Jane Johnson

Engraving of Jane Johnson, from The Underground Railroad, by William Still, 1872.

Jane Johnson ( 1814-1827 – August 2, 1872) was an African-American slave who gained freedom for herself and her two sons on July 18, 1855. Pennsylvania had abolished slavery within the state in the 1840s, but her enslaver, John H. Wheeler, voluntarily brought Johnson and her two young sons to Philadelphia while en route to New York City. She was aided in her escape by William Still and attorney Passmore Williamson, abolitionists of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and its Vigilance Committee.

This resulted in precedent-setting legal cases in 19th-century Pennsylvania, as a federal judge applied the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 in a controversial way. He sentenced abolitionist Passmore Williamson to 90 days for contempt of court for failing to produce Johnson and her sons under a writ of habeas corpus, or tell him their location. The jailing attracted even wider publicity, and widespread discussion of issues of state and federal laws related to slavery. Pennsylvania was a free state that declared that it would not recognize the property rights of any slaveholder.

Johnson returned to Philadelphia from New York in August 1855 and testified in the trial of William Still and five dockworkers, charged by her slaver John Hill Wheeler with assault. They had aided her escape. She testified at length about having planned to gain freedom in the North, and said she chose of her own free will to leave with Still, and would never go back to slavery. She helped win acquittal for Still and three men, and reduced sentences for two others. State and local officials protected her after testimony, and she and her sons soon moved to Boston, where they settled. She married again there. Her son Isaiah Johnson served in the United States Colored Troops during the American Civil War.

Early life Jane Johnson is believed to have been born into slavery under the name Jane Williams in or near Washington, D.C. Her parents were John Williams and Jane Williams. Little else is known of her early life. She married a man named Johnson and had children with him.

Domestic slave About 1853, Johnson and her two children had been sold to John Hill Wheeler (1806-1882), a planter from North Carolina and politician then working in Washington, DC. She worked as a domestic slave in his household. Her oldest son had been sold by a previous slaver to someone in Richmond, Virginia, and she never expected to see him again. From there, they would proceed by steamboat to New York City to get the ship to Nicaragua.

Pennsylvania was a free state that did not recognize slavery. By its laws, slaves could choose freedom if brought to the state by their slavers. At the end of the 18th century, it had made compromises that enabled Southern members of the national government to keep their slaves in the city for up to six months; past that, they could choose freedom. At that time, the national capital was temporarily in Philadelphia.

Choosing freedom Johnson emancipates herself and her children by walking away from her former "master", John Hill Wheeler, into the free city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On July 18, 1855, Johnson passed word to a black porter in Bloodgood's Hotel, where Wheeler had locked her in with her children, that she wanted to escape her slaver's custody. He got word to William Still, chairman of the Vigilance Committee of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, who helped fugitive slaves. Later that day, as the full Wheeler party prepared to board the ferry, Still and abolitionist Passmore Williamson, secretary of the Society, reached the docks. Still told Johnson that she could choose freedom according to Pennsylvania law. While Wheeler argued, offered her a promise of freedom, and tried to prevent Johnson from leaving, five black dockworkers restrained him, and Williamson explained the state law to him. William Still quickly escorted Johnson and her children away by a coach, later taking them secretly to his house.

Due to her testimony, Still and three of the dockworkers were acquitted.

Two, John Ballard and William Curtis, were convicted of assault, fined $10, and imprisoned for a week. A reporter on the scene wrote of them: 'I have just seen four of the five men who acted so brave a part of the rescue. They are very respectable looking persons, and instead of being sorry for what they did, would like nothing better than a chance to repeat the offense'.

Federal marshals pursued Johnson, but state and local officials helped her and her party. They were determined to resist what they saw as interference with the integrity of local courts.

Representation in popular culture Johnson's life and escape inspired Lorene Cary to write the novel, The Price of a Child (1995). It was featured as a choice in the One Book, One Philadelphia program. Jane Johnson and William Still are featured in the musical, Stand by the River (2003), which features Still's life and tells of Johnson's rescue from slavery in Philadelphia. A fictionalized version of Jane Johnson's escape is depicted by Ta-Nehisi Coates in the novel The Water Dancer (2019), in which Johnson is represented by the character Mary Bronson.