How a Fugitive Slave’s Jailbreak Fueled the Rise of the Republican Party

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the tense years before the Civil War, Joshua Glover — a man who had escaped slavery — was captured in Wisconsin under the Fugitive Slave Act. His fate seemed sealed until local abolitionists staged a daring public rescue that defied federal law in broad daylight, breaking down the doors of a jail to save him from bondage. That single moment of defiance helped give rise to the Republican Party and became a pivotal turning point in the fight for freedom that would shape the course of the Civil War. Michael Jahr, the creator of the documentary "Liberty at Stake," and Dr. Robert Baker, author of "The Rescue of Joshua Glover," share the remarkable story.

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