Archy Lee facts for kids
Archy Lee was an African-American boy born into slavery in Mississippi in 1840. His story is important because it led to a big legal fight about freedom in California.
Contents
Archy Lee's Fight for Freedom
Journey to California
Archy Lee's owner, Charles Stovall, brought Archy with him to Sacramento, California on October 2, 1857. While they were in California, Stovall rented out Archy Lee to work for money.
Escaping Slavery
In January 1858, when Archy was 18 years old, Stovall decided to go back to Mississippi. On the way to the ship, Archy escaped from Stovall and went back to Sacramento.
Archy found help at the home of Charles Hackett and Charles Parker. These two African-American men were active in politics in Sacramento. They ran a hotel called the Hackett House.
Stovall had Archy arrested. However, a well-known civil rights lawyer named Edwin B. Crocker helped Archy. On January 26, 1858, Judge Robert Robinson decided that Archy was a free man. This was because California was a free state. Even though Mississippi was a slave state, Judge Robinson said Stovall had become a permanent resident of California. This meant Stovall could not own slaves there.
The California Supreme Court's Decision
Judge Robinson's decision was then challenged in the California Supreme Court. On February 11, 1858, the Supreme Court made a different ruling. They said that even though California did not allow slave ownership for its residents, Stovall's health and lack of experience meant he could take Archy Lee out of the state as his property.
This decision was written by Peter Burnett. He had previously tried to ban African-Americans from Oregon and California. Another judge, David Terry, agreed with this decision.
Many Californians were very upset by the California Supreme Court's ruling.
A Bold Rescue
On March 5, 1858, even though he had won in court, Stovall tried to secretly take Archy Lee out of the state by boat. People who were against slavery, called abolitionists, and the San Francisco police found out about the plan. They went onto the ship, called the Orizaba, to rescue Archy.
Stovall was stopped and questioned. This challenge went against the California Supreme Court's decision that Archy was Stovall's property.
Finally Free
In March 1858, a federal court in San Francisco stepped in. This U.S. District Court overturned the California Supreme Court's decision. They ruled that Archy Lee was a free man.
Stovall then argued that Archy Lee had broken the 1850 National Fugitive Slave Law. However, on April 14, 1858, a final trial decided that Archy had not crossed any state lines to escape. Archy Lee was finally declared a free man.
According to the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, Archy Lee's case was the first of its kind in California.
Life After Freedom
Archy Lee used his freedom to move to Canada. He went there during the Frazier River Gold Rush in 1858. It is believed that he passed away from an illness in British Columbia, Canada, in 1873.
See also
