This past summer I visited Boston, Massachusetts for the first time. During this trip, I went on an Underground Railroad walking tour, and it was very informative. Our tour guide was great and gave great details to different sites. I took down the names of many of the figures and stories heard so they could be stored in my collection of American history. Today I would like to honor Anthony Burns and his story of freedom.
Anthony Burns was born in 1834 in Stafford, Virginia enslaved to John Suttle. His owner and his wife died when he was an infant. Their son Charles then became his rightful owner. At a young age he learned how to read and write, which was not something legally granted to a slave. Also, he learned how to preach and began pastoring other enslaved people in his community.
As he got older, Burns was hired out to work for others by his owner. One of these people was William Brent, who hired him out in Richmond, Virginia. During this time, he made connections and even began saving money when he could. This was the first step in his plan for freedom. In early 1854, Burns stowed away on a ship to Boston where there was a large free Black community.
Once in Boston, he found a job in a clothing store operated by Lewis Hayden, an abolitionist who also helped William and Ellen Craft. Enjoying his newfound freedom, Burns decided to write a letter to his brother in Virigina. In it, he accidentally gave away his location. His brother’s owner found the letter and reported it to Burns’ last owner, Charles Suttle. In May of 1854, Suttle and Brent went to Boston to find Burns. One day on his way home from work, he was captured under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Burns, was close to being sent back to Virginia by the courts. But, local abolitionist stepped in and convinced him to use legal counsel provided by Richard Henry Dana Jr and Richard Morris.
As the court case began, there were riots in the streets to free Burns. In the end, Burns was ordered back to Virginia. He was imprisioned for four months before being sold to an owner in North Carolina. In the spring of 1855, a group of people from the black community paid for his freedom and Burns was released and returned to Boston. Burns went on to attend Oberlin College and after moved to Canada to become a minister. Sadly, he passed away in 1862 due to the poor health that followed his imprisonment in Virginia.