New song: "In Wisconsin in 1854 (Song for Joshua Glover)"

This Week with David Rovics

Authorities in the state of Wisconsin only tried to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 once. But before they had a chance to hold a trial in Milwaukee, thousands of local people on horseback descended upon the jail and freed Joshua Glover from his captors, making sure he got to Canada, rather than being taken back to Missouri.

This is one of so many inspiring stories of solidarity from the history of humanity. I probably first heard about it from Ben Manski, who knows more about Wisconsin state history than anyone I've met. I've been meaning to write this song for years. Recently being in Wisconsin, I shared this story with a number of people, most of whom had never heard of it, which made me want to write the song more.