| Elijah Parish Lovejoy was an editor of an antislavery newspaper the St. Louis Observor. He was forced to move across the Missisppi River to Alton. Lovejoy's anti-slavery views engraged the residents of Alton. Pro-slavery groups repeatedly attacked him, twice throwing his press into the river. On November 7th they once again attacked his offices. When he attempted to defend the press with his body he was shot. |
