On September 11, 1851, the Christiana Riot (also known as the Christiana Resistance) took place in Christiana, Pennsylvania. This event was a significant act of resistance against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

A group of formerly enslaved Black men, along with white abolitionists, defended four freedom seekers who had escaped from Maryland. Edward Gorsuch, a Maryland slave owner, arrived with a group of men to recapture them. However, the local Black community, led by William Parker—a formerly enslaved man and abolitionist—fought back. In the confrontation, Gorsuch was killed, and the slave catchers were forced to retreat.

Following the resistance, federal authorities arrested over 30 people, including Parker and other Black residents, as well as white abolitionists, charging them with treason. However, in the most significant trial, the first defendant, Castner Hanway, a white man, was acquitted, and the government ultimately dropped the charges.

The Christiana Riot became a powerful symbol of Black resistance and the growing tensions leading up to the Civil War. It demonstrated the willingness of free Black communities and their allies to defy unjust laws and protect those escaping slavery.