The Christiana Riot and the Treason Trials of 1851: An Historical Sketch

This historical sketch recounts the violent 1851 confrontation in a Pennsylvania border community arising from an attempt to recover fugitive slaves and the subsequent treason trials. It reconstructs the incident and courtroom proceedings from official reports, a phonographic trial transcript, legal pamphlets, newspapers, family diaries, and local reminiscences, presenting narratives from both the slaveholders' and anti-slavery neighbors' perspectives. The author situates the episode within broader tensions over the Fugitive Slave Law, examines legal and moral arguments, and preserves eyewitness detail while avoiding partisan judgment.