Wood engraving of the pro-slavery mob setting fire to Gilman & Godfrey’s warehouse. Library of Congress
On Nov. 7, 1837, minister, journalist, newspaper editor, and abolitionist Elijah Parish Lovejoy was murdered by a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois during their attack on his warehouse to destroy his press.
As noted at the Colored Conventions Project,
White terrorism, which justifies racial policing, is inextricably linked to the racist politico-socio hierarchical structure in the United States. White violence was deployed to silence through murder and terror. As it turned out, even a white man, who exposed the state of the structure, was not safe from white violence. Continue reading.
In 1838, Edward Beecher wrote a pamphlet, Narrative of Riots at Alton: in connection with the death of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy.
Learn more about Lovejoy and the people’s history of the media in News for All the People. Find resources for teaching about institutional racism, terrorism, and the abolition movement below.
Twitter
Google plus
LinkedIn