Kentucky raid in Cass County (1847) facts for kids

The Kentucky raid in Cass County (1847) was an event where people from Kentucky, who owned slaves, came to Cass County, Michigan. They wanted to capture Black people and force them back into slavery. This raid was aimed at places known as Underground Railroad stations, which were safe houses for freedom seekers.

The Kentuckians did not succeed in their goal. They lost a court case in Michigan. This event later led to the creation of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This new law made it harder for freedom seekers to escape. In response, Michigan passed its own law, the Personal Liberty Act of 1855. This law was meant to protect formerly enslaved people from being captured and returned to slavery.

A Safe Place: Cass County's Role

Cass County, especially areas like Calvin, Penn, and Porter townships, became a home for Quakers and free Black people starting in 1829. Quakers are a religious group known for their strong belief in equality. These communities formed a network that helped freedom seekers. They offered food, shelter, and ways to travel along the Underground Railroad. This secret network led people to places in Canada, where slavery was against the law.

Two main routes of the Underground Railroad passed through Michigan. One was called the Quaker line. It brought freedom seekers north from the Ohio River. The other was the Illinois line, which came from St. Louis.

Cass County was the starting point for the Central Michigan Route. This route had safe stops about every 15 miles. These stops stretched between Cass County and Detroit, Michigan. Some of the stops included Climax, Battle Creek, Marshall, Albion, Grass Lake, Ann Arbor, Plymouth, and Detroit. From Detroit, freedom seekers could cross into Canada, often at places like the Sandwich First Baptist Church.

More and more formerly enslaved people were arriving in Michigan through the Underground Railroad in the 1840s. Sometimes, people would even travel to Bourbon County, Kentucky, to help enslaved men and women escape to Cass County. There, Quakers would provide them with shelter and help them continue their journey to freedom. Some freedom seekers chose to settle in Michigan, while others traveled on to Canada.

Two key figures, William Holman Jones from Calvin Township and Wright Modlin from Williamsville, helped many enslaved people reach Cass County. This made slave owners in Kentucky very angry. They sent a spy from Kentucky to Cass County. This spy learned about the Quakers who ran the Underground Railroad safe houses. The spy then returned to Kentucky, and the information was used to plan a raid.

The Raid Begins

In August 1847, thirteen men from Kentucky arrived in Cass County. They split into smaller groups to search for formerly enslaved people. They managed to capture nine freedom seekers from Quaker farms. These farms belonged to families like the Shugarts, Osborns, Easts, and Bogues.

When news spread that slave owners and slave catchers had captured these nine people, a large group formed. This group included white people and free Black people who wanted to end slavery. They gathered to stop the Kentuckians. One crowd grew to more than 300 people.

The abolitionists confronted the slave catchers in Vandalia. This happened at O'Dell's Mill, which was owned by James O'Dell. The Kentuckians were greatly outnumbered. They believed they were in the right because of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. However, they agreed to stand trial in Cassopolis. They posted money to get out of jail. The nine captured freedom seekers were held at a local tavern. Fourteen men from Kentucky were arrested for crimes like trespassing, assault, and kidnapping.

Court Cases and Outcomes

Three days after the confrontation, a trial took place. White and free Black abolitionists, along with Quakers, filed charges against the Kentuckians. The men from Kentucky showed papers that they claimed proved they owned the enslaved people.

The case was heard by Ebenezer Mcllvain. He was a judge from Berrien County who also helped people on the Underground Railroad in Niles. Mcllvain ruled that the Kentuckians did not have the correct paperwork. They had bills of sale, but they did not have an official copy of Kentucky's laws that showed slavery was legal. Because of this, Mcllvain released the nine captives. After this, 34 more freedom seekers traveled on the Underground Railroad to safe places in Canada.

In late 1849, the slave owners sued ten men in a federal court in Detroit. They sued for the money they believed their freed slaves were worth. The people being sued included Judge Ebenezer Mcllvain, William Jones, and David T. Nicholson. It also included Quakers such as Zachariah Shugart, Joel East, Ishamel Lee, Steven Bogue, and Josiah, Jefferson, and Ellison Osborn.

Jacob Merritt Howard, a lawyer who later helped write the law that ended slavery (the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution), represented the defendants. He argued that the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was no longer valid due to newer court decisions. After more than two years, the trial ended. David T. Nicholson agreed to pay over $2,000 in court costs. The Kentuckians did not receive any money for their claimed losses.

What Happened Next

Slave owners in the Southern states, believed to be friends of Senator Henry Clay, demanded a stricter fugitive slave law. With Clay's help, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed by Congress. This law made it much more dangerous to help or hide freedom seekers. Clay argued about the financial harm caused to his fellow Kentuckians by the 1847 raid. This argument helped him get the bill passed.

In response, Erastus Hussey, who ran an Underground Railroad safe house and was a state senator, helped pass Michigan's Personal Liberty Act of 1855. This law aimed to prevent people from being forced back into slavery. The growing disagreement between those who wanted to end slavery and those who supported it eventually led to the Civil War.

This event might also be why Sampson Sanders decided to send his freed slaves to Cass County. Sanders was a large landowner in Cabell County, West Virginia. He owned 51 enslaved men, women, and children. He decided to free each of them after his death. In 1849, through his will, he gave them land and tools in Cass County, Michigan. He also provided money to help them get settled. They moved north as a group.

Lasting Impact

• "Crossroads to Freedom" is a monument at the Cass County Courthouse. It honors the role of the Quakers in Michigan's Underground Railroad. It also remembers the Kentucky slave raid of 1847. The monument was put in place by the county and state bar associations.
• The documentary Kentucky Raid 1847 of Cass County, made by Sally Connor, tells the story. It shares the experiences of the freedom seekers, those who tried to help them, and the raid that tried to force them back into slavery.