The right of testimony law in addition to the federal Fugitive Slave Act meant that any black could be snatched and returned to a slave-holding state.  However, California’s status as a free state meant that  the black churches, fraternal orders and wealthy individuals fought to liberate former slaves who came to California. The Archy Lee case was one of the many motions for writs of habeas corpus filed on their behalf.  One such motion for Robert Perkins, Carter Perkins and Sandy Jones noted:

“I. The state of slavery is a municipal regulation founded upon and limited by the range of the territorial law;

II Slavery was prohibited and abolished throughout the Mexican Republic by a decree of its Congress dated A.D. 1829.  Consequently slavery was not known or recognized within the limits of this state at the time of conquest.”