The Christiana Riot, also known as Christiana Resistance, Christiana Tragedy, or Christiana incident, was the successful armed resistance by free Blacks and escaped slaves to a raid led by a federal marshal to recover four escaped slaves owned by Edward Gorsuch of Maryland. The raid took place in the early morning hours of September 11, 1851, at the house in Christiana, Pennsylvania, of William Parker, himself an escaped slave. This took place after the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 increased penalties for assisting escaped slaves and required state government officials, even in free states such as Pennsylvania, to assist in the recapture of slaves.
Line drawing of William Parker's house, circa 1851.
Christiana is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,100 at the time of the 2020 census.
Zercher Hotel
Keystone Marker
The Christiana railroad depot constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad