Parents of Famous Inventor Lewis Latimer, Were Once Fugitives On The Run From The Law

Before Lewis Latimer was born, his parents Rebecca and George Latimer, escaped slavery in 1842 by hiding under the deck of a steamboat, while the plantation owner was unaware, and traveling from Virginia to Baltimore then eventually settling in Boston, Massachusetts; where slavery was outlawed. During their escape Rebeca Latimer, Lewis Latimer mother, was pregnant with her first child.

Because George Latimer was a light skin Afrikan Man, he was sometimes able to pass as a white man. This allowed him to disguise as his wife’s “owner” during their escape, while his wife pretended to be his “slave” during their travels from Baltimore to Philadelphia to Massachusetts. His wife was a darker skinned Afrikan Woman. This shows how stupid racism is/was.

Shortly after arriving in Boston, George was recognized by a man who was a former acquiantance of the plantation owner George was enslaved to. The man contacted the police, who were then known as slave catchers, and had George arrested  with a trumped up charge of larceny. This was a cover to eventually charge George under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.

This Act made legal the pursuit of enslavers into states where slavery was outlawed to re-capture any enslaved Afrikan who escaped their captivity. Slavery of Afrikans was legal, while at the same time Afrikans attempting to escape and free themselves from enslavement was  illegal. Even if slavery was outlawed in a state, the officials of the state were obligated to turn the enslaved man or woman over to their former enslaver upon request.

Although slavery was apart of the status quo, there was a small, yet powerful group of abolitionists in Boston. This group was led by the Black community, yet funded mainly through the contributions of white society as Black folks were not given opportunity to acquire significant wealth during this period.

This legal case, regarding whether or not Fugitive Slave Act applied to George’s case, sparked a fire among passionate abolitionists. The abolitionists were determined to free George from enslavement and they were being led by Fredrick Douglas. Latimer Committee was the group they formed to organize their efforts. Their actions consisted of protests, writing articles to raise public awareness, and using their knowledge of the technicalities of the law to free George.

Eventually, realizing it would be near impossible to null the Fugitive Slave Act in this case, the Latimer Committee used the funds they raised to purchase George’s freedom. $400 was given to the man who enslaved George Latimer and his wife Rebecca Latimer. In today dollars, this would be the equivalent to $14,703.

About a year later, Massachusetts government passed the 1843 Liberty Act, known as ‘Latimer Law’ which gave government officials the power to refuse cooperation with enslavers who desired to recapture those they enslaved. The United States Federal Congress was also urged to pass a similar act, yet refused.

This was 1843, in the United States of America, and tensions over slavery was high. It was high not necessarily because of the immorality of slavery; it was high because there was a question of power: Who will control America, the slave holding states in the South or the industrial centers in the North?

Graciously, George returned Home to his wife in Chelsea, Massachusetts and began raising his first child. George remained active in the abolitionists cause and even helped to protect an enslaved Afrikan, Shadrach Minkins, from recapture by his enslaver. In 1848, George and Rebecca’s last child was born , who’s name was Lewis Latimer.