Elijah Lovejoy memorial, Alton, IL

Although the tragic events occured more than 100 years prior to the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. it seems appropriate to remember on this day another martyred advocate of freedom, Elijah Lovejoy. Lovejoy, a newspaper publisher and Presbyterian minister, was a champion for freedom of the press and freedom of speech. He was also an outspken abolitionist. Lovejoy was killed by a pro-slavery mob defending his printing press in 1837. The memorial centers on a 93-foot high granite column topped by a 17-foot high winged statue of Victory. The monument was dedicated November 7, 1897, the sixtieth anniversary of Lovejoy’s death.

Elijah Lovejoy Monument, 01/15/2012, Michael Anderson, watercolor on Canson 140lb cold press, 6″ x 8″.