The Princeton Fugitive Slave
The Trials of James Collins Johnson
by Lolita Buckner Inniss
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Pub Date Sep 03 2019 | Archive Date Dec 31 2019
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Description
WINNER, NEW JERSEY STUDIES ACADEMIC ALLIANCE BOOK AWARD
James Collins Johnson made his name by escaping slavery in Maryland and fleeing to Princeton, New Jersey, where he built a life in a bustling community of African Americans working at what is now Princeton University. After only four years, he was recognized by a student from Maryland, arrested, and subjected to a trial for extradition under the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. On the eve of his rendition, after attempts to free Johnson by force had failed, a local aristocratic white woman purchased Johnson’s freedom, allowing him to avoid re-enslavement. The Princeton Fugitive Slave reconstructs James Collins Johnson’s life, from birth and enslaved life in Maryland to his daring escape, sensational trial for re-enslavement, and last-minute change of fortune, and through to the end of his life in Princeton, where he remained a figure of local fascination.
Stories of Johnson’s life in Princeton often describe him as a contented, jovial soul, beloved on campus and memorialized on his gravestone as “The Students Friend.” But these familiar accounts come from student writings and sentimental recollections in alumni reports—stories from elite, predominantly white, often southern sources whose relationships with Johnson were hopelessly distorted by differences in race and social standing. In interrogating these stories against archival records, newspaper accounts, courtroom narratives, photographs, and family histories, author Lolita Buckner Inniss builds a picture of Johnson on his own terms, piecing together the sparse evidence and disaggregating him from the other black vendors with whom he was sometimes confused.
By telling Johnson’s story and examining the relationship between antebellum Princeton’s black residents and the economic engine that supported their community, the book questions the distinction between employment and servitude that shrinks and threatens to disappear when an individual’s freedom is circumscribed by immobility, lack of opportunity, and contingency on local interpretations of a hotly contested body of law.
Advance Praise
"The Princeton Fugitive Slave is fascinating historical detective work. Lolita Buckner Inniss has recovered the journey of James Collins Johnson from his youth as a slave on the Maryland Eastern Shore to his life as a free man in Princeton. Deeply researched, the book overturns any lingering idea that Princeton was a haven from the broader society. Johnson had to cope with the casual racism of students, occasional eruptions of racial violence in town and the ubiquitous use of the N-word by even the supposedly educated. This book contributes to our understanding of slavery’s legacy today."—Shane White, author of Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire
"A rare story. James Collins Johnson was a legend among Princeton students, and Inniss provides enriching detail to explain what slave life was like, the difficulties of escape, the practical operation of the fugitive slave law, and why an owner would bother to seek a slave’s return four years after he left. Johnson’s saga is one example of the hurdles faced by fugitive slaves and of race relations in the 19th century in slave-holding Maryland and the free state of New Jersey."—James H. Johnston, author of From Slave Ship to Harvard: Yarrow Mamout and the History of an African American Family
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780823285341 |
| PRICE | $77.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 272 |
Links
Featured Reviews
Cristie U, Book Trade Professional
This was such an interesting read about a man that faced so many setbacks in life, including slavery and a trial to determine if he would have to be a slave again after gaining freedom. I found this to be well-researched and well-written. I highly recommend it!
Sarah E, Reviewer
Lolita Bucker Inniss's 'The Princeton Fugitive Slave' is a masterful text about race, power, and antebellum Black life in the Northeast and the South. By reconstructing James Collins Johnson's life, Buckner Inniss shows us how we may fully engage the interiority of the enslaved and formerly enslaved without falling prey to the myths and biases that permeate archival records. I absolutely enjoyed this text, both as a historical narrative and also as a lesson on archival reading and analysis.
Shannan H, Reviewer
The book is very technical, and a lot of research facts were included into the book. Although some of what was presented is limited as usual because not everything was able to be written down about what some of our ancestors went through, it was very interesting and thought provoking read. I enjoyed it very much.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Mary G, Reviewer
In The Princeton Fugitive Slave: The Trials of James Collins Johnson, Lolita Buckner Inness writes an historically accurate account of a slave who escaped Maryland and settled in Princeton, NJ. Since the author had access to the Princeton University archives as well as other resources, Lolita Buckner Inness is able to include many interesting anecdotes of both Johnson’s work at what is now Princeton University and the political climate of the times. It’s a thought provoking book that allows us a glimpse of the past and the legal issues involved. When a Princeton student recognizes Johnson s an escaped slave, Johnson’s trial and resolution bring out the complexity of the legal issues. This book should be required reading in every course on American history.
Christina B, Reviewer
Absolutely remarkable! A study in courage and a must-read in African-American history. I enjoyed learning about James Collins very much! I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Trick W, Reviewer
Received through Net Gallery! What a life this man had! All the things that he had to go through to gain his freedom then for people to try and take it away from him! Such a well researched story and the characters you get to know as if you were there with then when this was going on! The writing keeps you so interested that you just don't want the story to end. Horrible what the slaves had to go through and why take away their freedom when they are already free! I'm so glad I didn't live back in this time,I would have been in so much trouble fighting for the slaves and I'm from the South! Wonderful story,wonderful reading,wonderful writing!!
Raymond W, Reviewer
Lolita Buckner Inniss has written an interesting book on a previously unknown figure while at the same time telling an interesting story on Princeton's complicity in institution of slavery.
Educator 317339
This book sheds light on the past, both historically and legally. The fact that this is a true story makes it even more poignant. This could assist older students to understand some of the complexity of slavery and the law at the time.
Tom S, Reviewer
This is largely a scholarly work, bereft of the novelist's techniques to enliven history. Still, it is an engaging and enlightening tail bringing together the faint threads of evidence on a life's arc from fleeing slavery in Maryland to a life on the margins vending and butlering to a largely uncaring student body in Princeton. This is a fascinating, illustrative, and educational biography.
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