Christiana History
A major episode in African-American history, along with John Brown’s raid, was the Fugitive Slave Rebellion in Christiana.
This event was a harbinger of the Civil War. Frederick Douglass referred to the Christiana Riot, as “… the battle for liberty.” On September 11, 1851, a Maryland slaveowner named Edward Gorsuch, along with a U.S. Marshall and several relatives, made his way before dawn to the home of William Parker, two miles south-west of Christiana, with the expectation of capturing four runaway slaves. Gorsuch was killed when a group of armed men resisted his efforts. The conflict and the trial which followed sent shock waves across the nation.
An historical resource page about the Underground Railroad in Lancaster County including curriculum information is available at the Lancaster County Historical Society. A resource page specific to information on the Christiana Resistance is here.
William Parker wrote about his experience in the February, 1866 issue of the Atlantic Monthly.
You can read his entire account here:
THE FREEDMAN’S STORY
The library has reproductions of this Atlantic Monthly publication available for sale.
You can learn more about our local history at the Christiana Historical Society’s webpage.
Books About the Riot
The following books are in our collection:
- Forbes, David R. A True Story of the Christiana Riot, Quarryville Sun, 1898 (generously donated by Mr. Jerry Bower, Quarryville, PA)
- Forbes, Ella But We Have No Country: The 1851 Christiana, Pennsylvania Resistance, Africana Homestead Legacy, 1998
- Slaughter, Thomas P. Bloody Dawn: The Christiana Riot and Racial Violence in the Antebellum North, Oxford University Press, 1991
- Rosenburg, John M. William Parker: Rebel Without Rights, Millbrook Press, 1996
- Hensel, William Uhler The Christiana Riot and the Treason Trials of 1851: An Historical Sketch, New Era Printing, 1911
- Jackson, Arthur W. History of the Trial of Castner Hanway and Others for Treason at Philadelphia in November, 1851, Uriah Hunt & Sons, 1852 (copy)
- Bacon, Margaret Hope Rebellion at Christiana, Crown Publishers 1975
- Katz, Jonathan Resistance at Christiana, Crowell, 1974
- Still, William The Underground Railroad: A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, etc., Arno Press 1968 reprint of Porter & Coates 1872
- McClure, Alexander K. Recollections of Half a Century, The Salem Press Co. 1902
Related books available for sale at the Library: (Also available for check out.)
- Kendall, Harry W. Truth Crushed to Earth, Morris Publishing, 1999
- Rettew, LaVerne D. A Charge of Treason or A Fight For Freedom, locally published, 2000
Related books available at Amazon.com: (Also available for check out.)
- Slaughter, Thomas P. Bloody Dawn: The Christiana Riot and Racial Violence in the Antebellum North
- Rosenburg, John M. William Parker: Rebel Without Rights, Millbrook Press, 1996