Joshua Glover

And the End of Slavery

1824–1888

How do you make history?

Joshua Glover was enslaved in St. Louis, Missouri. As a young man he sought freedom in Wisconsin, only to be recaptured after a friend betrayed him. Defying the Fugitive Slave Act, Sherman Booth and other abolitionists helped Joshua escape via the Underground Railroad, and he later settled in Canada as a free man. These actions were part of a chain of events that led to the formation of the Republican Party and the declaration of the end of slavery in the United States.

Meet Joshua Glover

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Questions to Consider

Illustration of the geographical shape of the State of Wisconsin with the number 1 superimposed above it

We can infer some ideas about what Joshua’s life might have been like as an enslaved person, but we don’t have sources to confirm specific details of his early life. Why not? What does this tell you about how history is recorded?

Illustration of the geographical shape of the State of Wisconsin with the number 2 superimposed above it

Breaking Joshua out of jail was one in a series of efforts made by abolitionists in the fight to end slavery. What outcomes did these efforts lead to in Wisconsin? In the United States?

Illustration of the geographical shape of the State of Wisconsin with the number 3 superimposed above it

How does knowing about Joshua’s story change what you’ve learned about slavery in the United States? How does it change what you think about Wisconsin’s history?

Read On

Joshua Glover portrait illustration

Joshua Glover: And the End of Slavery

Get the full story with this biography book. Audio files are available on each page if you’d like to listen along!

 

Project Credits

Producer
Dan Kaplan
Becky Marburger
Kurt Griesemer

Associate Producer
Joe Young

Illustration
The Brave Union

Animation
The Brave Union

Audiobook Narration
Jonathan Horne

Audiobook Editing
Kerman Eckes

Captioning
Catie Pfeifer
Vicki Way Kipp

Educator Support Materials
Mia Forslund

Web
John Vieth
Erika Kachama-Nkoy
Tim Schneider

Design
Charles Barrows

Translation Services
University of Wisconsin-Madison Cultural Linguistic Services

Executive Producer
Peggy Garties

Special Thanks
Marta Bechtol

Story Advisors

Brenda Autz
Park Elementary School
Middleton, WI
(2013)

Kaitlyn Beguhl
Section Elementary School
Mukwonago, WI
(2021)

Charlene Dupler
Lakeview Elementary School
Wind Lake, WI
(2013)

Kristen McDaniel
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Madison, WI
(2013)

David J. O’Connor
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Madison, WI
(2013)

Amanda Price
Marshall Elementary School
Marshall, WI
(2013)

Valisa Rias Harmon
Gilmore K-8 Fine Arts School
Racine, WI
(2021)

Corey Thompson
Cardinal Stritch University
(2013)

Stephanie Unertl
Lake Mills Area School District
Lake Mills, WI
(2013)