name by escaping slavery in Maryland and fleeing to Princeton, New Jersey, where he built a life in a bustling community of African Americans working at what is now Princeton University. After only four years, he was recognized by a student from Maryland, arrested, and subjected to a trial for extradition under the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. On the eve of his rendition, after attempts to free Johnson by force had failed, a local aristocratic white woman purchased Johnsons freedom, allowing him to avoid re-enslavement. Read more