Capture of Thornton and Rutha Blackburn (Black) Escape of the Blackburns (White)
Methods
Rioting, Assault, Arson, Gunfire, Murder
Resulted in
Ordnance on black residents of Detroit Blackburns escape to Toronto
Parties
Black rioters
City of Detroit Sheriff's Department
White rioters
Lead figures
Thornton Blackburn Rutha Blackburn
Mayor Marshall Chapin John M. Wilson
Mob
Number
40-400
Casualties and losses
1
The Blackburn riots occurred during the summer of 1833 in Detroit, Michigan.[1] They were the first race riots in the history of the city. The riots were spurred by the imprisonment of Thornton and Rutha Blackburn, an African-American couple that had escaped slavery in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1831.[1] They were caught by slave catchers, thrown in jail, and sentenced to be returned to their owners in Kentucky.[1] This ruling angered the African-American population of Detroit.[1] Rutha Blackburn was smuggled out by two African-American women, and the following day, a mob formed outside the jail, demanding the release of Thornton.[1] Refusal was met with violence as the mob stormed the jail, beating the authorities and taking Thornton.[2] Thornton was transported to Canada, where he was reunited with Rutha.[1]
The rioting continued in Detroit into July.[1] White Detroiters, angered by the escape of the Blackburns, retaliated by assaulting African Americans in the street and burning many of their buildings. The rioting came to a climax as the jail and adjacent stables were set aflame on July 11 and 15.[3] The mayor was forced to bring in troops to restore order to the city on July 30.[1] Following the riots, a set of city-wide ordinances were issued, including a mandated bond payment of $500 for every African-American resident.[1] This caused a majority of the African-American population of Detroit to relocate to Canada.[1]
^ abcdefghijSmardz Frost, Karolyn (2007), I've Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
^Henrickson, Wilma Wood (1991), Detroit Perspectives: Crossroads and Turning Points, Michigan: Wayne State University Press
^McRae, Norman R. (1983), Crossing the Detroit River to Find Freedom, Michigan: University of Michigan
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