Fugitive Slaves (1619-1865)McDougall, Marion Gleason
History
Fugitive Slaves (1619-1865)
McDougall, Marion Gleason
Fugitive slaves -- United States; Slavery -- Law and legislation -- United States
=1630-1641.= "Acts respecting Masters, Servants, and Labourers."--"Sec.
3. It is also ordered, that when any servants shall run from their
masters, or any other inhabitants shall privily go away with suspicion
of evil intentions, it shall be lawful for the next magistrate, or the
constable and two of the chief inhabitants where no magistrate is, to
press men and boats or pinnaces at the publick charge, to pursue such
persons by sea and land, and bring them back by force of arms.... Sec.
6. It is ordered, and by this court declared; that if any servant shall
flee from the tyranny and cruelty of his or her master to the house of
any freeman of the same town, they shall be there protected and
sustained till due order be taken for their relief; provided due notice
thereof be speedily given to their master from whom they fled, and to
the next magistrate or constable where the party so fled is
harboured."--¤_Charters and General Laws of the Colony and Province of
Massachusetts Bay, 155._
=3. New Netherlands:--Runaway servants. [§ 6.]=
=1640, Aug. 7.= "Ordinance of the Director and Council of New
Netherland, against Fugitives from Service, and providing for the proper
drawing up of Legal Instruments." Passed 9 August, 1640. "Whereas many
Servants daily run away from their masters, whereby the latter are put
to great inconvenience and expense; the Corn and Tobacco rot in the
field and the whole Harvest is at a stand still, which tends to the
serious injury of this country, to their Masters' ruin, and to bring the
magistracy into contempt. We, therefore, command all farm and house
Servants faithfully to serve out their time with their Masters according
to their contracts and in no manner to run away, and if they have any
thing against their masters, to come to Us and make application to be
heard in due form of Law, on pain of being punished and of making good
all losses and damages of their Masters and serving double the time they
may lose.... We do, also, forbid all inhabitants of New Netherland to
harbor or feed any of these Fugitive Servants under the penalty of Fifty
guilders, for the benefit of the Informer; 1/3 for the new Church and
1/3 for the Fiscal." Dated as above.--¤_Laws and Ordinances of New
Netherlands, 32._
=4. Maryland:--Runaway apprentices felons.=
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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