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In the first installment of a feature called "Letters and Friends," Lou meets (via zoom) with the wonderful scholar and author, Margaret Washington of Cornell University, author of a number of important works, especially Sojourner Truth's America (2009).   The conversation, built around a letter by John Brown to his wife, Mary, in January 1858 (transcribed in abbreviated form below because of space restrictions), reflects upon Brown, Douglass, as well as some interesting insights on Sojourner Truth. Listeners will enjoy getting to know a little about Margaret, her insights into the antebellum era abolitionist movement, and her thoughtful commentary on the John Brown letter. Please Note: Unfortunately, the internet was not smooth during the recording, so there are some unavoidable moments when the sound is challenged.

Read the entire transcript here.
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Rochester N Y, 30,th Jany, 1858
My Dear Wife & Children every one

 I am (praised be God) once more in [New] York State. Whether I shall be permitted to visit you or not this Winter or Spring I cannot now say; but it is some relief of mind to feel that I am again so near you Possibly; if I cannot go to see you; that I may be able to devise some way for some one, or more of you to meet meet me some -where. The anxiety I feel to see my Wife; & children once more; I am unable to describe. I want exceedingly to see my big Baby; & “Mums Baby”: & to see how that little company of Sheep look about this time. . . .But courage Courage Courage the great work of my life  ( the unseen Hand that “girded me; & who has indeed holden my right hand; may hold it still though I have not known Him”; at all as I ought) . . .O my Daughter Ruth could any plan be devised whereby you could let Henry go “to School” (as you expressed it in your letter to him while in Kansas;) I would rather now have him “for another term”; than to have a Hundred average scholars. I have a particular & very important; but not dangerous place for him to fill; in the “school”; & I know of no man living; so well adapted to fill it. I am quite confident some way can be devised; so that you; & your children could be with him; & be quite happy even; & safe but “God forbid” me to flatter you into trouble. I did not do it before. . . . I want to hear from you all if possible before I leave this neighborhood. Do not noise it about; that I am in these parts; & direct to N Hawkins; Care of Fredk Douglas Esqr Rochester NY. I want to hear how you all are supplied with Winter clothing, Boots, &c. God bless you all

Your Affectionate Husband & Father 

[postscript in the hand of Frederick Douglass:] My dear Friends:

Your brave husband and father is now my guest-and has been since Thursday of this week. Gladly indeed we hailed him, and joyfully we entertain him. It does not seem safe-or desirable for him to come to you just now-though he could most gladly do so. I shall retain him here as long as he desires to remain and would be glad for yo you to meet him here.I remember with pleasure the pleasant moments spent under your roof-and take know no small satisfaction in the thought of your Friendship. I shall be truly glad to see either of you or both of you at my house-at any time during Capt Brown’s stay-

Fred. Douglass-

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In this episode, Lou reflects upon the story of John Brown's involvement in the Masons, first his membership and then  his drastic turnabout in becoming an antagonistic opponent of the "Worthy Brotherhood."  Not only is this a peculiar aspect of Brown's biography, but it raises some questions, including if Masons then and now continue to claim John Brown as a brother Mason.  Evidently, some have and some still do. In a storyline that begins with John Brown as a man in his twenties and ends with him in the final days prior to the Harper's Ferry raid in 1859, the Masonic theme provides an opportunity to get a real sense of Brown's orientation as an "anti-bully," his tendency to throw in on any conflict where he perceived injustice, and how his anti-Masonic turn may have been flavored by antislavery convictions.  Later in life, John Brown didn't  want people, especially Masonic supporters, to know about either his former involvement in the secret fraternity, or his turn against it.  But despite Brown's admonition, "Never tell it!", Lou tells it all in this episode--at least as much as we'll probably ever know about John Brown and the Masons.

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In this episode, Lou pays a zoom visit to the award-winning folk musicians and activists Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner, the duo known as Magpie. Since 1973, Terry and Greg have brought their unique sound and remarkable versatility to audiences everywhere, featuring traditional and vintage Americana to contemporary and stirring original compositions.   With two strong voices in harmony and superb instrumental arrangements, their sound is powerful and moving.   Award-winning recording artists, singers, songwriters, musical historians, playwrights, actors and social activists, Terry and Greg are proud to be, as Pete Seeger said of them, “…more links in the chain”, dedicating their lives and music to leaving this world a better place.

Terry and Greg have a particular love for John Brown that has given birth to both a play and to a lot of great music.  In the play, "Sword of the Spirit," they dramatize the loving and devoted relationship of John and Mary Brown. In Magpie's related CD, "Sword of the Spirit," they explore many themes of this epic story in songs ranging from the themes of Brown and his family to Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.

In this interview, Terry and Greg reflect upon their lives and influences, their work on John Brown and other progressive platforms, and the nature of their art as a labor of love in making the story of Brown accessible to the public.  As Magpie, they also perform three songs from their own John Brown repertoire.   So sit back and enjoy a visit with Magpie. . . .

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How many John Browns can you think  of? In this episode, Lou shares some reflections on biography and how John Brown has been portrayed in biographical and cultural terms since his death in 1859 and up through today.  While this episode is about Old Brown, there is some reflection on Old Abe, but rest assured, it's all in good fun.  Or is it?  I doubt the Lincoln Squirrel is laughing.

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In this episode, Lou reviews America's "Good Terrorist": John Brown and the Harper's Ferry Raid, by Charles P. Poland, Jr., Ph.D.   "[W]hile this is a new book," Lou observes, "there is something very old about it, a  refurbished version of the old anti-Brown story that was so pervasive from the early-to-mid-20th century—that old hackneyed tale of John Brown that still haunts the popular narrative." An extended review, Lou examines the author's problematic theme, that Brown was a terrorist, as well as the author's treatment of biographical and historical details.  Listeners will appreciate why, even at his kindest, Lou suggests that this book should not be the first book you read about John Brown, and certainly should not be the last book you read about John Brown either. Besides deconstructing Poland's terrorist argument, Lou considers how the author treats key themes in Brown's life, as well as his actions in Kansas and in Virginia. 

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What can be learned by looking at a person's bookshelf?  In this episode, Lou reflects upon John Brown's early business and financial difficulties and argues that despite the simplistic and often manipulative way that writers have portrayed this theme in Brown's biography, few if any biographers have taken an adequate look at both Brown's business life and the economic circumstances of the United States that impacted him. Lou argues that Brown was not categorical failure in business, and in the later 1840s actually improved his business reputation significantly despite the challenges that he faced.  In this episode, however, Lou is concerned with the nadir of Brown's business life in the late 1830s and early 1840s which culminated with two difficult outcomes--his moral lapse, made out of desperation, in manipulating a client's investment, and his bankruptcy in 1842.  However, using the bankruptcy inventory of 1842, Lou makes a brief survey of a handful of books that were reviewed by the assignee for his case, George De Peyster.  Interestingly, there are some fascinating connections to Brown's life and background to be found in his "bankruptcy bookshelf."  An unabridged transcript of this episode is published on the "John Brown Today" blog at this link.

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One of the most incredible stories related to John Brown that really is not about him is the story of Alexander Milton Ross, a Canadian public figure of the nineteenth century. Ross was most widely known and celebrated in the later nineteenth century because of his antislavery activities and his reputation as a leading abolitionist figure prior to and during the Civil War. However, Ross was a fraud--at least as far as his claims to have been a close associate of John Brown, and probably as one familiar with Abraham Lincoln, a claim he also made.  Ross not only made an extended, false claim of having been a colleague of Brown, but wrote an autobiographical profile, Recollections and Experiences of An Abolitionist  (here is a link to the very successful second edition, widely celebrated)  in which he invented letters from Brown. To reinforce his deception, Ross went on to initiate a long and successful correspondence with some of Brown's adult children that cemented his reputation.  Ross was never exposed as a fraud until the mid-twentieth century by Boyd B. Stutler, the "godfather" of John Brown scholars.  Stutler sniffed out Ross as a fraud and laid the groundwork in his correspondence, but never published anything beyond what he had written in correspondence with scholars. In this episode, Lou builds on Stutler's findings, adding insight from Ross's correspondence with the Browns, documents not available to Stutler when he was active in the twentieth century.  Ross was one of Brown's most enthusiastic defenders and was widely accepted by Brown's admirers. But his story was that of an amazing fraud--one that slipped away from this life without being caught.

*This episode is based on a longer chapter that Lou did some years back for a little self-published collection, John Brown: The Man Who Lived (2008) which is no longer in print.   A transcript of this version is available on the John Brown Today blog using this link.

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Spoiler Alert! If you have not seen the popular movie, "Emperor," you may want to watch it before you listen to this podcast.

In this episode, Lou discusses the somewhat mysterious life of Shields Green, a.k.a. Emperor, one of John Brown's Harper's Ferry raiders.  As Lou recounts, it was the making of the "Emperor" movie that prompted him first to want to write a little article, which surprisingly led him down a historical rabbit hole in search of the little known figure of Emperor, ultimately resulting in his own book about Emperor. *  Reflecting on both the history and the ups and downs (mostly downs) of the "Emperor" movie, Lou shares some of the challenges and insights of trying to track down this famous fugitive. He concludes that "Emperor" Shields Green was not only an abolitionist in his own right, but one perhaps with a history of fighting slavery.  As Lou concludes, despite its many flaws and grossly misleading distortions, however, at least the "Emperor" movie led to the writing of a real inquiry into the life of Shields Green, an often forgotten Harper's Ferry raider.

* The Untold Story of Shields Green: The Life and Death of a Harper's Ferry Raider (NYU Press, 2020; an audio version read by Bill Quinn has been published by Tantor, and is available on Audible and Audiobooks.com.

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In this episode, Lou takes a "deep dive" on understanding John Brown as a person, from describing his physical and personality traits to an extended discussion about Brown's religious views and his inclination to take up for the underdog.  Arguing that Brown certainly is different from popular portrayals, Lou unpacks a biographer's perspective on "the Old Man" that challenges some conventional notions and introduces new insights to a man that is typically misrepresented as unbalanced, angry, and deeply violent.  This is a marathon, but one worth running.  Interested listeners can find many of the themes discussed here in Lou's compact but substantive study, John Brown: The Cost of Freedom (2007).

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In this episode, Lou discusses the hostile book about John Brown by the late scholar, Otto Scott, The Secret Six: John Brown and the Abolitionist Movement.  Scott was a skillful researcher and writer who devoted his life to working for the corporate world, but contributed heavily to racist, right-wing, and white nationalist Christians. His work on Brown is a screed, a work of propaganda that is based on discredited sources and fashioned to suit the agenda of racists and neo-Confederates, but still circulates among conservatives today, especially Christian Reconstructionists and romancers of the so-called Confederate past.  Scott considered Brown a "fool" among several other historical figures he considered despicable, and blamed him as one of a number of historical figures who essentially ruined the present.  Scott's Secret Six is perhaps the worst contemporary work on John Brown and continues to contaminate the public conversation on the abolitionist movement in context.
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Lou would like to acknowledge the scholar Edward H. Sebesta, who provided him with copies of some of Otto Scott’s contributions to neo-Confederate publications, especially the Southern Partisan.  Sebesta’s blog is Anti-Neo-Confederate.  He is the co-editor of Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction (University of Texas Press, 2008)  and  Pernicious: The Neo-Confederate Campaign against Social Justice in America (Dallas: Third American Revolution Press, 2016).

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