In the late 1830s, Margaret Morgan and her family, who had been living freely in Pennsylvania, were forcibly taken from their home by slave catchers. The incident occurred in 1837, when the Morgan family—Margaret, her husband, and their children—had been residing in the free state for five years. The group was led by Edward Prigg and acted on the claim that Margaret was a fugitive slave. The family was taken in an open wagon, under harsh weather conditions, without adequate clothing.
This unfortunate event escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark case known as Prigg v. Pennsylvania. The ruling deemed the rights of slave owners to their “property” as an inevitable aspect of the country’s foundation. The 1842 decision by the court has since become a reference in over 7,000 legal citations, underscoring its pervasive impact on American law, as highlighted by the Citing Slavery Project at Michigan State University.
Morgan’s life before the arrest is detailed in a biography by the Archives of Maryland, which reveals that she was likely born free, despite her parents being enslaved by John Ashmore in Maryland. Her family’s status was never recorded as Ashmore’s property, suggesting the possibility that they were emancipated prior to her birth. She eventually married Jerry Morgan, a free Black man, and in 1832, they relocated to Pennsylvania, expanding their family with another child.
Edward Prigg acted on the directives of Margaret Ashmore, who claimed ownership over Morgan under the federal Fugitive Slave Act. The legislation allowed Prigg to capture Morgan without solid proof of her fugitive status, sidestepping Pennsylvania’s legal requirements. He later faced and was convicted of state kidnapping charges in 1839, though the Supreme Court overturned this conviction, characterizing Pennsylvania’s antislavery statutes as unconstitutional.
On the night of the raid, Jerry Morgan was released by the captors as his family was taken south. Tragically, he later drowned in a river during an unsuccessful effort to secure their freedom from the Pennsylvania governor, according to historical archives.
Margaret Morgan and her children seemingly vanished from historical records post-abduction. It is speculated by historians that they could have been sold by Margaret Ashmore, but no further documentation of their fate has been found.