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Literary
January 31, 1840
The Liberator
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
What is this article about?
Abolitionist poem addressed to 'the Liberator,' decrying the U.S. Fugitive Slave Law and calling on free Northerners to resist returning escaped slaves, protect fugitives, and rally for liberty and emancipation.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
For the Liberator.
FUGITIVE SLAVES SHALL BE RETURNED
U. S. LAW.
A spirit is abroad,
Which tyrants cannot chain;
It speaks in every flood,
That rushes to the main;
It swells from every lake,—
Through forest, field, and glen :—
But most its giant heavings shake
The hearts of free-born men!
No more '—(they sternly give
Their strong hearts utterance now)—
No more the fugitive
Beneath your lash shall bow!
Base hunters of your race!
Insult the land no more!
A freeman tells you face to face,
You cross no freeman's door.
A lawyer and a writ?—
Ho! kinsmen! bear our guest
In safety hence! 'tis fit
That we, so long oppressed,
By chains we might have broken,
So many a year ago,
Should brook this bitter token
Of bondage and of woe.
'Tis fit a freeman's powers,
To shelter the oppressed,
Should be no longer ours,
While silently we rest
Beneath the weight of scorn
Such bondage well may bring
We better had been bondmen born!
Away such shackles fling!
Throng, throng throughout the north
To every fane and hall!
Pour all your millions forth,
As to a festival!
And shout with one accord—
SUCH OUTRAGE SHALL NOT BE!
And Liberty's resistless word
Shall make the nation free!
M. W. C.
FUGITIVE SLAVES SHALL BE RETURNED
U. S. LAW.
A spirit is abroad,
Which tyrants cannot chain;
It speaks in every flood,
That rushes to the main;
It swells from every lake,—
Through forest, field, and glen :—
But most its giant heavings shake
The hearts of free-born men!
No more '—(they sternly give
Their strong hearts utterance now)—
No more the fugitive
Beneath your lash shall bow!
Base hunters of your race!
Insult the land no more!
A freeman tells you face to face,
You cross no freeman's door.
A lawyer and a writ?—
Ho! kinsmen! bear our guest
In safety hence! 'tis fit
That we, so long oppressed,
By chains we might have broken,
So many a year ago,
Should brook this bitter token
Of bondage and of woe.
'Tis fit a freeman's powers,
To shelter the oppressed,
Should be no longer ours,
While silently we rest
Beneath the weight of scorn
Such bondage well may bring
We better had been bondmen born!
Away such shackles fling!
Throng, throng throughout the north
To every fane and hall!
Pour all your millions forth,
As to a festival!
And shout with one accord—
SUCH OUTRAGE SHALL NOT BE!
And Liberty's resistless word
Shall make the nation free!
M. W. C.
What sub-type of article is it?
Poem
What themes does it cover?
Slavery Abolition
Liberty Freedom
Political
What keywords are associated?
Fugitive Slaves
Abolition
Liberty
Tyranny
Northern Resistance
Fugitive Slave Law
What entities or persons were involved?
M. W. C.
Literary Details
Title
Fugitive Slaves Shall Be Returned U. S. Law.
Author
M. W. C.
Subject
Resistance To The Fugitive Slave Law
Key Lines
No More The Fugitive Beneath Your Lash Shall Bow!
Base Hunters Of Your Race! Insult The Land No More!
A Freeman Tells You Face To Face, You Cross No Freeman's Door.
Throng, Throng Throughout The North To Every Fane And Hall!
Such Outrage Shall Not Be! And Liberty's Resistless Word Shall Make The Nation Free!