Synopses & Reviews
From the highest hill above the town of Ripley, Ohio, you can see five bends in the Ohio River. You can see the hills of northern Kentucky and the rooftops of Ripley's riverfront houses. And you can see what the abolitionist John Rankin saw from his house at the top of that hill, where for nearly forty years he placed a lantern each night to guide fugitive slaves to freedom beyond the river. andlt;BRandgt; In andlt;Iandgt;Beyond the River,andlt;/Iandgt; Ann Hagedorn tells the remarkable story of the participants in the Ripley line of the Underground Railroad, bringing to life the struggles of the men and women, black and white, who fought "the war before the war" along the Ohio River. Determined in their cause, Rankin, his family, and his fellow abolitionists -- some of them former slaves themselves -- risked their lives to guide thousands of runaways safely across the river into the free state of Ohio, even when a sensational trial in Kentucky threatened to expose the Ripley "conductors." Rankin, the leader of the Ripley line and one of the early leaders of the antislavery movement, became nationally renowned after the publication of his andlt;Iandgt;Letters on American Slavery,andlt;/Iandgt; a collection of letters he wrote to persuade his brother in Virginia to renounce slavery. andlt;BRandgt; A vivid narrative about memorable people, andlt;Iandgt;Beyond the Riverandlt;/Iandgt; is an inspiring story of courage and heroism that transports us to another era and deepens our understanding of the great social movement known as the Underground Railroad.
Review
andlt;Iandgt;Smithsonianandlt;/Iandgt; A groundbreaking chronicle [that] sheds new light on one of the most dramatic chapters in American history.
Review
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. andlt;Iandgt;Beyond the Riverandlt;/Iandgt; is as vivid in its narration as it is scrupulous in its scholarship.
Synopsis
Beyond the River brings to brilliant life the dramatic story of the forgotten heroes of the Ripley, Ohio, line of the Underground Railroad.
From the highest hill above the town of Ripley, Ohio, you can see five bends in the Ohio River. You can see the hills of northern Kentucky and the rooftops of Ripley's riverfront houses. And you can see what the abolitionist John Rankin saw from his house at the top of that hill, where for nearly forty years he placed a lantern each night to guide fugitive slaves to freedom beyond the river.
In Beyond the River, Ann Hagedorn tells the remarkable story of the participants in the Ripley line of the Underground Railroad, bringing to life the struggles of the men and women, black and white, who fought "the war before the war" along the Ohio River. Determined in their cause, Rankin, his family, and his fellow abolitionists--some of them former slaves themselves--risked their lives to guide thousands of runaways safely across the river into the free state of Ohio, even when a sensational trial in Kentucky threatened to expose the Ripley "conductors." Rankin, the leader of the Ripley line and one of the early leaders of the antislavery movement, became nationally renowned after the publication of his Letters on American Slavery, a collection of letters he wrote to persuade his brother in Virginia to renounce slavery.
A vivid narrative about memorable people, Beyond the River is an inspiring story of courage and heroism that transports us to another era and deepens our understanding of the great social movement known as the Underground Railroad.
About the Author
Ann Hagedorn has been a staff writer for andlt;iandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/iandgt; and has taught writing at Northwestern Universityand#8217;s Medill School of Journalism and at Columbia Universityand#8217;s Graduate School of Journalism. Her previous books are andlt;iandgt;Wild Ride, Ransomandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Beyond the Riverandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;Savage Peaceandlt;/iandgt;.
Table of Contents
Contents
Preface: A Double Life Part I: THE WAR BEFORE THE WAR
1. The Kindling and the Spark
2. Visions and Ideals
3. On the Wings of His Words
4. River of Anguish
5. "My Dear Brother"
6. The Lantern in the Window
7. 1831
8. Speak Truth to Power
9. Family
10. Agitation
11. Mobocracy
12. The Seventy
13. Two Abductions and a Murder
Part II: 1838
14. Waves Break on Either Shore
15. "Mercy Enough?"
16. The Trap
17. "The Matter Is Highly Mysterious"
18. Exposing the Chain
19. "These Men Are Dangerous"
20. The Unappeasable Spirit
Part III: MIDNIGHT ASSASSINS
21. A New Season
22. Double or Nothing
23. By Fire and Sword
24. "Thus Have I Been Attacked"
25. "A Victim of the Slave Power"
26. Parker's Ferry
27. With Spur and Rein
28. Neighbors
Part IV: BEYOND THE RIVER
29. Prison Doors
30. The Quickening Flow
31. Broken Vessel
32. Echoes
Acknowledgments Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index