Slavery in Massachusetts

"I would remind my countrymen that they are to be men first, and Americans only at a late and convenient hour."

- Henry David Thoreau, Slavery in Massachusetts (1854)

Slavery in Massachusetts (1854) was originally delivered as a speech on July 4, 1854, at an anti-slavery rally in Framingham, Massachusetts, defending the rights of Baptist "slave preacher," Anthony Burns. Burns had escaped slavery in Virginia and was later captured in Boston, put on trial, and returned to Virginia. Later published as an essay, Thoreau condemns the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and asserts that violence may be necessary for progress in the abolition of slavery. This inspiring essay is especially significant in times of social unrest and is a testament to Thoreau's insight into social justice.