The Town That Started the Civil War

By Nat Brandt Residents of Oberlin and Wellington rescued John Price from slave catchers in 1858 and the aftermath caught the eye of the nation and fed into the legal and social turmoil preceding the Civil War. Historian Nat Brandt follows the lives of some of Oberlin’s earliest residents, describes the town’s abolitionist legacy, and details the fascinating story of the famous rescue that pushed the nation towards war.