George Latimer, an escaped enslaved man, was captured in Boston, Massachusetts, after fleeing from Virginia with his pregnant wife. His arrest led to widespread protests and marked the first major fugitive slave case in Massachusetts. Boston abolitionists quickly mobilized, raising funds to purchase Latimer’s freedom and launching a mass petition campaign.
The case heightened tensions between North and South and inspired the “Latimer Law”, which prohibited the use of state facilities for the detention of fugitive slaves. It became a galvanizing moment for the abolitionist movement, foreshadowing future legal and moral battles over slavery in the United States.
© 2025 KnowThyHistory.com. Know Thy History
