Gov. Robinson's Polka - Sheet Music
Fitchburg, Massachusetts: Andrew Whitney, 1856. First Edition. Sheet Music. 6 pages including cover. Portrait illustration of Robinson on the front cover. Very light dampstain along the fore-edge margin. Very Good. Item #008048 This polka was composed by one of Robinson's long-time friends from Fitchburg, Massachusetts and published in the short time between his 'election' as governor and subsequent arrest as a revolutionary.
At time of listing, OCLC locates one copy of this title. None are for sale in the trade, and the Rare Book Hub shows no auction records.
Charles L. Robinson was an abolitionist leader who settled in Lawrence and worked for the New England Emigrant Aid Society, which transported Free-Staters from the northeast to settle in the Kansas Territory and successfully swung the balance of power from pro-slavery advocates. He was instrumental in organizing voter fraud and intimidating pro-slavery voters which resulted in the Topeka Convention of 1856 electing Free-Staters into all important governing positions (with himself as governor) and creating a free-state constitution. The Topeka Convention was roundly criticized and eventually rejected by Congress and within three months President Franklin Pierce proclaimed the Topeka Government to be revolutionary and ordered the arrest of its leaders including Robinson.
Price: $300.00