This broadside relates to the case of Anthony Burns, who escaped from slavery in Virginia and settled in Boston in early 1854. A few months later, he was captured and held under the Fugitive Slave Act. While he was waiting for his case to be heard in court, Boston citizens were unsuccessful in their attempts to pay the slave owner a price for his freedom. When the case was heard, the judge ruled in favor of the slave holder and Burns was was sent back to Virginia.