Elijah Lovejoy: Freedom’s Champion or Religious Fanatic?

Stephen Hansen, Emeritus Dean and Professor of Historical Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will explore the character and personality of Elijah Lovejoy. What kind of person was he? Why did he persist in attacking slavery even after prominent citizens warned him to stop?  Was Lovejoy an uncompromising defender of freedom, a religious fanatic, a revolutionary, or a madman? This program will explore the events leading up to the fateful day in November 1837 when Lovejoy was killed by a mob in Alton.