11. Shadrach Minkins: Rescue in Broad Daylight
In a scene straight out of an action thriller, Boston abolitionists stormed a courthouse in 1851 to free Shadrach Minkins, a fugitive slave. In broad daylight, they whisked him away from federal custody and spirited him to safety in Canada. This daring rescue not only defied the newly enacted Fugitive Slave Act, but also demonstrated the unyielding commitment of abolitionists to justice. Read more about this dramatic episode at Massachusetts Historical Society.
