Over The River...Life of Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist for Freedom
Encyclopedia
Over the River…Life of Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist for Freedom (theatrically released in 2008) is a documentary film
and book about the life of Lydia Maria Child. The film was produced by Permanent Productions, Inc., written and directed by Constance L. Jackson
, narrated by Diahann Carroll and features James Moses Black, Michele S. Patterson, Greta Muxworthy, Beth Lockhart and Jacob Conrad.
and Rosa Parks
were uttered as harbingers of social justice
, came the first Civil Rights Movement in America—the abolitionists
of the 1800s. Abolitionists used literature, petitions, and public speaking to forge change, but there was one who stood out in her time that was central to altering America’s course: the author and editor, Lydia Maria Child. Many would argue that Lydia Maria Child and the abolitionist cause were one of the key reasons the Civil War
happened. Coined by William Lloyd Garrison
as the “First Woman in the Republic,” Child was an unwavering advocate for change. Child’s influence extended to legislators and to President Abraham Lincoln
. A friend and loyalist to African Americans, Native Americans
, and immigrant causes, Child’s literature, that span 50 years, made her a household name in thousands of homes during those tumultuous times in America. She is known today as the author of the Thanksgiving Day
song Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother’s House We Go
.
Her many books were the first written on the subjects of religious ideas, aging, interracial love, domestic advice, Indian
rights, women’s rights, prison and social reform
, and abolishing slavery. The bombshell book written in 1833 An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans transcended time and was used by leaders during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Many of her books are housed in museums or used as reference material in libraries, while some of her works are still published today for lay readers, scholars, and researchers studying the impact she made on Americans.
Lydia Maria Child was well regarded and quite known as an influential figure among her abolitionist and literary peers. Over the River highlights the relationship Child had with notable figures such as William Lloyd Garrison
, Theodore Parker
, Thomas Wentworth Higginson
, Abby Kelley
, Frederick Douglass
, Lucretia Mott
, Maria Weston Chapman
, Harriet Jacobs, Senator Charles Sumner
, John Brown
, Angelina Grimke
, Robert Gould Shaw
, Edgar Allan Poe
, Margaret Fuller
, violinist Ole Bull
, John Greenleaf Whittier
, James Russell Lowell
, and Isaac T. Hopper
, just to name a few.
The epic three-part documentary DVD and book Over the River...Life of Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist for Freedom explores the life of Lydia Maria Child and the abolitionist soldiers, and displays how young and old, en masse, rallied for social change for all Americans — to free themselves and black Americans from the chains of indignity.
"An agent of change is an active visionary who creates coalitions and raises consciousness to influence beliefs, behaviors, and policies for sustainable environments--social and physical in our world community."
Benjamin L., Ellen K., April C., Nick C., Bobbie C., Charles B., J.T. C., Cal C., Kerry M., Brittani D., Suzanne S., Chris A., Dena R., Angelica A., Daniel M., Michele P., Constance J. (2009, Oct.)
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and book about the life of Lydia Maria Child. The film was produced by Permanent Productions, Inc., written and directed by Constance L. Jackson
Constance Jackson
Constance L. Jackson is an American film director, producer and writer.She is president and CEO of Los Angeles based Permanent Productions, Inc., a communication enterprise specializing in healthcare and behavioral concerns. Jackson has spoken at national and international conferences on issues...
, narrated by Diahann Carroll and features James Moses Black, Michele S. Patterson, Greta Muxworthy, Beth Lockhart and Jacob Conrad.
Background
Before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s and before the names of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
were uttered as harbingers of social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, came the first Civil Rights Movement in America—the abolitionists
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
of the 1800s. Abolitionists used literature, petitions, and public speaking to forge change, but there was one who stood out in her time that was central to altering America’s course: the author and editor, Lydia Maria Child. Many would argue that Lydia Maria Child and the abolitionist cause were one of the key reasons the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
happened. Coined by William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
as the “First Woman in the Republic,” Child was an unwavering advocate for change. Child’s influence extended to legislators and to President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. A friend and loyalist to African Americans, Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and immigrant causes, Child’s literature, that span 50 years, made her a household name in thousands of homes during those tumultuous times in America. She is known today as the author of the Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
song Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother’s House We Go
Over the River and through the Woods
"Over the River and through the Woods" is a Thanksgiving song by Lydia Maria Child. Written originally as a poem, it appeared in her Flowers for Children, Volume 2, in 1844. The title of the poem is, "A Boy's Thanksgiving Day". It celebrates her childhood memories of visiting her Grandfather's House...
.
Her many books were the first written on the subjects of religious ideas, aging, interracial love, domestic advice, Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
rights, women’s rights, prison and social reform
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
, and abolishing slavery. The bombshell book written in 1833 An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans transcended time and was used by leaders during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Many of her books are housed in museums or used as reference material in libraries, while some of her works are still published today for lay readers, scholars, and researchers studying the impact she made on Americans.
Lydia Maria Child was well regarded and quite known as an influential figure among her abolitionist and literary peers. Over the River highlights the relationship Child had with notable figures such as William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
, Theodore Parker
Theodore Parker
Theodore Parker was an American Transcendentalist and reforming minister of the Unitarian church...
, Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, and soldier. He was active in the American Abolitionism movement during the 1840s and 1850s, identifying himself with disunion and militant abolitionism...
, Abby Kelley
Abby Kelley
Abby Kelley Foster was an American abolitionist and radical social reformer active from the 1830s to 1870s. She became a fundraiser, lecturer and committee organizer for the influential American Anti-Slavery Society, where she worked closely with William Lloyd Garrison and other radicals...
, Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
, Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Coffin Mott was an American Quaker, abolitionist, social reformer, and proponent of women's rights.- Early life and education:...
, Maria Weston Chapman
Maria Weston Chapman
Maria Weston or Maria Weston Chapman was an American abolitionist. She was elected to the executive committee of the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1839 and from 1839 until 1842, she served as editor of the anti-slavery journal, Non-Resistant.-Family:Weston was born in 1806 in Weymouth,...
, Harriet Jacobs, Senator Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
, John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
, Angelina Grimke
Grimké sisters
Sarah Grimké and Angelina Grimké , known as the Grimké sisters, were 19th-century American Quakers, educators and writers who were early advocates of abolitionism and women's rights....
, Robert Gould Shaw
Robert Gould Shaw
Robert Gould Shaw was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As colonel, he commanded the all-black 54th Regiment, which entered the war in 1863. He was killed in the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina...
, Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, Margaret Fuller
Margaret Fuller
Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli, commonly known as Margaret Fuller, was an American journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movement. She was the first full-time American female book reviewer in journalism...
, violinist Ole Bull
Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull was a Norwegian violinist and composer.-Background:Bull was born in Bergen. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden . His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect...
, John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
, James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets...
, and Isaac T. Hopper
Isaac Hopper
Isaac Tatem Hopper was an American abolitionist who is known as the father of the underground railroad.-Contributions to African-Americans:...
, just to name a few.
The epic three-part documentary DVD and book Over the River...Life of Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist for Freedom explores the life of Lydia Maria Child and the abolitionist soldiers, and displays how young and old, en masse, rallied for social change for all Americans — to free themselves and black Americans from the chains of indignity.
Cast
- Diahann Carroll, narrator
- James Moses Black, David Walker
- Michele S. Patterson, Adult Lydia Maria Child
- Greta Muxworthy, Young Lydia Maria Child
- Beth Lockhart, Young Adult Lydia Maria Child
- Jacob Conrad, Religious Critic
- Darnell R. Ford, Slave and Preacher
Related Events
Director Constance L. Jackson presented Over The River at Colgate University on 10/22/09 and lead a workshop discussion titled "Becoming an Agent of Change, Then and Now" (centered around the film Over the River...Life of Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist for Freedom) on 10/23/09, where Jackson helped create the definition of an Agent of Change with Colgate University faculty, students, residents, and guests of Hamilton, NY."An agent of change is an active visionary who creates coalitions and raises consciousness to influence beliefs, behaviors, and policies for sustainable environments--social and physical in our world community."
Benjamin L., Ellen K., April C., Nick C., Bobbie C., Charles B., J.T. C., Cal C., Kerry M., Brittani D., Suzanne S., Chris A., Dena R., Angelica A., Daniel M., Michele P., Constance J. (2009, Oct.)