Documentary Illuminating Ohio’s Abolitionist History and Historic Rescue of 1858 Premieres Sunday in Oberlin

Husband-and-wife filmmakers Christina Paolucci and Scott Spears poured their hearts and souls into A Higher Law: The Oberlin-Wellington Rescue of 1858, releasing on Sunday, April 23.

The documentary tells the gripping story of John Price, an enslaved man who escaped to Oberlin before being captured and brought back to Wellington, however, 37 white and Black men alike intervened to save Price. What ensued was a harrowing battle as the group faced the violation of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. 

Offering a fresh perspective on Ohio’s history of abolitionism and the pivotal Oberlin-Wellington Rescue of 1858, the film premieres for free at the storied Apollo Theatre in Oberlin. 

Despite restricted funding, pandemic hardships, and location inconveniences, the producers created an intriguing narrative with firsthand records from formerly enslaved people and abolitionists. 

Below, we got together with the Spears to discuss the ups and downs of bringing their documentary to life.

Cleveland Magazine: What inspired you to create A Higher Law: The Oberlin-Wellington Rescue of 1858?
Scott Spears: I have relatives who live in Oberlin and have heard this story from them for over 30 years. About five years ago, I thought, “Someone should make a documentary about it.” About a year after that, I looked in the mirror and realized, “Wait, I make documentaries!” So I started researching grants and lining up resources, and that was it. It was just an enthralling story, and the more we worked on it, the more we learned that it was even more interesting.

CM: How important is this story to local and national history?
SS: Yeah, it was a super important story for a time, which later got overshadowed by larger cases — specifically, the Harper’s Ferry raid. But it was somewhat of an inspiration for John Brown. He saw that happen, and he actually sent his son who ended up recruiting Copeland and another Oberlin resident, John Leary, whose first name was Lewis Sheridan. He recruited those two to go to Harper’s, they said “We will recommend the two great white guys. We know they’re more scholarly,” where Copeland and Leary were more guys in action, younger too.

Christina Paolucci: Let’s be clear. Everyone talks about John Brown, the John Brown raid. If you do the research, John Copeland should really be the hero of this story and not John Brown.

SS: It was an inspiration for a lot of people, but in this case, it was the people … willing them to free this man from the slave catchers and then hide him for a couple of days and then get him off to Canada. And then of course, they went to trial, and they all were indicted, arrested.

CP: I grew up in Cincinnati. [Scott] grew up in Portsmouth. I never heard this story. You ask people around here in Columbus, no one’s heard it. You go to Oberlin, and everyone’s heard it.

CM: What was the most surprising thing you learned during production?
SS: The biggest surprise for me was discovering John Anthony Copeland’s story. He was a pivotal player in the rescue of John Price and went on to join John Brown for the Harpers Ferry raid. Copeland was captured and executed, but his heartfelt letters from prison were incredible to read.

CP: I agree that the discovery of John Copeland’s story was profound. Reading his letters and Charles Langston’s speech during the trial were both significant moments. Elevating certain stories that hadn’t been highlighted before in the telling of this story was very significant. I would also say another significant moment was learning where John Price had come from in Kentucky. We were able to find the place where he fled, and it looks the same way it did probably 150 years ago. Being able to put a visual on that helped bring it to reality and less of a myth.

CM: How do you make it feel relevant and impactful to a modern audience?
SS: We tried to draw parallels to the Sanctuary City movement, saying that the city will be a sanctuary for anyone seeking personal freedom. That’s the analogy. We also touched on civil rights, emphasizing that everyone is equal. Oberlin College was the first college in the United States to admit Blacks and women, so they were super radical. That’s one of the parallels we made to make it relevant and impactful to a modern audience.

CP: You can even get into women’s rights, you know all these laws they’re trying to pass against women. We shouldn’t be putting doctors in jail for helping women with their healthcare.

SS: If you saw someone trying to catch a slave and you physically did not help them catch him, you could go to jail, just like the laws passed in Texas.

CM: Where does the title come from?
CP: Oberlin was a very religious community of faith. They were abolitionist through their religion, and so they didn’t believe in slavery.

SS: That’s where the title comes from. They believe there was a Higher Law that was above the current law of the United States. 

CM: What do you hope viewers take away from the film?
SS: Our hope is that viewers will appreciate the courage and passion of the Ohioans who risked their lives and livelihoods to save not just one person, but a multitude of people. They also put a spotlight on the importance of human life. These people were willing to stand up against injustice, and that’s a valuable lesson for everyone.

CP: The African American community in Oberlin at the time had decided that they would not support the Fugitive Slave Act. They were not going to let anybody be kidnapped in their town. So John Price, the man they rescued, either lived there freely or went off to Canada. We don’t know much about his life after that, but he’s symbolic of all the people we lose track of who didn’t have a voice.

More information available at the Oberlin Heritage Center website.