They Said I Couldn't Do It

‘Black boys don’t need schoolin’,’ said the orphan’s guardian.
It’s 1843, Ohio. Blacks can’t vote, have almost no rights, and as for going to school! What’s the point? But John Mercer Langston yearns to learn. His heart is set on attending college.His illiterate older brother finally relents. John enrolls at Oberlin, the most radical college in Ohio.

But what can he do with that education? Be a lawyer? Ridiculous! Law schools slam their doors in his face. And anyway, who would hire a black man?

John and his town are a great match―fighters against ignorance, injustice, and racial persecution. Oberlin is an abolitionist town. Supports runaways. Prevents captures. Rescues captives. Has many conductors and safe houses on the Underground Railroad.

Their actions bring danger from the highest in the land. A David and Goliath battle of wills erupts when John and his tiny town defy the hated Fugitive Slave Act. Legal battles rage. For ten months, September 1858 to July 1859, they remain front-page news across the nation.

Over time, John Mercer Langston has faded into the folds of history. It’s time to honor him again.

Grab your copy now to discover inspirational John Mercer Langston’s first thirty years, and help him take back his rightful place in American history as one of the two most outstanding black leaders of his century.

From when Robyn R. Pearce was a child in New Zealand, the stories of early settlers romanced her. Then, older family members started sharing letters and journals of intrepid ancestors who'd up and left their homes to go to new lands, many of them fleeing from turbulent, and sometimes terrible, situations. They all had one common theme; they trod perilous paths in search of a better life. The Freedom Series weaves these tales with the events and famous people of the times.Before Robyn began writing historical fiction, putting her ancestors' stories into exciting fiction, she had a long and successful career as an international time management and productivity specialist, with eight books on the topic. More about all her titles at https: //www.RobynPearce.com