... was one of the most widely-respected "conductors" of the Underground Railroad...the secret network that helped free slaves. He had been caught several times and was handed down a variety of punishments...usually a stiff fine, some lashings and public embarrassment. The greater risk was being sold into slavery...a punishment that many conductors came to live with if caught. In September 1848, he stood on the steps of the Kent County Court House in Delaware to face his punishment...living the next 14 years as a slave...sold to the highest bidder. As it turns out, the man who bought Burris was an abolitionist using funds raised to help with freeing the man.
The winning bidder was Isaac Flint who set Burris free shortly after his purchase. Burris moved to California where he would later die in 1863. Fast forward 168 years and Delaware is only now granting him a pardon. This pardon is an extraordinary act in recognition of a historic wrong that cannot be corrected by a single stroke of a pen, said the governor. But while we cannot change what was done more than 150 years ago, we can ensure that Mr. Burris legacy is appropriately recognized and celebrated. We affirm today that history will no longer record his actions as criminal, but rather as acts of freedom and bravery in the face of injustice.
The winning bidder was Isaac Flint who set Burris free shortly after his purchase. Burris moved to California where he would later die in 1863. Fast forward 168 years and Delaware is only now granting him a pardon. This pardon is an extraordinary act in recognition of a historic wrong that cannot be corrected by a single stroke of a pen, said the governor. But while we cannot change what was done more than 150 years ago, we can ensure that Mr. Burris legacy is appropriately recognized and celebrated. We affirm today that history will no longer record his actions as criminal, but rather as acts of freedom and bravery in the face of injustice.