Description

This is a lithograph depicting a political cartoon that makes reference to the varying opinions of the fugitive slave law of 1850. Daniel Webster (1782-1852), US Statesman, leads Lewis Cass (1782-1866), US Politician, and Julius Jacob von Haynau (1786-1853), an Austrian general noted for cruelty in pursuit of slaves. Complex references to numerous events and people; In the foreground a group of white men chase a black woman with a baby in her arms and a child holding her hand. The men are loosely connected by a ribbon that reads "SImilis simili gaudet", Latin for "Like takes pleasure in like". A dog with a black man's head runs along with them, making reference to the law's nickname, the "Bloodhound Law". In the background other men look on, commenting, while another group of white men listen intently to a black man speaking of racial and constitutional justice. On the horizon is the Capitol building. Nearly all characters are speaking, voicing their opinions on the present actions and the fugitive slave law. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum