The Heist Issue
Why the Crime of Slave Stealing Still Matters
Abolitionists who helped people escape were, according to the law, violating property rights—a distinction that continues to resound today.
Abolitionist Jonathan Walker’s hand was branded “SS” for “slave stealer.” Photographers Southworth & Hawes made this daguerreotype in 1845.
Photo: Alamy
People were property in the plantation South. Everybody knows that. But let’s consider the logical consequences. Suppose you were to help an enslaved worker escape. What crime have you committed?
The answer is theft.