History
6
In 1849, Luther Donnell was convicted in Decatur Circuit Court of aiding fugitive slaves, Caroline and her four children, to escape to Canada. In Donnell v. State, the Indiana Supreme Court reversed the conviction, holding that under the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Prigg v. Pennsylvania, federal law superseded a state law regarding aid to fugitive slaves. Although Prigg was a pro-slavery decision, it was used in this case and elsewhere to benefit the anti-slavery cause. The Underground Railroad was a widespread network of diverse people in the nineteenth century who aided slaves escaping to freedom from the southern U.S.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Greensburg, Indiana · United States
