{"product_id":"first-to-fall-elijah-lovejoy-and-the-fight-for-a-free-press-in-the-age-of-slavery-paperback","title":"First to Fall: Elijah Lovejoy and the Fight for a Free Press in the Age of Slavery - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKen Ellingwood\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA vividly told tale of a forgotten American hero--an impassioned newsman who fought for the right to speak out against slavery. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe history of the fight for free press has never been more vital in our own time, when journalists are targeted as \"enemies of the people.\" In this brilliant and rigorously researched history, award-winning journalist and author Ken Ellingwood animates the life and times of abolitionist newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eFirst to Fall\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates this flawed yet heroic figure who made the ultimate sacrifice while fighting for free press rights in a time when the First Amendment offered little protection for those who dared to critique America's \"peculiar institution.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCulminating in Lovejoy's dramatic clashes with the pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois--who were destroying printing press after printing press--\u003ci\u003eFirst to Fall\u003c\/i\u003e will bring Lovejoy, his supporters and his enemies to life during the raucous 1830s at the edge of slave country. It was a bloody period of innovation, conflict, violent politics, and painful soul-searching over pivotal issues of morality and justice. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the tradition of books like \u003ci\u003eThe Arc of Justice\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFirst to Fall\u003c\/i\u003e elevates a compelling, socially urgent narrative that has never received the attention it deserves. The book will aim to do no less than rescue Lovejoy from the footnotes of history and restore him as a martyr whose death was not only a catalyst for widespread abolitionist action, but also inaugurated the movement toward the free press protections we cherish so dearly today.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn award-winning journalist, \u003cb\u003eKen Ellingwood\u003c\/b\u003e has been posted in the San Diego, Mexico City, Jerusalem, and Atlanta bureaus of the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of the critically acclaimed (and prescient) work of investigative journalism \u003ci\u003eHard Line: Life and Death on the U.S.-Mexico Border.\u003c\/i\u003e He currently lives in Abu Dhabi.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.01 x 8.25 x 5.6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 13, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51764991066400,"sku":"9781639364619","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/cd9790c80e35521b8b80f1cc8d32bdcd_68bde21c-ba30-422b-9946-ccfd584c8db4.webp?v=1780259716","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/first-to-fall-elijah-lovejoy-and-the-fight-for-a-free-press-in-the-age-of-slavery-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}