​Episode Thirty-Eight: Fugitive Slave Act, Fredrick Douglass, and Anti-Mexican Violence

Welcome back those following in real time. It’s been a few months since I have recorded an episode, and I am more that excited to be back. As we slowly creep our way into the 21st century of this podcast, we need to pause to smell the roses. But I guess in the case of history, we will need to smell the roadkill as well. But let’s not pontificate! Let’s dive in!

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Fugitive Slave Act was one of the most controversial elements of the 1850 compromise and heightened Northern fears of a slave power conspiracy. It required that all escaped slaves, upon capture, be returned to the slaver and that officials and citizens of free states had to cooperate. 
• Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who became a prominent activist, author, and public speaker. He became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which sought to end the practice of slavery before and during the Civil War. After that conflict and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, he continued to push for equality and human rights until his death in 1895. 
• Moby-Dick is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author's birth.
• Between 1848 and 1879, Mexicans were lynched at an unprecedented rate of 473 per 100,000 of the population. Most of these 

CHAPTERS
0:37 Intro
 1:14  The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
11:23 Fredrick Douglass
21:43 Moby Dick
25:21 Anti-Mexican Violence
29:55 Outro

RESOURCES
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 explained
Frederick Douglass
DOUGLASS WRITING, TRAVEL & ACTIVISM
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
'Why Read Moby-Dick?': A Passionate Defense Of The 'American Bible'
Josefa Segovia
Josefa Segovia