Sara Lucy Bagby facts for kids

Sara Lucy Bagby (born 1843 – died July 14, 1906) was an important figure in American history. She was the last person in the United States who was forced to go back to slavery in the South. This happened because of a law called the Fugitive Slave Act. This law said that enslaved people who escaped to free states had to be returned to their owners.

Sara Lucy Bagby's Fight for Freedom

Sara Lucy Bagby was born in the early 1840s in Virginia. At that time, Virginia was a slave state. She bravely escaped slavery by using the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network of safe houses and routes. It helped many enslaved people travel to free states or Canada. Sara made her way to Cleveland, Ohio, which was a free state.

The Capture and Return

In January 1861, Sara's former owners, William Goshorn and his son, found her. A U.S. Marshall arrested her. The people of Cleveland and the state government tried to help her. They did not want her to be sent back to slavery.

Despite these efforts, Sara was forced to return. She was taken back to Goshorn's property in Wheeling. At that time, Wheeling was still part of Virginia. This event was so important that a poet named Frances Ellen Watkins Harper wrote a poem about it. The poem was called "To the Cleveland Union-Savers."

Finding Freedom Again

Later, a very important document was issued. It was called the Emancipation Proclamation. This document declared that many enslaved people in the Confederate states were free. After this, Sara Lucy Bagby was finally free.

She walked to Pittsburgh to leave the South for good. Eventually, she moved back to Cleveland, Ohio. Sara Lucy Bagby lived there until she died in 1906. She was buried in Cleveland. Her story shows the difficult struggles many people faced to gain their freedom.

See also

In Spanish: Sara Lucy Bagby para niños