John Brown Today

In this episode, Lou does a deep dive evaluation of the legend of John Brown kissing a black baby on the day of his execution,  a story that has been enshrined in poetry and paintings.  Sharing his research on the topic, Lou considers the evidence and draws some interesting conclusions suggesting that this legend may have more than a core of truth.

Check out the video version on my YouTube channel here.

Guest music (closing): Aaron Lieberman, "Move Up to the Mountains" (YouTube)

In this episode, Lou shares a conversation with author Ed Maliskas, a musician, clergyman, and researcher, the author of John Brown to James Brown: The Little Farm Where Liberty Budded, Blossomed, and Boogied (2016).  In this fascinating discussion, Ed talks about coming to learn about the old Kennedy Farm in Maryland where John Brown and his raiders lived prior to the Harper's Ferry raid in the summer and early fall of 1859.  However, as Ed learned, the farm, often referred to as the "John Brown farm" (not to be confused with John Brown's own home and farm in Lake Placid, N.Y.) has unfolding importance to black history--a site considered precious to the influential black fraternal order of  Elks in the 20th century, and later a popular R&B dance venue where many memorable black artists performed from the late 1950s until the mid-1960s, the last performer being the Godfather of Soul, James Brown.  Who would think that a humble little farm in Maryland would have such a historical pedigree--indeed, Ed Maliskas argues it was essentially the birthplace of the southern Civil Rights movement!

Musical wallpaper for this episode:

American Frontiers by Aaron Kenny (YouTube)
New World A'Comin and Harlem by Duke Ellington (performed by the Cincinnati    Symphony Orchestra)

And from some of the artists who performed at the Kennedy Farm:

Sadie Mae by Sammy Fitzhugh & His Moroccans
Feel Alright by Jimmy Dotson
Hurt Me to My Heart by Faye Adams
Money Honey by Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters
Party Lights by Claudine Clark
Mystery Train by Junior Parker
Show Me Your Monkey by Kenny Hamber
It's Just a Matter of Time by Brook Benton

In this episode, Lou takes on the difficult theme of Heyward Shepherd, the black porter who was mortally wounded by John Brown's men during the Harper's Ferry raid, on the night of October 16, 1859.  Reviewing the initial incidents of the raid, Lou considers the conventional narrative of Shepherd's demise, but then takes a sharp left turn: was Heyward Shepherd really a victim, or did his own actions instigate his shooting? And what was Heyward Shepherd trying to do when he was shot by one of Brown's raiders? The conclusion drawn from looking at the evidence may surprise you, and although it's an exceedingly sad story, it is always better that the truth of the incident be known--especially because it is also useful in understanding the developments in later years that typified the resurgence white supremacy after the demise of Reconstruction. To no surprise, Heyward Shepherd has a part in that story too.

Guest music: "Mystery Train" by Michael J. Sheehy, from the album, "Ill Gotten Gains"

After an extended hiatus, Lou returns with a reaction & reflection upon the YouTube video, "John Brown: Terrorist or Hero?" which features a short lecture by the eminent historian David Blight.  John Brown Today features the audio version here, and listeners can also view the reaction & reflection video here (or copy this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV6GOH8Pslc)

In Part 1 of "What Did Blacks Really Think of John Brown?" Lou reflects upon the question of white allies, particularly in the case of John Brown's story. What did black leaders and other associates really think of John Brown?  Recalling Brown's devotion to black liberation and notable devotion to human equality, Lou suggests nevertheless that human interaction is by nature complex and even Brown might grate upon his black associates. How should these tensions be understood? Was he a paternalistic racist as some have charged in recent times? Did he presume too much despite being a notable and respected white ally in the struggle for justice?  Regardless, would-be allies and those otherwise interested in the theme of black-white alliances and intercultural alliances, in general, may find this historical reflection of interest.

Guest theme music: "Progressive Moments" by Ugonna Onyekwe (YouTube Audio Library)

In Part 2 of this two-part episode, Lou reflects upon the question of white allies, particularly in the case of John Brown's story. What did black leaders and other associates really think of John Brown?  Recalling Brown's devotion to black liberation and notable devotion to human equality, Lou suggests nevertheless that human interaction is by nature complex and even Brown might grate upon his black associates. How should these tensions be understood? Was he a paternalistic racist as some have charged in recent times? Did he presume too much despite being a notable and respected white ally in the struggle for justice?  Regardless, would-be allies and those otherwise interested in the theme of black-white alliances and intercultural alliances, in general, may find this historical reflection of interest.

Guest theme music: "Progressive Moments" by Ugonna Onyekwe (YouTube Audio Library)

Many people in the United States, especially (but not exclusively) white people, tend to think of John Brown as someone who was "crazy." In this episode, Lou surveys what he calls a historical "thread" regarding the alleged insanity of Brown.  Beginning with affidavits filed in Virginia in 1859 in an attempt by friends and relatives in Ohio to spare Brown's life, as well as Republican insanity rhetoric designed to dissociate Brown from their party, it is clear there is otherwise no historical evidence for the insanity notion. In the twentieth century, however, academics promoted Brown's alleged insanity, and the notion was disseminated in popular culture.   In the late twentieth century, although scholars began to back away from this unwarranted notion, it was replaced by notions of Brown being manic. Lou traces this thread through three publications by Robert McGlone, Kenneth Carroll, and Tony Horwitz. He also suggests secular inclinations among scholars make them inclined to attribute mental instability to Brown's fundamentalist religious beliefs.

Guest music: "Climbing" by Reed Mathis

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In this episode, Lou presents a narrative written by John Brown's young lawyer, George H. Hoyt, written only a few years after the abolitionist's hanging.  Hoyt went to join John Brown in Charlestown, Virginia (today West Va.) and support his lawyers, but really went as a spy for Brown's supporters in the North who wanted to launch a rescue. But not only was the rescue impossible by the time that Hoyt arrived in Virginia, but Brown did not want to escape.  Hoyt thus became part of the drama of Brown's trial and last days, a story that can be found in more detail in Lou's book, Freedom's Dawn: The Last Days of John Brown in Virginia (2015).

The Hoyt narrative is provided in ten short segments that somewhat follow the serialized narrative that appeared in the Leavenworth Conservative in 1867, as well as a kind of epilogue that Hoyt published in The Kansas Weekly Tribune in 1870.  The narrative, written from a firsthand eyewitness reveals a great deal about Brown's trial and the supposed "fair trial" that he received at the hands of a court dominated by slaveholders and guided by Sen. James Mason of Virginia, the architect of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and one of the ringleaders of the slaveholders' betrayal that would follow in 1861 following Lincoln's election.

Guest music: "Bittersweet" by Silent Partner

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In this episode, Lou responds to the comments of a thoughtful but critical podcast listener who has well-stated reasons for asking, "why John Brown?"  The question is a good one and Lou starts with personal and scholarly reflections on a range of views of Brown that range from anti-Brown to non-admirer.  Then, Lou shares the podcast listener's comments and attempts to make a response that hopefully is helpful to this friendly critic as well as others with similar thoughts on the abolitionist and his legacy. 

Guest music:

"Climbing" by Reed Mathis
"American Frontiers" by Aaron Kenny

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In this episode, Lou does a deep dive into the story of William Leeman, the youngest of John Brown's Harper's Ferry raiders.  From his origins in Maine to Kansas and his enlistment in John Brown's army, we look at the story of a young man with feet of iron and clay, whose death in Virginia in 1859 resonates with the racist gun violence and mass killings that grip our nation today.   

A special note of thanks is due H. Scott Wolfe, for providing his extensive research on Leeman, the work of many years and many miles.  This episode is produced in his honor.

Guest music by madIRFAN from Pixabay

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