Biography & True Stories
Description
"We had much rather be all alone in the right than with the whole world in the wrong.”
So wrote Jeremiah Hacker in 1862. He was the main writer and editor of The Pleasure Boat, which may have the distinction of being Portland, Maine’s most controversial newspaper. Inspired by his Quaker background, Hacker worked to end slavery, poverty, and inequality of women through his writing. He spoke out against prisons, advocating instead for reform and education. He broke with all forms of organized religion and urged people to leave their churches and find moral direction from within. He promoted no political party, believing people would be better off without government. He was in favor of land for all. The most controversial of Hacker’s radical ideas, however—and the one that lost him the most readers—was his advocacy for peace as the country headed toward Civil War.
Hacker’s life spanned the nineteenth century (1801-1895). His work was widely read and he himself was well-known in his lifetime. But both he and his ideas have largely been forgotten—until now. This book explores the life and writings of Jeremiah Hacker, returning him to his rightful place in history, and showing how his words were an important part of what helped to forge that history.
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Translation/foreign publication rights available.
Film rights available.
Endorsements
"Rebecca Pritchard has crafted a vivid portrait of one of mid-nineteenth-century America’s most colorful public figures. Jeremiah Hacker--teacher, itinerant preacher, journalist-publisher and uncompromising reformer—roamed city streets his ear trumpet in hand. His deafness proved no impediment to a life of impressive moral activism. Pritchard skillfully reconstructs the life of a now forgotten reformer, but she accomplishes much more. She situates Hacker’s wide-ranging commitment to reform in the hothouse of pre-Civil War idealism. Pritchard tells a remarkable story in engaging, lively prose."
Joseph Conforti, author of Imagining New England and Jonathan Edwards, Religious Tradition, and American Culture
"What a Yankee Original! Jeremiah Hacker was a two-fisted fighting Quaker, a cranky crusader with a self-propelled pen and a critical eye for the world's weaknesses. He launched his newspaper The Pleasure Boat to assail the world's sins and shortcomings, sparing no one and nothing. Now, thanks to author Rebecca Pritchard, Hacker' s long-ago voyages are between covers for the first time. Well-written, full of anecdotes and surprises, Pritchard brings the street preacher and shrewd printer to life, and in her hands sprightly good company he is! Anyone who cruised on The Pleasure Boat never forgot it—and neither will you."
Herb Adams, Adjunct Professor of History at Southern Maine Community College and former Maine State Legislator
Reviews
"In Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarchist, Abolitionist, Pritchard brings alive Hacker’s responses to the issues of the United States as they played out in Portland, Maine. She places him appropriately within the context of nineteenth‐century reformers and radicals. But also, through his observations and arguments, she reminds us of the timelessness of his appeals."
Beth Taylor, Friends Journal
“Jeremiah Hacker: Journalist, Anarchist, Abolitionist opens a window on a fascinating Maine original, as well as on a whole era of thought, social justice, religion, women’s rights, reform and farming. Maine’s 19th century Jeremiah Hacker and his vehement convictionsare at last unbound."
William David Barry, Portland Press Herald
Author Biography
Rebecca M. Pritchard
Rebecca M. Pritchard studied writing at the Salt Institute in Portland, Maine, and American & New England Studies at the University of Southern Maine. In school, she became interested in the stories buried in old newspapers and spent her time in libraries poring over their wrinkled pages. She has worked for the Maine Historical Society, the Abbe Museum, and Acadia National Park. She lives with her husband and daughter in Bar Harbor, Maine where she writes for The Mount Desert Islander.
Frayed Edge Press
Frayed Edge Press is a small independent publishing house based in Philadelphia. We publish literary fiction and poetry, as well asnon-fiction titles in history and political science. We also publish the Street Smart Series of Short Fiction, consisting of contemporary, urban-set novelette-length works. We especially welcome marginalized voices, both historical and contemporary, including women, people of color, ethnic and religious minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, and progressive political viewpoints. We particularly seek to publish works that wrestle with important questions challenging contemporary society, including political and environmental concerns, civil rights, women's rights, and sustainability.
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher Frayed Edge Press
- Orginal LanguageEnglish
- ISBN/Identifier 9781642510065
- Publication Country or regionUnited States
- FormatPaperback
- Primary Price 13.95 USD
- Pages126
- ReadershipGeneral
- Publish StatusPublished
- Copyright Year2019
- Dimensions9x6 inches
- Illustration7 greyscale
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