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Biography · Biography & Culture

Anthony Burns

1834–1862

United States

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Biography

Anthony Burns (May 31, 1834 – July 17, 1862) was an African-American man who escaped from slavery in Virginia in 1854. His capture and trial in Boston, and transport back to Virginia, generated wide-scale public outrage in the North and increased support for abolition. Burns was born enslaved in Stafford County, Virginia.

Sources & collection details

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Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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