It's funny how the entire history of a nation could be changed by a single isolated incident

and a small town that was as insignificant as Altenewa was in 1837.

Sure, the people in Altenewa at the time there was nothing insignificant about the Mississippi

River community.

It had become important in the two decades or so of its existence.

They grown into a thriving river landing outshining towns like St. Louis which had been around

much longer and didn't have a kind of baggage that Alten did.

I mean, this was a town that had been started by a con artist who was selling building

plots that he didn't even own to people who first settled there.

But Alten wouldn't stay insignificant to the rest of the country for long.

Not after the night of November 7th when a mob of nearly 200 men with torches surrounded

a warehouse on the edge of the Mississippi River.

The warehouse held the printing press of an abolitionist newspaper that was published

by a troublemaker who had been stirring people up about slavery for several years now.

He even been driven out of Missouri because of his fanatical beliefs.

Back in August, he'd been warned to stop publishing his paper body refused.

On three occasions, angry mobs had hurled the paper's printing presses into the river.

But there was no talking sense into the man.

So on November 7th, those who hated him decided to stop talking.

That afternoon, a boat arrived in Alten carrying the publisher's fourth printing press.

It was taken to a warehouse on the riverfront so it could be guarded by a dozen well-armed

men, but the day passed without incident.

...