This Day in History

Oct. 1, 1851: The Jerry Rescue

Time Periods: 1850
Themes: Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights, Slavery and Resistance
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Jerry Rescue Monument in Syracuse, New York.

In the “Jerry Rescue,” abolitionists in Syracuse, New York broke into the city’s police station and freed William “Jerry” Henry. Henry had escaped from slavery and had been working as a barrel-maker. This occurred on Oct. 1, 1851.

The federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required “good citizens” to assist in the return of those who had fled “ownership” by another. These abolitionists refused to obey an inhumane law.

A group of Black and white men created a chaotic diversion and managed to free Henry but he was later re-arrested.  

At his second hearing, a group of men overpowered the guards with clubs and axes, and freed Henry a second time. Henry was then secretly taken over the border to Canada. Read more at New York History Net. Find related teaching resources below.

Related Resources
Teaching Activities (Free)

Poetry of Defiance: How the Enslaved Resisted

Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez.
Through a mixer activity, students encounter how enslaved people resisted the brutal exploitation of slavery. The lesson culminates in a collective class poem highlighting the defiance of the enslaved.

Teaching Activities (Free)

Who Fought to End Slavery? Meet the Abolitionists

Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez, Brady Bennon, Deb Delman, and Jessica Lovaas.
This mixer role play introduces students to the stories of famous and lesser-known abolitionists, through biography and investigation.

collage of six Black abolitionists in the United States.
Teaching Activities (Free)

‘If There Is No Struggle…’: Teaching a People’s History of the Abolition Movement

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools. 16 pages.
In this lesson, students explore many of the real challenges faced by abolitionists with a focus on the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Teaching a Peoples History of Abolition and the Civil War (Book Cover) | Zinn Education Project
Teaching Guides

Teaching a People’s History of Abolition and the Civil War

Teaching Guide. Edited by Adam Sanchez. 2019. Rethinking Schools. 181 pages.
Students will discover the real abolition story, one about some of the most significant grassroots social movements in U.S. history.

Black Abolitionists (Profile) | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History
Profiles

Black Abolitionists

Profiles. Zinn Education Project. 2014.
Brief biographies of 25 Black abolitionists.

Picture Books

The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery

Picture book. By Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. 2013.
Story of John Price’s escape to freedom with the help of the Oberlin–Wellington Rescue.

The 1850 Fugitive Slave Law Convention, Cazenovia, New York. The Edmonson sisters are standing wearing bonnets and shawls in the row behind the seated speakers. Frederick Douglass is seated, with Gerritt Smith standing behind him, and with Abby Kelley Foster the likely person seated on Douglass's left.
This Day in History

April 15, 1848: The Escape on the Pearl Schooner

Seventy-seven enslaved people attempted to flee Washington, D.C. by sailing away on a schooner called the Pearl.

This Day in History

Oct. 16, 1859: Abolitionist Raid on Harpers Ferry

An abolitionist raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in an attempt to start an armed revolt against the institution of slavery.