Pursuit of Freedom: Nelson Hackett and the Path to Abolition

About the Event

Explore the gripping and historically significant story of Nelson Hackett with Dr. Michael Pierce, a distinguished historian from the University of Arkansas. This class dives into Hackett’s 1841 escape from Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he fled his owner, Alfred Wallace, with only a horse, saddle, coat, and watch. Hackett’s pursuit of freedom led him to Canada, but Wallace demanded his extradition on theft charges, triggering a complex international dispute that drew in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

In this immersive class, Dr. Pierce will guide participants through the primary documents of the Hackett case, examining how his forced return to slavery became a catalyst for change. Outraged abolitionists in the U.S. and UK rallied to prevent further extraditions of escaped slaves. Uncover the legacy of Hackett’s journey and its impact on abolitionist efforts and cross-border policies on human rights.

Special Notes

- This class will meet in person at the OLLI offices, located at 481 S. Shiloh Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72704. Please read your class reminder email for the exact room location.

Class changes occasionally happen, please watch for (and read) announcements or emails from OLLI regarding your class.

Instructor

Michael Pierce
Michael Pierce received his A.B. from Kenyon College and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Pierce‘s current project looks at the ways that a coalition of labor and civil rights groups brought New Deal/Great Society style liberalism to the state in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the reasons why politicians like Bill Clinton, David Pryor, and Dale Bumpers rejected that type of liberalism for one more friendly to the state's corporate interests. He also directs the University of Arkansas Humanities Center's Nelson Hackett Project (https://nelsonhackettproject.uark.edu/). Pierce is the author of Striking with the Ballot: Ohio Labor and the Populist Party (2010) and co-editor of two volumes, including Race, Labor, and Violence in the Delta (2022). His essays have appeared in Journal of Southern History, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History, the Arkansas Historical Quarterly, and various edited volumes. He serves as associate editor of the Arkansas
Historical Quarterly.

Room: Training Room, 159

Tuition: $40.00

Member Tuition: $25.00

Class | Registration opens Tuesday, February 4, 2025 10:00 AM

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arkansas (OLLI). Our mission is to provide a community of adults with a lifelong learning venue that promotes intellectual and cultural growth through exploration and discussion via diverse, high quality and affordable educational programs.

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