---
title: 1851 Poster Warning Blacks About Kidnapping by Police
author: Unknown Author
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20559/1851-poster-warning-blacks-about-kidnapping-by-pol/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 2025-06-10
---
# 1851 Poster Warning Blacks About Kidnapping by Police
_Authored by Unknown Author_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20559.jpeg)
## Image Caption
A poster, dated 24 April 1851, warning the "colored people of Boston" about police officers acting as slave-catchers under the directive of the [Fugitive Slave Act of 1850](https://www.worldhistory.org/Fugitive_Slave_Act_of_1850/) which compelled citizens of the Northern free states, including government officials and [law](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/law/) enforcement, to aid in the capture and return to the South of fugitive slaves.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Author, U. (2025, June 10). 1851 Poster Warning Blacks About Kidnapping by Police. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Author, Unknown. "1851 Poster Warning Blacks About Kidnapping by Police." *World History Encyclopedia*, June 10, 2025. .
### MLA
Author, Unknown. "1851 Poster Warning Blacks About Kidnapping by Police." *World History Encyclopedia*, 10 Jun 2025, .
## License & Copyright
[Original image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slave_kidnap_post_1851_boston.jpg) by [**Unknown Author**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slave_kidnap_post_1851_boston.jpg). Submitted by [Joshua J. Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/JPryst/ "User Page: Joshua J. Mark"), published on 10 June 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Public Domain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain). This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.