Jane Johnson: podcast appearances and interviews

Jane Johnson was an African-American woman who gained her freedom and that of her two sons in 1855. Her escape was aided by abolitionists William Still and attorney Passmore Williamson, and it became a notable case in the legal history of slavery in Pennsylvania. Johnson was brought to Philadelphia by her enslaver, John H. Wheeler, who voluntarily moved her and her children into a free state while en route to New York City. Pennsylvania's stance against slavery and its refusal to recognize slaveholder property rights formed the backdrop for the legal proceedings. Johnson returned to Philadelphia after her escape, providing testimony in the trial of her aides, affirming her decision to leave slavery of her own accord. Her testimony helped secure acquittals and reduced sentences for those involved in her aid. Following these events, she and her sons relocated to Boston, where she eventually remarried. Her son Isaiah Johnson served in the United States Colored Troops during the American Civil War. Jane Johnson's actions and testaments contributed to the discussions of federal and state laws regarding slavery during that period, and her life embodied the struggle for freedom and the rejection of slavery's authority.