On the clear, windy morning of December 2, 1859, just before 11:00, the doors of the jail in Charles Town, Virginia, opened, and guards moved John Brown to his funeral procession.
There are monuments of traitors across the South. They took up arms against the government. But they were white and not slaves and never executed, of course.
Listening to Trump, one would think that if returned to office he would pardon those who tried to overturn the government on January 6, including himself. And order monuments erected to memorialize their treason.
Side note: I recommend the novel "Cloudsplitter" by Russell Banks. It's a fictional account of Brown's life as narrated by his son. Not without flaws, it effectively helps readers experience the highly fraught nature of those so very troubled times.
"They took up arms against the government. But they were white and not slaves and never executed, of course."
Michael. A perfect summary statement of the different legal outcomes for whites and blacks.
Whites? No consequences for any legal transgressions (with few exceptions). Once in a great while, if a white guy angers and robs enough white people for long enough, like Bernie Madoff, then, he may get caught and penalized (note, for years Madoff was repeatedly brought to the attention of the SEC and investigated and nothing found each time).
Blacks? Consequences/prison/execution even in the case where no crime has occurred. PLUS, crimes designed by whites to ensnare black people and toss them into prison/Angola, in Louisiana so they can work like slaves since it is legal to have slavery for criminals, even today, in Louisiana.
The tremendous book: Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, is/should be a must read for all Americans.
In his comment, Mike S., suggested that the book ‘Just Mercy’ ‘…is/should be a must read for all Americans’. The following are excerpts from the book review in The New York Times about this memoir published in 2014.
'Unfairness in the Justice system is a major theme of our age. DNA analysis exposes false convictions, it seems, on a weekly basis. The predominance of racial minorities in jails and prisons suggests systemic bias. Sentencing guidelines born of the war on drugs look increasingly draconian. Studies cast doubt on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. Even the states that still kill people appear to have forgotten how; lately executions have been botched to horrific effect.'
'This news reaches citizens in articles and television spots about mistreated individuals. But “Just Mercy,” a memoir, aggregates and personalizes the struggle against injustice in the story of one activist lawyer.'
'Bryan Stevenson grew up poor in Delaware. His great-grandparents had been slaves in Virginia. His grandfather was murdered in a Philadelphia housing project when Stevenson was a teenager. Stevenson attended Eastern College (now Eastern University), a Christian institution outside Philadelphia, and then Harvard Law School. Afterward he began representing poor clients in the South, first in Georgia and then in Alabama, where he was a co-founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.'
“Just Mercy” focuses mainly on that work, and those clients. Its narrative backbone is the story of Walter McMillian, whom Stevenson began representing in the late 1980s when he was on death row for killing a young white woman in Monroe¬ville, Ala., the hometown of Harper Lee. ¬Monroeville has long promoted its connection to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which is about a black man falsely accused of the rape of a white woman. As Stevenson writes, “Sentimentality about Lee’s story grew even as the harder truths of the book took no root.” Walter McMillian had never heard of the book, and had scarcely been in trouble with the law. He had, however, been having an affair with a white woman, and Stevenson makes a persuasive case that it made McMillian, who cut timber for a living, vulnerable to prosecution.'
'As I read this book I kept thinking of Paul Farmer, the physician who has devoted his life to improving health care for the world’s poor, notably Haitians. The men are roughly contemporaries, both have won MacArthur grants, both have a Christian bent and Harvard connections, Stevenson even quotes Farmer — who, it turns out, sits on the board of the Equal Justice Initiative. Farmer’s commitment to the poor was captured in Tracy Kidder’s “Mountains Beyond Mountains” (and Kidder’s advance praise adorns the back cover of “Just Mercy”).'
'The message of this book, hammered home by dramatic examples of one man’s refusal to sit quietly and countenance horror, is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. “Just Mercy” will make you upset and it will make you hopeful. The day I finished it, I happened to read in a newspaper that one in 10 people exonerated of crimes in recent years had pleaded guilty at trial. The justice system had them over a log and copping a plea had been their only hope. Bryan Stevenson has been angry about this for years, and we are all the better for it.'
Double bullseye for you in this comment, Fern. Super Kudos.
"Just Mercy" is powerful. I never thought the death penalty made any sense. If I had had even a single wavering second on that subject, this book (and film available on Netflix) cleared my head completely.
"Mountains Beyond Mountains" moved me in a way that I had no idea I could be moved. Paul Farmer did things that were supposed to be impossible. I had tears as I concluded the book. And I moaned with agony when I heard of his premature death.
I am more into movies than reading and have been writing movie blurbs about those I watch. I have even gotten into DVDs for movies once missed. Here is my take on "Just Mercy"
Just Mercy (2019)
DVD Blurb by Rob
Aug. 14, 2021
Another DVD I found in the “J” rack at the library for this weekend, which wasn’t as stormy as expected. Looking at the lead actors on the cover, I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t even heard of this movie, but it was actually wide-released in mid-January 2020, and I was otherwise involved. (severe back pain in the midst of COVID-19 shutdown)
As mentioned on the DVD cover this is based on a true story about a black man in Alabama, Walter "Johnny D." McMillian (Jamie Foxx) convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He was innocent and convicted only on convenience of the racist police and judicial system in the medieval South. Oh, this took place in the late 1980s.
Atty. Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), new grad from Harvard Law School, goes to Alabama to fight for justice. He teams up with civil rights activist Eva Ansley (Brie Larson), and founds the Equal Justice Initiative, taking on death row cases of the wrongfully convicted.
He takes on the case of Johnny D. and meets the usual harassment & intimidation of the backward rubes of the town who don’t care about justice but that they had an undesirable black man to pin a murder on, making all the white folks think justice was met. Forgotten was any due process or even decency from the prosecutors or judges.
This was an excellent movie, but a difficult one to watch as it throws you into the evil corruption of the racist deep South. Oh, and believe it, I was there years earlier and saw it first-hand. As a teen I read of a black activist, Lamar Smith being murdered in Brookhaven MS in 1955, my family home town. I asked my grandmother about it and her answer was quite telling. “We don’t talk much about that here.”
The movie was well received and the aggregate critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 84% Fresh and 99% of audiences liked it. The critic’s consensus was, "Just Mercy dramatizes a real-life injustice with solid performances, a steady directorial hand, and enough urgency to overcome a certain degree of earnest advocacy."
If you get the DVD and watch it hang around for the end credits, which like with Hidden Figures (2016) shows the actual ppl who were portrayed in the movie.
Afterword:
This movie was about the rotten, racist pigs & injustice system in the backward South 30 years ago. Who knew when this movie was released that in May 2020, George Floyd, would be murdered in Minneapolis, MN a Northern state, by a backward racist pig in view of the world?
From Wikipedia:
“In response to the killing of George Floyd, Warner Bros. Pictures made the film free on various streaming platforms during June 2020 to educate the public about systemic racism. On June 19, 2020, TBS, TNT, and truTV aired the film along with the 2018 superhero film Black Panther, in which Jordan also starred, to support social justice during Juneteenth. The broadcast is presented by Anthony Anderson and featured interviews with Stevenson himself, along with Kamala Harris and W. Kamau Bell.”
Strength in What Remains, also by Tracy Kidder, is superb as well. Paul Farmer was a mentor to Deo, the protagonist in the book. Thank you Kidder, Farmer AND Deo, who continues his work in Africa at a hospital he started and runs. A bow 🙇🏽♀️ to the precious people on our planet.
I have sat in prison visiting rooms and listened to the stories that "would" be told. Level 4 allows time out to 8 hours a day. One level up and the shower comes to you.
There is no greater hell than being confined to a small area, to a building, or to a small plot of land one will walk for years on end.
There is no point to a death sentence. They are already dead.
Yes, Bill, death echoes through our prisons before death sentences are executed. You heard of living death, while listening to stories -- would they be revealed to all Americans -- in the prisons' visiting rooms.
If you believe in equal justice, we can contribute to our goal by supporting 'The Equal Justice Initiative' formed by the author of 'Just Mercy', Bryan Stevenson. Take a minute to READ THIS and DIG IN.
'The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.'
'EJI challenges poverty and racial injustice, advocates for equal treatment in the criminal justice system, and creates hope for marginalized communities.'
'Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.'
'EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. We are committed to changing the narrative about race in America. EJI produces groundbreaking reports, an award-winning calendar, and short films that explore our nation’s history of racial injustice. And in 2018, we opened the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice as part of our national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, which shapes many issues today./
I wrote to them once to ask for advice on how best to help a homeless family whose children were students at my school. Someone from EJI wrote me back with places to start helping, with things to know about how kids respond to frequent moving and food insecurity. I was amazed at the time she took in her letter to me, a school counselor in Minnesota asking for help for a family who was not yet in the justice system. I subscribe to their calendar, which is so painful to read. I have to skip it some days for my mental health, and when I do that, I remind myself that I have the privilege of not opening that calendar page while black and brown people face racism every day without choice, without being able to skip that page.
Thank you for your efforts, Bill. I have several friends who are mentors for the prison community. Your words echo theirs and always leave me chilled.. and extremely sad.
Wonderful review, Fern! Now I must read the book. I’m sure you know that the great humanitarian Dr. Paul Farmer died suddenly in his sleep in Rwanda on February 21, 2022 of a heart attack while working at one of the many clinics and hospitals he founded around the world under the auspices of his organization, Partners in Health.
“Just Mercy” is indeed a “must” read. My grandchildren introduced me to this important book. The narrative and the spectra of Bryan Stevenson and his work stayed with me .....for a very long time!
“The message of this book, hammered home by dramatic examples of one man’s refusal to sit quietly and countenance horror, is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made.” This book and story are must reads. It’s in my library and a reminder that Courage and conviction to Justice and Truth are rare and absolutely necessary for change. And still in a racist world may not be enough. It’s heartbreaking that this world continues to battle racism, antisemitism and fascism even after wars and deaths. I thought I was a pacifist and I have friends who are, but I don’t see how anyone can observe without some reaction to act. There’s the underground and there’s direct action. John Brown chose action. Bryan Stevenson chooses action.
Find the Equal Justice Initiative and join me and many others in making annual donations. Such important work is being done by a man of integrity and his cohort of similarly minded folks. There’s a museum, too.
I am amazed at the number of innocent people held in prisons that cannot even get new evidence reviewed without a major struggle. The most famous case in Canada was David Milgaard 1952-2022 who served 23 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Milgaard
Courts and prosecutors do not like to repair the notch in their gun resulting from a successful prosecution. It is about the "win" whatever way it occurs.
The Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala. is a must- see, founded by Bryan Stevenson honoring the 4000 African Americans lynched in 12 Southern states between 1877-1950.
I found it another life-changing read and I believe they made a documentary from it. On a personal level, many years ago my husband was falsely arrested and charged with a FELONY by a surly, irate police officer. Lucky for us a neighbor witnessed the entire incident and stood ready to go to court for us. Also, lucky for us, both my father, grandfather, uncle, neighbor, and several other acquaintances were also police officers. My husband, while sitting in a jail cell, witnessed the arresting officer ripping up and rewriting his report over and over again, reducing the charges, as concerned friends and family called in and contacted his superior officer about the nature of the arrest. Eventually, the charges were dropped but only when I filed a complaint against the officer. We had to promise to drop our charges against him and then they would drop theirs. I learned very early on what our white privilege "bought" us and it made me cringe. Who else was a victim of this officer's power mongering? Who else, without the connections we had, was sitting in a jail cell falsely accused? Whose family, due to loss of its primary source of income, was now experiencing eviction and poverty due to inability to recoup that loss? It made my blood boil and it has simmered ever since. Anyone who doesn't recognize white privilege has to be blind.
Wow, Pat, what a harrowing experience for both of you. I started Just Mercy during the pandemic after George Floyd was murdered. I had to stop reading at one point due to sadness overload. Sometimes I think I hoped the pandemic itself, and the natural disasters that were and still are happening due to climate change, would help us as a human race to recognize how we truly are all interdependent, and that each human being is worthy of respect.
Really good points. Run afoul of the law no matter how subjective the interpretation and enforcement and the “good guys”get to do anything they want to you. I believe that every citizen of the USA should have a right no matter his/her criminal status. And that no one and no entity gets to profit from the labor of anyone who is incarcerated or under probation or parole. Jay Essif
Janet, as you are aware of the extraordinary work of Bryan Stevenson it makes sense for you acquaint yourself with 'The Equal Justice Initiative', which is '...committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.'
'Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.'
'EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. We are committed to changing the narrative about race in America. EJI produces groundbreaking reports, an award-winning calendar, and short films that explore our nation’s history of racial injustice. And in 2018, we opened the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice as part of our national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, which shapes many issues today.'
Chump’s only law is in service to himself, not the country despite his blather about “making America great again.” When I heard him blather that phrase with his red cap, I thought we really aren’t stupid enough to fall for this carnival barker. But so many were. His every action has been to prove he’s not a loser, but he has proved the opposite. May sanity prevail. Prison for Elmer Rhodes and all MAGAt fools who acted on their worst instincts…
In January 2017, I got a Blue cap that had "Make Racism Wrong Again" written on it (my profile pic). I have been wearing it ever since because that message (several replacements later) still fits the situation. And ppl still say "I like your hat."
I think he’s talking about making America a 1950’s version of itself where Black people are segregated from Whites and held oppressed by Jim Crow; where women are kept at home as cooking, cleaning baby machines. Where children are seen and not heard. It’s “Father Knows Best” and our daddy is DJT, adored by women eager to have him fulfill a fantasy of being “grabbed by the pussy.” It’s a sick fantasy that we would ever return to that attempt to turn us into a nation of Leavitte towns populated by DJT-loving zombies. Freedom? I think not. The Billionaire Class keeps this rolling as long as possible as it feeds their profit-making machine at minimal cost for labor, minimal questioning of “authority.” Tiny waists and big cars. Fossil fuel and tuna casseroles. No thanks!
I agree that he wants his low-information voters to think he's bringing back Leave it to Beaver and Ozzie and Harriet.
His real plan, however, has nothing to do with the country at large.
It's all about him. He's a classic narcissist. He's selling the words, images and fears borrowed from apartheid of the pre-civil rights era as a standard - those are his words and his sales pitch - but what his conduct focuses on self-enrichment and enrichment of the other rich people he's always wanted to impress. That's why establishment Republicans hold their noses and support him - they're the ones he wants to impress.
He needs them for self-enrichment just like they need him to generate the oligarchy that enhances their wealth and control
And their vision takes us further back than the 1950s - they want to go all the way back to the age of the Robber Barons - the late 1800s and pre-anti-trust era.
All hot air, smoke and mirrors, not unlike a souped up, dumbed down Gingrich...all in service of sleight of hand towards unbridled power and money. We said it from the onset: " The Emperor with No Clothes"
Yes...I found if you click on the heart icon and then wait several minutes, or even reload the page, it will eventually show up. If you keep clicking on the icon you're turning the icon on and off and you might end up losing count of when the icon will show up. I just click once and move on and it will show up later.
I find reloading the page, by clicking the circular arrow up in the right hand side of the address bar, will return page with the heart placed or allow me to do so….providing it reloads back to the same spot. If not, every heart and/or comment is a daunting process on my little phone. Admittedly, given time limitations and/or impatience, sometimes I just give up…
The craving for nostalgia in the face of current hard times is fundamentally flawed. Nostalgia frequently overlooks the true and often harsh realities of that time — its revisionist history. No matter what we want to believe, those weren’t “the good old days”. And with a narcissist like Trump at the helm, it would be a living nightmare.
So many were drawn to this man baby, because they were either man babies themselves, or most of the men in their social group are also man babies. Many of these people like the idea of a "strong" father figure in leadership, because it fits their narrative about how families should be organized. Often, however, those authoritarian fathers, brothers, uncles, husbands, etc. are really men who feel inadequate underneath the chest beating. When boys are allowed only the expression of anger as substitute for all other feelings, they often turn out like tfg. Puffing himself up, to mask the inner sense of inadequacy.
I agree, Jeri. In the end, we only have ourselves to blame for getting suckered by Trump. Call it collective brain softening caused by TV and social media, but ultimate blame rests with us. There will continue to be carnival barkers who try to steal our souls, be we were the ignorant fish who took the bait.
This comes up from time to time. There is no "we" in the statement of we got suckered by him. Millions did not. And I am adamantly not in the "we" column. I share zero blame for this.
"We have only ourselves to blame". recently, I read "A Short History of Myth" by Karen Anderson. Unexpectedly, I found a deeper level of understanding that DJT may have knowingly or (more ikely) unknowingly also stumbled upon: the almost ageless influence of myth over our rational selves. It seems that we humans over the ages and through our diverse cultural histories have looked to myth while trying to cope with our struggle to thrive. A return to a previous golden age is a prominent myth repeated throughout human history. And so here we have a little tin god sitting on his social media spun throne spewing MAGA to those of us who never considered how susceptible we are to irrational forces and false beliefs. We need humility, and courage as we create more appropriate mythoogy for our age: "All men (and women, and LGBTQ) are created equal". The challenge is to know which myths empower us and to close the distance between the mythology and our being in the world we create.
Some commenter, I think here, suggested a circular firing squad of Republicans, with Trump in the middle. I'm still laughing at that one. But just in case the DOJ finds Trump and his buddies guilty of Treason and impose extreme prejudice, I've worked out some details for them to employ, free of charge: Surrounding Trump with the the (roughly) 270 Republicans seated in both chambers in 2023 and spacing them two feet apart would put each firing squad participant 86 feet from Trump. As these aren't professional shooters, I figure most of them would miss The Orange Ninny's ample ass and ... well, you know. Now don't get mad at me. I'm not serious, just fantasizing :-D
“I want to free all the negroes in this [slave] state … if the citizens interfere with me I must only burn the town and have blood.”
- John Brown, October 1859
‘John Brown was the first American to be executed for treason.’ (Letter)
The following summary was provided by ‘History & Culture – Harpers Ferry National Historic Park’ through the National Park Service.
'John Brown's Raid'
'John Brown and the people with him planned and executed a raid on the National Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Brown's contemporary, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, tells the story of the raid in this Address at the 14th Anniversary of Storer College. Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, May 30, 1881.'
'On the night of the 16th of October, 1859, there appeared near the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, a party of nineteen men—fourteen white and five colored. They were not only armed themselves, but had brought with them a large supply of arms for such persons as might join them. These men invaded Harper's Ferry, disarmed the watchman, took possession of the arsenal, rifle-factory, armory and other government property at that place, arrested and made prisoners nearly all the prominent citizens of the neighborhood, collected about fifty slaves, put bayonets into the hands of such as were able and willing to fight for their liberty, killed three men, proclaimed general emancipation, held the ground more than thirty hours, were subsequently overpowered and nearly all killed, wounded or captured, by a body of United States troops, under command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, since famous as the rebel Gen. Lee. Three out of the nineteen invaders were captured whilst fighting, and one of these was Captain John Brown, the man who originated, planned and commanded the expedition…[He] was brought into court, subjected to a nominal trial, convicted of high treason and inciting slaves to insurrection, and was executed. His corpse was given to his woe-stricken widow, and she, assisted by Anti-slavery friends, caused it to be borne to North Elba, Essex County, N. Y., and there his dust now reposes, amid the silent, solemn and snowy grandeur of the Adirondacks.'
'Today, John Brown's Fort and the Arsenal ruins are part of the legacy of our nation's struggle with slavery.'
To dig deeper for a fuller account of the raid and John Brown's family, I recommend the link below to the 'History & Culture - Harpers Ferry National Historic Park' through the National Park Service.'
Yes. I have often wondered if someone should write a great play or make a great movie about John Brown (perhaps a HBO mini-series). Not enough people know about his story. A movie was made a few years ago, but of low quality, and didn't do well.
This was a driven man, a passionate man. Some years ago, when I read a bit about him, not even that much really, I found myself getting a bit passionate too. I wonder what effect he had on people in real-life. There was a big story to him.
Brown, the abolitionist, was executed. The leaders in the South, slave-holders and guilty of a much much greater offense, an offense that led to the sacrifice of many more dear lives, these leaders were not executed. These leaders came back, many of them, and soon the crooked system they fostered came back too, just in a different, more disguised way.
In a similar way, I wonder if the Jan 6 protests had been related to BLM, if punishments being handed out now would be executions, and not the relatively light sentences that the secessionists have been receiving.
Thanks to all for the wonderful book reviews and recommendations. And, thank you HCR for the always extraordinary telling of history. A similar freshman history prof is why I was an undergrad history major.
A telling sidebar to the history discussed today has been shocking, and frustrating to me, for several years.....the length of time for justice to move today, at least for the very rich. John Brown was hanged for his "crime" in less than 50 days. It is approaching 2 years and tfg has not yet been indicted. In this regard, he is not unique. Perhaps this is a good outcome, necessary for the administration of fair justice. Somehow, I feel that is not the case and the delays are only available for rich, white citizens. I believe had John Brown and his followers attacked the Capital on Jan 6, they would have all, long ago, been convicted of seditious conspiracy. Had they stolen top secret documents, I am quite certain they would already have begun life sentences.
Not making any excuse for anyone’s bigotry, prejudice, or malevolence, but it seems that history and precedence determine our foundation. To avoid being toppled by liars and carnival barkers in our future we need to make sure we build it without cracks and can withstand those type of attacks. If DOJ is bringing criminal charges against men and women who were elected into office by a “disputed” majority then they might want to make sure it is as solid as it can be. Additionally, it would seem there are multiple members of Congress that are complicit in these crimes, and every one of them were elected. We, “the people”, really are the problem. Why do voters give power away to people who so obviously do not abide the golden rule? Why are some more curious than others? Because it seems the curious will seek the truth and are less vulnerable to the “carnival barkers”
Thank you so much! I have visited his grave sight in Lake Placid, NY. It’s hidden away on a side road surrounded by the mountains. It is a quiet and rather humble site and appeared to not be much visited by mostly hiker tourist crowd, myself being of such. I don’t even know how I found it. I’d been to Harper’s Ferry several times, hiking through, and read plaques and other info there but don’t remember ever seeing the reference to his grave sight.
He was a hero. I always thought he was, even as a child in history class in the early 60’s.
John Brown’s grave site is a New York State Historic site located in North Elba, Essex County. His Find A Grave entry provides photos of the site as well as links to burial locations to his parents, two wives, siblings, and 18 children, John Brown's memorial on the Find a Grave app.
The Brown farm is near Lake Placid in the Adirondack's, so you're not far off. Troy is just north of Albany, and not a long drive to the mountains. There are trails up there, too, and for those able to hike, it would make the visit even more meaningful, I think.
TY Fern, Michael Bales, (of course, HCR) and others who have suggested a good winter's worth of reading and watching. Today's letter and comments... so rich!!
One addition: 'Is That Black Enough for You?' is an extraordinary documentary of Black films, producers and actors that is mind boggling in scope. The history of Black film and the barriers to progress are meticulously laid out. Newly available on Netflix.
Finally a context to why I learnt about a song: ..."John Browns body lies amouldring in the grave, and his soul is marching on"..in my English classes i Sweden around 1966. I also learnt that slavery was abolished in Sweden in 1335, under the influence of Christianity, not what maybe later research has found that this was for economic reasons. Nor did I learn that Sweden also was involved in international slavery and slave trade in the 19th century, prisoners of war were used as slaves in Sweden in the 17th century, and only 1847 freed the slaves in its last colony. And of course today we should know that the Vikings were basically slave traders.
In this 2020 NPR Fresh Air Interview, we hear about two leaders who fought Slavery: John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. In “The Zealot and the Emancipator” each fought the institution of slavery in different ways: one radical and the other reformist.
https://www.npr.org/2020/10/19/925362418/john-brown-and-abraham-lincoln-divergent-paths-in-the-fight-to-end-slavery. When is treason justified? And is an act considered treason in one situation, heroism in another? Thinking of the current cases and points of view. How and why do some people justify illegal acts? Are these questions the jury might ask in sedition trials? Is it “true” in the end the answer doesn’t matter if they broke the law? Or: I think it does matter when we look at this historical story about an abolitionist.
Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS
Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Anytime anyone is enslaved, or in any way deprived of his liberty, if that person is a human being, as far as I am concerned he is justified to resort to whatever methods necessary to bring about his liberty again.
As to the Lincoln quote, I have done hard fysical labor in the hot Mississippi sun for my own benefit. I can imagine the hell it would be, forced to do that for someone else against my will.
Fern and Rob, In the quote” I can imagine the hell it would be, forced to do that for someone else “ is the key word: IMAGINE. It could be Empathy. How can man (yes!) inflict harm and pain on another without feeling, with his heart and soul. And stopping before he becomes the monster responsible for the Hell of Slavery.
Irenie, you raise an interesting topic. Let's say John Brown surrenders and Col. Lee 'honors his word' and Brown is not executed. Emancipation Proclamation issues a few years later and Brown seeks pardon saying 'hey, I am a Union Patriot just taking action on Confederate soil a few months too early, cut me a break'. Does Brown end up a hero bravely leading Black troops in battle?
For good or ill, all timing can be seen as net positive, depending on how you set your aperture. And especially if you’re looking for the silver lining. (Mixed metaphorically ironic, isn’t it:) John Brown is an inspiration, a good guy who couldn’t stand the enslavement of fellow humans. Good on ‘em... as my Dad used to say. John Brown is a true hero in my book.
Well this does become a philosophical discussion as it must. And when humans cease truly considering whether there are ever situations when the end justifies the means then we are doomed as society. But in order to do so some basic agreements on justice and rights must be established.
Jean-Pierre John Brown has become a legendary figure to some. I recall that he was a zealot (and murderer) in Kansas, where he and his sons killed a number of civilians. A case could be made that John Brown was bonkers in his abolitionist zeal. Nice song, but his story might not make as impressive a play or movie.
Zealotry begets more zealotry and bullies beget more bullies. Chaos ensues. We humans, struggle to create more of us with the patience, tolerance, love, reverence for life needed to live in love. We should all examine our cultures and traditions for the harms we blindly perpetuate. There is a reason that the tenet of all major religions is simply the Golden Rule. We have remarkable brains, I’m sure we can figure out how to stop worshipping power, money, violence, & bullies and start elevating leaders that promote all that is best in us.
“The issue is injustice.” MLK from I Have a Dream:
“And that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live.
Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.
Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn't get around to that.
Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: we know it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.”
Christy You make a good point about zealots. I have difficulty distinguishing between ‘zealots’ and sustained passion. For me, John Brown was a zealot whose murderous record in Kansas bloodied his copy book. By comparison I reflect on people with sustained passion: Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and folks like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez.
Injustice is a theme for passion. MLK with the sanitation workers. The Covid dangers in food processing plants. Most recently is the threatened railroad strike, after railroads reduced their employees by 29% and then sought, with draconian methods, to oblige the remaining employees to work long hours on instant demand that caused health and familial problems.
During my lifetime, there was a surge of private sector unionization (esp auto and iron/steel industries) and then a precipitous decline partially offset by a sharp rise in public sector unions. The biggest gap has been in service industries. As a union member at my community college, I experienced the fight between the scantily protected and the intractable administrators. Whether at Amazon, Starbucks, or the countless other service industries, the gap between management and worker is vast.
I favor passion, justice, and, perhaps, a touch of zeal, with firmness and without blood shed.
I can’t see in your post where you struggle to distinguish differences between zealots and great leaders with sustained passion. Looks like you nailed it in your description. In a very brief query I found most dictionaries support the use of zealot to reference violent, aggressive or militant folks like John Brown. The two little letters at the end, “ot”, change the meaning of “zeal” significantly. Thank you for clarifying meaning.
I've always thought that zealotry and violent attacks are losing propositions. People are killed, often civilians in the line of fire, people are arrested and convicted or executed, but I know of none of these violent actions leading to the result sought by the zealots. It's as wasteful of lives as today's white supremacists who appear to believe that their own violent behaviors will reverse the course of history as the U.S. population becomes more and more diverse.
Why did they kill the free black man along the way? Murder is murder, unless it’s truly self defense. How many wars/deaths does it to take to learn not to make heros of violent vigilantes?
Was John Brown, who was attempting to eliminate slavery through violence really "radical"?
Or, was he just trying to rid America of the horrors of slavery in an effective manner?
I can imagine any reasonable person, subject to the knowledge of the brutatlity of southern slavery, not supporting armed rebellion against it and those who promulgated that system..
I mean, armed rebellion is how slavery ended anyway.
Indeed, I would see myself as a reformer bent on changing a horribly brutal, illegal, terrible system......well armed all the better.
Mike, Brown was a white abolitionist. His intention was to start a slave uprising. “Brown was well read and knew that the last words of prominent people are valued. On the morning of December 2, 1859, Brown wrote and gave to his jailor Avis the words he wanted to be remembered by:
‘I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood. I had, as I now think, vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed it might be done.’” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist)
Yes. The old South's worst nightmare; a white man willing to die for his abolitionist passion. He was a fiery zealot and was thought of by the southern slave states as a terrorist.
No death threats for me. Rather a brief prison sentence, never to hold any public office anywhere, and total loss of any local, state or federal pensions or any of its benefits for life. Since these convicts are morally dead, no pardons of any stripe can be offered. Let them contemplate their infamy for the rest of their lives with no public funds. Liz, this is for you!
I've been wondering whether the "Treason" word would begin to make its way into the misdeeds of Donald Trump. It certainly has seemed to me that the shoe fits.
I really enjoyed reading this letter and learning the details of John Brown and Harper's Ferry. Quite the history lesson for this date. So far we have had recently conviction for seditious conspiracy.
I can remember that too. I never really learned about the Civil War, pre, during, and after, until I took a class from a wonderful prof at the UO. In addition to his lectures (a hour and half worth of info in an hour), we had to read four or five books each term. I learned nothing about slavery before then either, but as a grad student, I had to read 5 extra books and do book reviews....so one on Jefferson and 14 on slavery. My mother, who was in school for a time in Arkansas, told me that what she had learned about the Civil War was very different than what I learned in school. I have read voraciously all my life and there is still information about our not so good past that still is coming to life. Right now I am reading about Mrs. Frank Leslie, illegitimate and probably half black, who managed to reinvent her past and run a publishing empire in NYC during the 19th century. Lola Mendez, also illegitimate who alters her past story, makes an appearance too and Miriam learned a lot from her. What strikes me, in addition to the amazing story of this lady, is how much NYC of the time sounds like any number of cities today.
It’s not that he was crazy--but he was a zealot for the Abolitionist cause. So much so, he was, at times, isolated from fellow abolitionists. The federal government had harsh laws re: assisting runaway slaves.
By the time Brown was at Harpers Ferry, he was grief-stricken and pushed to his limits following the death/murder of his son in Kansas. He and his sons had been part of the move to populate western areas so as to forestall their development as “slave states.” By the time he was in Harpers Ferry, he had changed his name to Osawatamie Brown to memorialize the killing of his son in Osawatamie, KS.
The reason he was buried up near Lake Placid, NY--he was recognized for his expertise in raising sheep. When John Smith donated his land for free slaves, he brought in John Brown to help them get started in a new livelihood. It was a place where Brown had some sense of peace and satisfaction...so that’s where John Brown lies “a moulderin’ in his grave.”
Would a white teacher using a white approved book in a black area in Chicago really offer any different perspective than in, say, Philadelphia Mississippi?
Mike, considering your several comments here which seem to indicate you think John Brown was a black slave and not the white abolitionist that he was, I’m not sure the best approach to answering this question, even though I am a retired 5th-12th grade history teacher.
Nope, I grew up in northern Indiana. i also did some student teaching through Peace Corps training in south Chicago, Wendell Phillips High School, 3900 south, down the street from the White Sox Park. This was the middle 1960s. The master teacher taught in the worst high school in Chicago during the school year and was fine with it. She was white, btw. At one point, she had to go off for something family related and I had a sub, but I did the teaching. I wish I could remember what exactly we were teaching, but I don't. I don't think a white version of things would have flown very well. I do remember they were unhappy to learn that Africans also participated in the slave trade by capturing people and bringing them to the coast. Just this week my husband told me that the Catholic Church in West Africa financed itself through the slave trade. I also taught African history in a Catholic boys school in Sierra Leone. This is where i learned to despise white colonialism. Just finished Legacy of Violence about the British Empire and became angry all over again....so many of today's problems go back to this. Now the truth is out and what do we have....white people trying to suppress the teaching of our history of slavery, treatment of Native Americans and POC. Part of the problem is that they can't claim just being white makes them superior. I also read about ancient DNA and there is no such thing as lily white anyway.
I would LOVE it if all these white Christian nationalists had to do a DNA test! Of course, they would probably proudly spin it that their enslaver master ancestors raped slaves.
Nope....same version of “history” taught to me in Maine..many years ago. But my husband and I, as we moved out into the greater world, were curious and began to do our research. John Brown’s true story lead us to research into other historical events. Imagine our dismay...lots of dismay.
The question of what is taught now becomes pathetic when you consider: Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the GOP poster girl who replaced Liz Cheney, represents the northern counties of NYS, including where John Brown is buried. Those voters don’t bother to learn their own history; those Trumpanzee troglodytes aren’t even aware of the developments that preceded them and made them what they are today. For many, their own ancestors are carved into the statues commemorating Civil War soldiers. In fact, like most knee-jerk, reactionary, Repugs, they don’t understand why they are even members of the Republican Party, or that it dates back to America’s 2nd Great Awakening. If you don’t even know your own history, WTF are you, really?
If I might have a problem with the charge of treason, I'd have none for murder, which is what the killing of the baggage handler certainly was. And while I have very mixed emotions about capital punishment, I'd have none if Trump were tried and found guilty of treason (only one of his offenses worthy of maximum punishment IMHO).
Thank you for the concise history lesson. I enjoyed reading of it again.
This is a very interesting column, especially for the present day situation concerning the activities taken place on 6 January at the Capitol. Put this section of "... the Constitution a very limited definition of treason against the United States, saying that only levying war against the United States or “adhering to their enemies” or giving “aid and comfort” to an enemy could be considered treason..." and Preston's statement “Law had been violated by actual murder and attempted treason.” And ask the question -- is it possible the failed ex-president supported those committing treason? Is he then as guilty?
He was/is the prime mover of republican insanity these days, although they have espoused lies and spin for decades. Plenty of nuts where he came from, sad to say.
Yes, Preston had to wonder...but of course, that never came to pass--even for Lee. Should some of the Confederates been hanged? I don't know. But I know this--we allowed their mythical (re: lie) "lost cause" to remain as embers that are once again flamed into the same hideous, worst-selves sides of American culture. I've gone on record as saying I'd have shot anyone entering the Capitol on Jan 6. I stand by it now too--and for exactly the reasons stated in this story. No, we're not going to execute anyone for Jan. 6. I'd like to think that's ONLY because we, as a society, are at a place where we only do so for the most extreme circumstances. Is that the truth? I don't know and hope we don't have to find out anytime soon.
If not hanged, certainly deprived of all property and privileges, especially Lee, who, as an officer in the US Army, was also guilty of desertion.
However, even if Lincoln hadn’t believed in
“…malice toward none and charity for all…”, Andrew Johnson would very likely have pardoned any Confederate leaders convicted of treason upon assuming the presidency after Lincoln’s death.
Had the Continental Army been defeated would the British have hanged Washington and the other leaders of what history would have likely labeled the American Rebellion? Thankfully, we’ll never know the answer to that question. I think Washington, Jefferson, Adams, et al assumed they would be. Taking up arms against the king, I.e. treason, was not taken lightly by the British.
"Had the Continental Army been defeated would the British have hanged Washington and the other leaders of what history would have likely labeled the American Rebellion?"
Absolutely, they would have hanged Washington post haste. Washington knew this as he was fighting.
Ralph, as a matter of fact, I believe Lee did not desert but rather quite honorably resigned his commission in the Union forces despite being asked by Lincoln to lead them when a day later Virginia seceded: "Robert E. Lee resigns from U.S. Army after Virginia secedes from Union. Colonel Robert E. Lee resigns from the United States army two days after he was offered command of the Union army and three days after his native state, Virginia, seceded from the Union. Lee opposed secession, but he was a loyal son of Virginia."
Lee quit his commission in the US Army to lead a rebel force against the nation he swore to defend and against his former fellow soldiers. To me, that is desertion wrapped in a pretty ribbon of "honorable resignation". The fact that Lee had more loyalty to the State of Virginia, and thus to the institution of slavery, than to his country indicates he wasn't much of a patriot after all anyway.
It would seem Lincoln and his administration were working pretty hard to reconcile the Southern forces after Appomattox and not add fuel to their continuing resentment of the Union forces by allowing confederate soldiers to keep their horses and I believe in some cases even their muskets to allow rebuilding the devastated South. He wanted the soldiers back as citizens, not slaves from a devastating war.
As an obsessed anti-gun supporter, on the 6th, I found myself yelling at the TV: “shoot him, please shoot him” to the young guard being backed up the stairs. My daughter came out of her home and looked me in horror. But it also ended her day of calmly working.
I would appreciate an HCR letter speaking to the history of presidential pardons. Given the way trump used them to obstruct justice I’m not a fan. It seems out of place in a country ruled by laws. It is literally a “get out of jail free” act. Why was that put in place?
For a deep dive into the Constitutional (Art 3, Section 3) development of the elements of treason see, J. Hurst's collection of essays. "The Law of Treason in the United States". 1971. For the Federal statutes see, Title 18 Chapter 115, sections 2381 through 2390. I will look for a copy the executed Jury Verdict form for the Stewart Rhodes' conviction on seditious conspiracy although there is a useful graphic outline of the ten (10) counts against ALL defendants at www.lawfareblog.com. See, " ... Thoughts on Oath Keepers Verdict."
Yes. I do have confidence in Josh Gerstein as a competent legal reporter. Other significant matters out there such as the dramatic data that there were over 1.8 Million 'early voters' in GA in 5 days.
The book was made into a miniseries in 2020 starring Ethan Hawke as Brown. It's told from the perspective of Henry "Little Onion" Shackleford, a newly freed teenager who joins Brown on his crusade to end slavery. Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas are also featured. It is "equal parts absurd and tragic as it spotlights the ever-changing racial, religious, and gender roles that make up the American identity" writes a reviewer. I recommend it.
Who writes the memoirs, the biographies, the history and erects the statues and monuments determines the reputations of the victors and the victims. The Sixties protesters were criminals to some people living through that turmoil and heroes to most of their peers. One man’s terrorist is another man’s patriot. The laws and the punishments for violating those carefully concocted behavioral guidelines are perceived differently depending upon the points of view of the winners and losers. Had the American patriots lost their revolution, would their monuments have been erected? It is doubtful. Because beliefs are subject to change, I do not believe that punishments should ever be absolute. This is why the death penalty and life in prison sentences do not make logical sense. Lincoln and Brown were men on the same side of a moral argument, but each man ended up in a much different place in the history books. Both men made mistakes. One man was assassinated and is remembered as a martyr and the other man was hanged and remembered by most as a violent traitor. Time and perception change beliefs.
There are monuments of traitors across the South. They took up arms against the government. But they were white and not slaves and never executed, of course.
Listening to Trump, one would think that if returned to office he would pardon those who tried to overturn the government on January 6, including himself. And order monuments erected to memorialize their treason.
Side note: I recommend the novel "Cloudsplitter" by Russell Banks. It's a fictional account of Brown's life as narrated by his son. Not without flaws, it effectively helps readers experience the highly fraught nature of those so very troubled times.
"They took up arms against the government. But they were white and not slaves and never executed, of course."
Michael. A perfect summary statement of the different legal outcomes for whites and blacks.
Whites? No consequences for any legal transgressions (with few exceptions). Once in a great while, if a white guy angers and robs enough white people for long enough, like Bernie Madoff, then, he may get caught and penalized (note, for years Madoff was repeatedly brought to the attention of the SEC and investigated and nothing found each time).
Blacks? Consequences/prison/execution even in the case where no crime has occurred. PLUS, crimes designed by whites to ensnare black people and toss them into prison/Angola, in Louisiana so they can work like slaves since it is legal to have slavery for criminals, even today, in Louisiana.
The tremendous book: Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, is/should be a must read for all Americans.
In his comment, Mike S., suggested that the book ‘Just Mercy’ ‘…is/should be a must read for all Americans’. The following are excerpts from the book review in The New York Times about this memoir published in 2014.
'Unfairness in the Justice system is a major theme of our age. DNA analysis exposes false convictions, it seems, on a weekly basis. The predominance of racial minorities in jails and prisons suggests systemic bias. Sentencing guidelines born of the war on drugs look increasingly draconian. Studies cast doubt on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. Even the states that still kill people appear to have forgotten how; lately executions have been botched to horrific effect.'
'This news reaches citizens in articles and television spots about mistreated individuals. But “Just Mercy,” a memoir, aggregates and personalizes the struggle against injustice in the story of one activist lawyer.'
'Bryan Stevenson grew up poor in Delaware. His great-grandparents had been slaves in Virginia. His grandfather was murdered in a Philadelphia housing project when Stevenson was a teenager. Stevenson attended Eastern College (now Eastern University), a Christian institution outside Philadelphia, and then Harvard Law School. Afterward he began representing poor clients in the South, first in Georgia and then in Alabama, where he was a co-founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.'
“Just Mercy” focuses mainly on that work, and those clients. Its narrative backbone is the story of Walter McMillian, whom Stevenson began representing in the late 1980s when he was on death row for killing a young white woman in Monroe¬ville, Ala., the hometown of Harper Lee. ¬Monroeville has long promoted its connection to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which is about a black man falsely accused of the rape of a white woman. As Stevenson writes, “Sentimentality about Lee’s story grew even as the harder truths of the book took no root.” Walter McMillian had never heard of the book, and had scarcely been in trouble with the law. He had, however, been having an affair with a white woman, and Stevenson makes a persuasive case that it made McMillian, who cut timber for a living, vulnerable to prosecution.'
'As I read this book I kept thinking of Paul Farmer, the physician who has devoted his life to improving health care for the world’s poor, notably Haitians. The men are roughly contemporaries, both have won MacArthur grants, both have a Christian bent and Harvard connections, Stevenson even quotes Farmer — who, it turns out, sits on the board of the Equal Justice Initiative. Farmer’s commitment to the poor was captured in Tracy Kidder’s “Mountains Beyond Mountains” (and Kidder’s advance praise adorns the back cover of “Just Mercy”).'
'The message of this book, hammered home by dramatic examples of one man’s refusal to sit quietly and countenance horror, is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. “Just Mercy” will make you upset and it will make you hopeful. The day I finished it, I happened to read in a newspaper that one in 10 people exonerated of crimes in recent years had pleaded guilty at trial. The justice system had them over a log and copping a plea had been their only hope. Bryan Stevenson has been angry about this for years, and we are all the better for it.'
JUST MERCY
A Story of Justice and Redemption
By Bryan Stevenson
336 pp. Spiegel & Grau. $28.
Double bullseye for you in this comment, Fern. Super Kudos.
"Just Mercy" is powerful. I never thought the death penalty made any sense. If I had had even a single wavering second on that subject, this book (and film available on Netflix) cleared my head completely.
"Mountains Beyond Mountains" moved me in a way that I had no idea I could be moved. Paul Farmer did things that were supposed to be impossible. I had tears as I concluded the book. And I moaned with agony when I heard of his premature death.
I am more into movies than reading and have been writing movie blurbs about those I watch. I have even gotten into DVDs for movies once missed. Here is my take on "Just Mercy"
Just Mercy (2019)
DVD Blurb by Rob
Aug. 14, 2021
Another DVD I found in the “J” rack at the library for this weekend, which wasn’t as stormy as expected. Looking at the lead actors on the cover, I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t even heard of this movie, but it was actually wide-released in mid-January 2020, and I was otherwise involved. (severe back pain in the midst of COVID-19 shutdown)
As mentioned on the DVD cover this is based on a true story about a black man in Alabama, Walter "Johnny D." McMillian (Jamie Foxx) convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He was innocent and convicted only on convenience of the racist police and judicial system in the medieval South. Oh, this took place in the late 1980s.
Atty. Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), new grad from Harvard Law School, goes to Alabama to fight for justice. He teams up with civil rights activist Eva Ansley (Brie Larson), and founds the Equal Justice Initiative, taking on death row cases of the wrongfully convicted.
He takes on the case of Johnny D. and meets the usual harassment & intimidation of the backward rubes of the town who don’t care about justice but that they had an undesirable black man to pin a murder on, making all the white folks think justice was met. Forgotten was any due process or even decency from the prosecutors or judges.
This was an excellent movie, but a difficult one to watch as it throws you into the evil corruption of the racist deep South. Oh, and believe it, I was there years earlier and saw it first-hand. As a teen I read of a black activist, Lamar Smith being murdered in Brookhaven MS in 1955, my family home town. I asked my grandmother about it and her answer was quite telling. “We don’t talk much about that here.”
The movie was well received and the aggregate critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 84% Fresh and 99% of audiences liked it. The critic’s consensus was, "Just Mercy dramatizes a real-life injustice with solid performances, a steady directorial hand, and enough urgency to overcome a certain degree of earnest advocacy."
If you get the DVD and watch it hang around for the end credits, which like with Hidden Figures (2016) shows the actual ppl who were portrayed in the movie.
Afterword:
This movie was about the rotten, racist pigs & injustice system in the backward South 30 years ago. Who knew when this movie was released that in May 2020, George Floyd, would be murdered in Minneapolis, MN a Northern state, by a backward racist pig in view of the world?
From Wikipedia:
“In response to the killing of George Floyd, Warner Bros. Pictures made the film free on various streaming platforms during June 2020 to educate the public about systemic racism. On June 19, 2020, TBS, TNT, and truTV aired the film along with the 2018 superhero film Black Panther, in which Jordan also starred, to support social justice during Juneteenth. The broadcast is presented by Anthony Anderson and featured interviews with Stevenson himself, along with Kamala Harris and W. Kamau Bell.”
Well said and written.
Rob Boyte (Miami Beach) "On June 19, 2020, TBS, TNT, and truTV aired the film [Just Mercy]"
It is still available with the TBS/TNT/truTV group. It is also available with many pay sources.
https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/just-mercy
…and thank you, Bill, for recommending 'Mountains Beyond Mountains', so praised by Ted Conover, the book reviewer of 'Just Mercy'.
Strength in What Remains, also by Tracy Kidder, is superb as well. Paul Farmer was a mentor to Deo, the protagonist in the book. Thank you Kidder, Farmer AND Deo, who continues his work in Africa at a hospital he started and runs. A bow 🙇🏽♀️ to the precious people on our planet.
Hi Fern:
I have sat in prison visiting rooms and listened to the stories that "would" be told. Level 4 allows time out to 8 hours a day. One level up and the shower comes to you.
There is no greater hell than being confined to a small area, to a building, or to a small plot of land one will walk for years on end.
There is no point to a death sentence. They are already dead.
Yes, Bill, death echoes through our prisons before death sentences are executed. You heard of living death, while listening to stories -- would they be revealed to all Americans -- in the prisons' visiting rooms.
If you believe in equal justice, we can contribute to our goal by supporting 'The Equal Justice Initiative' formed by the author of 'Just Mercy', Bryan Stevenson. Take a minute to READ THIS and DIG IN.
'The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.'
'EJI challenges poverty and racial injustice, advocates for equal treatment in the criminal justice system, and creates hope for marginalized communities.'
'Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.'
'EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. We are committed to changing the narrative about race in America. EJI produces groundbreaking reports, an award-winning calendar, and short films that explore our nation’s history of racial injustice. And in 2018, we opened the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice as part of our national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, which shapes many issues today./
https://eji.org/
I wrote to them once to ask for advice on how best to help a homeless family whose children were students at my school. Someone from EJI wrote me back with places to start helping, with things to know about how kids respond to frequent moving and food insecurity. I was amazed at the time she took in her letter to me, a school counselor in Minnesota asking for help for a family who was not yet in the justice system. I subscribe to their calendar, which is so painful to read. I have to skip it some days for my mental health, and when I do that, I remind myself that I have the privilege of not opening that calendar page while black and brown people face racism every day without choice, without being able to skip that page.
Thank you for your efforts, Bill. I have several friends who are mentors for the prison community. Your words echo theirs and always leave me chilled.. and extremely sad.
Wonderful review, Fern! Now I must read the book. I’m sure you know that the great humanitarian Dr. Paul Farmer died suddenly in his sleep in Rwanda on February 21, 2022 of a heart attack while working at one of the many clinics and hospitals he founded around the world under the auspices of his organization, Partners in Health.
https://www.pih.org/paul-farmer
“Just Mercy” is indeed a “must” read. My grandchildren introduced me to this important book. The narrative and the spectra of Bryan Stevenson and his work stayed with me .....for a very long time!
Absolutely agree!
Bryan Stevenson's work is amazing
Fern, thank you for your notes on “Just Mercy.”
“The message of this book, hammered home by dramatic examples of one man’s refusal to sit quietly and countenance horror, is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made.” This book and story are must reads. It’s in my library and a reminder that Courage and conviction to Justice and Truth are rare and absolutely necessary for change. And still in a racist world may not be enough. It’s heartbreaking that this world continues to battle racism, antisemitism and fascism even after wars and deaths. I thought I was a pacifist and I have friends who are, but I don’t see how anyone can observe without some reaction to act. There’s the underground and there’s direct action. John Brown chose action. Bryan Stevenson chooses action.
Find the Equal Justice Initiative and join me and many others in making annual donations. Such important work is being done by a man of integrity and his cohort of similarly minded folks. There’s a museum, too.
Thanks for the recommendation Fern. I just finished American Psychosis (highly recommend) and am looking for a new read.
I just started “Thank You for Your Servitude” by Mark Leibovich about the ppl who became sycophants to tfg. Love his snarkiness.
i was sure impressed with this American Psychosis. If you have not read "Strongmen", give that a go.
On my wish list.
I am amazed at the number of innocent people held in prisons that cannot even get new evidence reviewed without a major struggle. The most famous case in Canada was David Milgaard 1952-2022 who served 23 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Milgaard
Courts and prosecutors do not like to repair the notch in their gun resulting from a successful prosecution. It is about the "win" whatever way it occurs.
Hi, Allen! Hope you and family are doing well. I may have missed an update (last I saw, you all were safe abroad, after epic travel with Lucky). 💙
We are safely ensconced in our little home in Regina. Tired but glad to be here
It's in the library.
Thank you.
Don't forget, that white women caught doing the same thing as rich white men, often get more severe punishment.
I am thinking of Martha Stewart. it didn't take long for her to see prison.
🤮 sorry...
Love that book. Just Mercy should be required reading is right.
The Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala. is a must- see, founded by Bryan Stevenson honoring the 4000 African Americans lynched in 12 Southern states between 1877-1950.
I found it another life-changing read and I believe they made a documentary from it. On a personal level, many years ago my husband was falsely arrested and charged with a FELONY by a surly, irate police officer. Lucky for us a neighbor witnessed the entire incident and stood ready to go to court for us. Also, lucky for us, both my father, grandfather, uncle, neighbor, and several other acquaintances were also police officers. My husband, while sitting in a jail cell, witnessed the arresting officer ripping up and rewriting his report over and over again, reducing the charges, as concerned friends and family called in and contacted his superior officer about the nature of the arrest. Eventually, the charges were dropped but only when I filed a complaint against the officer. We had to promise to drop our charges against him and then they would drop theirs. I learned very early on what our white privilege "bought" us and it made me cringe. Who else was a victim of this officer's power mongering? Who else, without the connections we had, was sitting in a jail cell falsely accused? Whose family, due to loss of its primary source of income, was now experiencing eviction and poverty due to inability to recoup that loss? It made my blood boil and it has simmered ever since. Anyone who doesn't recognize white privilege has to be blind.
Wow, Pat, what a harrowing experience for both of you. I started Just Mercy during the pandemic after George Floyd was murdered. I had to stop reading at one point due to sadness overload. Sometimes I think I hoped the pandemic itself, and the natural disasters that were and still are happening due to climate change, would help us as a human race to recognize how we truly are all interdependent, and that each human being is worthy of respect.
Alas.
I wholeheartedly agree—Just Mercy should be a high school requirement.
Really good points. Run afoul of the law no matter how subjective the interpretation and enforcement and the “good guys”get to do anything they want to you. I believe that every citizen of the USA should have a right no matter his/her criminal status. And that no one and no entity gets to profit from the labor of anyone who is incarcerated or under probation or parole. Jay Essif
Alternative Title “Stacked Deck”
Janet, as you are aware of the extraordinary work of Bryan Stevenson it makes sense for you acquaint yourself with 'The Equal Justice Initiative', which is '...committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.'
'Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.'
'EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. We are committed to changing the narrative about race in America. EJI produces groundbreaking reports, an award-winning calendar, and short films that explore our nation’s history of racial injustice. And in 2018, we opened the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice as part of our national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, which shapes many issues today.'
https://eji.org/
Chump’s only law is in service to himself, not the country despite his blather about “making America great again.” When I heard him blather that phrase with his red cap, I thought we really aren’t stupid enough to fall for this carnival barker. But so many were. His every action has been to prove he’s not a loser, but he has proved the opposite. May sanity prevail. Prison for Elmer Rhodes and all MAGAt fools who acted on their worst instincts…
In January 2017, I got a Blue cap that had "Make Racism Wrong Again" written on it (my profile pic). I have been wearing it ever since because that message (several replacements later) still fits the situation. And ppl still say "I like your hat."
My hat says "Make America Intelligent Again"
How about "Make America Sane Again"?
One of my purse buttons reads "Make America Kind Again."
Good point.
When Trump says Make America Great Again, he's just talking about himself.
"Make Me Great Again."
He's incapable of seeing beyond himself.
I think he’s talking about making America a 1950’s version of itself where Black people are segregated from Whites and held oppressed by Jim Crow; where women are kept at home as cooking, cleaning baby machines. Where children are seen and not heard. It’s “Father Knows Best” and our daddy is DJT, adored by women eager to have him fulfill a fantasy of being “grabbed by the pussy.” It’s a sick fantasy that we would ever return to that attempt to turn us into a nation of Leavitte towns populated by DJT-loving zombies. Freedom? I think not. The Billionaire Class keeps this rolling as long as possible as it feeds their profit-making machine at minimal cost for labor, minimal questioning of “authority.” Tiny waists and big cars. Fossil fuel and tuna casseroles. No thanks!
I agree that he wants his low-information voters to think he's bringing back Leave it to Beaver and Ozzie and Harriet.
His real plan, however, has nothing to do with the country at large.
It's all about him. He's a classic narcissist. He's selling the words, images and fears borrowed from apartheid of the pre-civil rights era as a standard - those are his words and his sales pitch - but what his conduct focuses on self-enrichment and enrichment of the other rich people he's always wanted to impress. That's why establishment Republicans hold their noses and support him - they're the ones he wants to impress.
He needs them for self-enrichment just like they need him to generate the oligarchy that enhances their wealth and control
And their vision takes us further back than the 1950s - they want to go all the way back to the age of the Robber Barons - the late 1800s and pre-anti-trust era.
All hot air, smoke and mirrors, not unlike a souped up, dumbed down Gingrich...all in service of sleight of hand towards unbridled power and money. We said it from the onset: " The Emperor with No Clothes"
and the current Robber Barons have made sure that antitrust laws are NOT being enforced.
Spot on! It is so apparent. What keeps people from grokking this?
There are comments for which I want to click the heart, but it doesn't take. Does this happen to anyone else??
Yes...I found if you click on the heart icon and then wait several minutes, or even reload the page, it will eventually show up. If you keep clicking on the icon you're turning the icon on and off and you might end up losing count of when the icon will show up. I just click once and move on and it will show up later.
I simply move on. I've found that if I wait several minutes then scroll back up, I always find it has 'taken'. Not wasting my time reloading anymore.
I find reloading the page, by clicking the circular arrow up in the right hand side of the address bar, will return page with the heart placed or allow me to do so….providing it reloads back to the same spot. If not, every heart and/or comment is a daunting process on my little phone. Admittedly, given time limitations and/or impatience, sometimes I just give up…
Good luck finding what works.
Yes. It's chronic.
The craving for nostalgia in the face of current hard times is fundamentally flawed. Nostalgia frequently overlooks the true and often harsh realities of that time — its revisionist history. No matter what we want to believe, those weren’t “the good old days”. And with a narcissist like Trump at the helm, it would be a living nightmare.
So many were drawn to this man baby, because they were either man babies themselves, or most of the men in their social group are also man babies. Many of these people like the idea of a "strong" father figure in leadership, because it fits their narrative about how families should be organized. Often, however, those authoritarian fathers, brothers, uncles, husbands, etc. are really men who feel inadequate underneath the chest beating. When boys are allowed only the expression of anger as substitute for all other feelings, they often turn out like tfg. Puffing himself up, to mask the inner sense of inadequacy.
Trumps appeal is to those who ALSO feel like victims, who scapegoat others for their lack of progress in life, who hate the same things.
I agree, Jeri. In the end, we only have ourselves to blame for getting suckered by Trump. Call it collective brain softening caused by TV and social media, but ultimate blame rests with us. There will continue to be carnival barkers who try to steal our souls, be we were the ignorant fish who took the bait.
This comes up from time to time. There is no "we" in the statement of we got suckered by him. Millions did not. And I am adamantly not in the "we" column. I share zero blame for this.
"We have only ourselves to blame". recently, I read "A Short History of Myth" by Karen Anderson. Unexpectedly, I found a deeper level of understanding that DJT may have knowingly or (more ikely) unknowingly also stumbled upon: the almost ageless influence of myth over our rational selves. It seems that we humans over the ages and through our diverse cultural histories have looked to myth while trying to cope with our struggle to thrive. A return to a previous golden age is a prominent myth repeated throughout human history. And so here we have a little tin god sitting on his social media spun throne spewing MAGA to those of us who never considered how susceptible we are to irrational forces and false beliefs. We need humility, and courage as we create more appropriate mythoogy for our age: "All men (and women, and LGBTQ) are created equal". The challenge is to know which myths empower us and to close the distance between the mythology and our being in the world we create.
Wasn’t it P.T. Barnum who said, “There’s a sucker born every minute”?
With the image of Trump as the Carnival Barker, this quote says it all (mic drop and walk away).
Some commenter, I think here, suggested a circular firing squad of Republicans, with Trump in the middle. I'm still laughing at that one. But just in case the DOJ finds Trump and his buddies guilty of Treason and impose extreme prejudice, I've worked out some details for them to employ, free of charge: Surrounding Trump with the the (roughly) 270 Republicans seated in both chambers in 2023 and spacing them two feet apart would put each firing squad participant 86 feet from Trump. As these aren't professional shooters, I figure most of them would miss The Orange Ninny's ample ass and ... well, you know. Now don't get mad at me. I'm not serious, just fantasizing :-D
And yes, I consider death star and his minions to be treasonous.
“I want to free all the negroes in this [slave] state … if the citizens interfere with me I must only burn the town and have blood.”
- John Brown, October 1859
‘John Brown was the first American to be executed for treason.’ (Letter)
The following summary was provided by ‘History & Culture – Harpers Ferry National Historic Park’ through the National Park Service.
'John Brown's Raid'
'John Brown and the people with him planned and executed a raid on the National Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Brown's contemporary, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, tells the story of the raid in this Address at the 14th Anniversary of Storer College. Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, May 30, 1881.'
'On the night of the 16th of October, 1859, there appeared near the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, a party of nineteen men—fourteen white and five colored. They were not only armed themselves, but had brought with them a large supply of arms for such persons as might join them. These men invaded Harper's Ferry, disarmed the watchman, took possession of the arsenal, rifle-factory, armory and other government property at that place, arrested and made prisoners nearly all the prominent citizens of the neighborhood, collected about fifty slaves, put bayonets into the hands of such as were able and willing to fight for their liberty, killed three men, proclaimed general emancipation, held the ground more than thirty hours, were subsequently overpowered and nearly all killed, wounded or captured, by a body of United States troops, under command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, since famous as the rebel Gen. Lee. Three out of the nineteen invaders were captured whilst fighting, and one of these was Captain John Brown, the man who originated, planned and commanded the expedition…[He] was brought into court, subjected to a nominal trial, convicted of high treason and inciting slaves to insurrection, and was executed. His corpse was given to his woe-stricken widow, and she, assisted by Anti-slavery friends, caused it to be borne to North Elba, Essex County, N. Y., and there his dust now reposes, amid the silent, solemn and snowy grandeur of the Adirondacks.'
'Today, John Brown's Fort and the Arsenal ruins are part of the legacy of our nation's struggle with slavery.'
To dig deeper for a fuller account of the raid and John Brown's family, I recommend the link below to the 'History & Culture - Harpers Ferry National Historic Park' through the National Park Service.'
https://www.nps.gov/hafe/learn/historyculture/index.htm
Yes. I have often wondered if someone should write a great play or make a great movie about John Brown (perhaps a HBO mini-series). Not enough people know about his story. A movie was made a few years ago, but of low quality, and didn't do well.
This was a driven man, a passionate man. Some years ago, when I read a bit about him, not even that much really, I found myself getting a bit passionate too. I wonder what effect he had on people in real-life. There was a big story to him.
Brown, the abolitionist, was executed. The leaders in the South, slave-holders and guilty of a much much greater offense, an offense that led to the sacrifice of many more dear lives, these leaders were not executed. These leaders came back, many of them, and soon the crooked system they fostered came back too, just in a different, more disguised way.
In a similar way, I wonder if the Jan 6 protests had been related to BLM, if punishments being handed out now would be executions, and not the relatively light sentences that the secessionists have been receiving.
Thanks to all for the wonderful book reviews and recommendations. And, thank you HCR for the always extraordinary telling of history. A similar freshman history prof is why I was an undergrad history major.
A telling sidebar to the history discussed today has been shocking, and frustrating to me, for several years.....the length of time for justice to move today, at least for the very rich. John Brown was hanged for his "crime" in less than 50 days. It is approaching 2 years and tfg has not yet been indicted. In this regard, he is not unique. Perhaps this is a good outcome, necessary for the administration of fair justice. Somehow, I feel that is not the case and the delays are only available for rich, white citizens. I believe had John Brown and his followers attacked the Capital on Jan 6, they would have all, long ago, been convicted of seditious conspiracy. Had they stolen top secret documents, I am quite certain they would already have begun life sentences.
Not making any excuse for anyone’s bigotry, prejudice, or malevolence, but it seems that history and precedence determine our foundation. To avoid being toppled by liars and carnival barkers in our future we need to make sure we build it without cracks and can withstand those type of attacks. If DOJ is bringing criminal charges against men and women who were elected into office by a “disputed” majority then they might want to make sure it is as solid as it can be. Additionally, it would seem there are multiple members of Congress that are complicit in these crimes, and every one of them were elected. We, “the people”, really are the problem. Why do voters give power away to people who so obviously do not abide the golden rule? Why are some more curious than others? Because it seems the curious will seek the truth and are less vulnerable to the “carnival barkers”
Thank you so much! I have visited his grave sight in Lake Placid, NY. It’s hidden away on a side road surrounded by the mountains. It is a quiet and rather humble site and appeared to not be much visited by mostly hiker tourist crowd, myself being of such. I don’t even know how I found it. I’d been to Harper’s Ferry several times, hiking through, and read plaques and other info there but don’t remember ever seeing the reference to his grave sight.
He was a hero. I always thought he was, even as a child in history class in the early 60’s.
John Brown’s grave site is a New York State Historic site located in North Elba, Essex County. His Find A Grave entry provides photos of the site as well as links to burial locations to his parents, two wives, siblings, and 18 children, John Brown's memorial on the Find a Grave app.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/137
Oh I thought we were still in Lake Placid. But yes this is where we visited!
Easy to think it was Lake Placid--right next to it. Thanks for posting mention of the gravesite.
The Brown farm is near Lake Placid in the Adirondack's, so you're not far off. Troy is just north of Albany, and not a long drive to the mountains. There are trails up there, too, and for those able to hike, it would make the visit even more meaningful, I think.
Thanks. It is one of my favorite places on the eastcoasr.
Thanks for the info. I have family in the Troy NY area-I might consider a trip there sometime. I'm a Civil War history buff.
"Old John Browns body lies a-moldering in his grave........". An American ballad.
John Brown's Body · Paul Robeson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1mpFCRbuFw
TY Fern, Michael Bales, (of course, HCR) and others who have suggested a good winter's worth of reading and watching. Today's letter and comments... so rich!!
One addition: 'Is That Black Enough for You?' is an extraordinary documentary of Black films, producers and actors that is mind boggling in scope. The history of Black film and the barriers to progress are meticulously laid out. Newly available on Netflix.
TY too
Thank you for keeping our history alive. Those who deny our past or rewrite it to serve their own ends are dangerous and we have to be louder.
Finally a context to why I learnt about a song: ..."John Browns body lies amouldring in the grave, and his soul is marching on"..in my English classes i Sweden around 1966. I also learnt that slavery was abolished in Sweden in 1335, under the influence of Christianity, not what maybe later research has found that this was for economic reasons. Nor did I learn that Sweden also was involved in international slavery and slave trade in the 19th century, prisoners of war were used as slaves in Sweden in the 17th century, and only 1847 freed the slaves in its last colony. And of course today we should know that the Vikings were basically slave traders.
Oy. The little bit of me that is Swedish just shivered.
'Acknowledging what was', is a healing step. For 'what is' we can always do better, if we are well informed of what was.
❤️❤️❤️
In this 2020 NPR Fresh Air Interview, we hear about two leaders who fought Slavery: John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. In “The Zealot and the Emancipator” each fought the institution of slavery in different ways: one radical and the other reformist.
https://www.npr.org/2020/10/19/925362418/john-brown-and-abraham-lincoln-divergent-paths-in-the-fight-to-end-slavery. When is treason justified? And is an act considered treason in one situation, heroism in another? Thinking of the current cases and points of view. How and why do some people justify illegal acts? Are these questions the jury might ask in sedition trials? Is it “true” in the end the answer doesn’t matter if they broke the law? Or: I think it does matter when we look at this historical story about an abolitionist.
Nature made no man a slave.
ALCIDAMAS
Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS
Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Anytime anyone is enslaved, or in any way deprived of his liberty, if that person is a human being, as far as I am concerned he is justified to resort to whatever methods necessary to bring about his liberty again.
MALCOLM X
As to the Lincoln quote, I have done hard fysical labor in the hot Mississippi sun for my own benefit. I can imagine the hell it would be, forced to do that for someone else against my will.
Fern and Rob, In the quote” I can imagine the hell it would be, forced to do that for someone else “ is the key word: IMAGINE. It could be Empathy. How can man (yes!) inflict harm and pain on another without feeling, with his heart and soul. And stopping before he becomes the monster responsible for the Hell of Slavery.
Thank you 🌿 for filling in the blanks as you so often do.
🐈Thank you, HALE IRWIN.
Irenie, you raise an interesting topic. Let's say John Brown surrenders and Col. Lee 'honors his word' and Brown is not executed. Emancipation Proclamation issues a few years later and Brown seeks pardon saying 'hey, I am a Union Patriot just taking action on Confederate soil a few months too early, cut me a break'. Does Brown end up a hero bravely leading Black troops in battle?
Point of view! Values! Right and wrong. Is there a “right” answer? Yes and no.
"The essential ingredient of politics is timing." Pierre Trudeau
Same with comedy.
Same with life. Careers, marriage, kids. All of it. I have had good timing mostly. But not always.
For good or ill, all timing can be seen as net positive, depending on how you set your aperture. And especially if you’re looking for the silver lining. (Mixed metaphorically ironic, isn’t it:) John Brown is an inspiration, a good guy who couldn’t stand the enslavement of fellow humans. Good on ‘em... as my Dad used to say. John Brown is a true hero in my book.
Well this does become a philosophical discussion as it must. And when humans cease truly considering whether there are ever situations when the end justifies the means then we are doomed as society. But in order to do so some basic agreements on justice and rights must be established.
John Brown remained responsible for murdering the free black baggage handler.
Jean-Pierre John Brown has become a legendary figure to some. I recall that he was a zealot (and murderer) in Kansas, where he and his sons killed a number of civilians. A case could be made that John Brown was bonkers in his abolitionist zeal. Nice song, but his story might not make as impressive a play or movie.
Zealotry begets more zealotry and bullies beget more bullies. Chaos ensues. We humans, struggle to create more of us with the patience, tolerance, love, reverence for life needed to live in love. We should all examine our cultures and traditions for the harms we blindly perpetuate. There is a reason that the tenet of all major religions is simply the Golden Rule. We have remarkable brains, I’m sure we can figure out how to stop worshipping power, money, violence, & bullies and start elevating leaders that promote all that is best in us.
“The issue is injustice.” MLK from I Have a Dream:
“And that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live.
Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.
Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn't get around to that.
Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: we know it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.”
Christy You make a good point about zealots. I have difficulty distinguishing between ‘zealots’ and sustained passion. For me, John Brown was a zealot whose murderous record in Kansas bloodied his copy book. By comparison I reflect on people with sustained passion: Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and folks like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez.
Injustice is a theme for passion. MLK with the sanitation workers. The Covid dangers in food processing plants. Most recently is the threatened railroad strike, after railroads reduced their employees by 29% and then sought, with draconian methods, to oblige the remaining employees to work long hours on instant demand that caused health and familial problems.
During my lifetime, there was a surge of private sector unionization (esp auto and iron/steel industries) and then a precipitous decline partially offset by a sharp rise in public sector unions. The biggest gap has been in service industries. As a union member at my community college, I experienced the fight between the scantily protected and the intractable administrators. Whether at Amazon, Starbucks, or the countless other service industries, the gap between management and worker is vast.
I favor passion, justice, and, perhaps, a touch of zeal, with firmness and without blood shed.
I can’t see in your post where you struggle to distinguish differences between zealots and great leaders with sustained passion. Looks like you nailed it in your description. In a very brief query I found most dictionaries support the use of zealot to reference violent, aggressive or militant folks like John Brown. The two little letters at the end, “ot”, change the meaning of “zeal” significantly. Thank you for clarifying meaning.
I've always thought that zealotry and violent attacks are losing propositions. People are killed, often civilians in the line of fire, people are arrested and convicted or executed, but I know of none of these violent actions leading to the result sought by the zealots. It's as wasteful of lives as today's white supremacists who appear to believe that their own violent behaviors will reverse the course of history as the U.S. population becomes more and more diverse.
100Panthers, a fascinating scenario you present. Thank you.
Why did they kill the free black man along the way? Murder is murder, unless it’s truly self defense. How many wars/deaths does it to take to learn not to make heros of violent vigilantes?
Was John Brown, who was attempting to eliminate slavery through violence really "radical"?
Or, was he just trying to rid America of the horrors of slavery in an effective manner?
I can imagine any reasonable person, subject to the knowledge of the brutatlity of southern slavery, not supporting armed rebellion against it and those who promulgated that system..
I mean, armed rebellion is how slavery ended anyway.
Indeed, I would see myself as a reformer bent on changing a horribly brutal, illegal, terrible system......well armed all the better.
Mike, Brown was a white abolitionist. His intention was to start a slave uprising. “Brown was well read and knew that the last words of prominent people are valued. On the morning of December 2, 1859, Brown wrote and gave to his jailor Avis the words he wanted to be remembered by:
‘I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood. I had, as I now think, vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed it might be done.’” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist)
Suzanne,
Understood and many thanks for the clarification. I have removed the ignorance from my initial comment due to your kind clarification.
in other words: My bad and thanks for being kind.
Wasn’t John Brown a white man?
Yes. The old South's worst nightmare; a white man willing to die for his abolitionist passion. He was a fiery zealot and was thought of by the southern slave states as a terrorist.
Thank you Irenie
Interesting link; thank you Irenie
Thank you, Irenie, for sharing this article. It informs my knowledge immensely about these two men in history.
Prescient timing, too - Oct 2020
No death threats for me. Rather a brief prison sentence, never to hold any public office anywhere, and total loss of any local, state or federal pensions or any of its benefits for life. Since these convicts are morally dead, no pardons of any stripe can be offered. Let them contemplate their infamy for the rest of their lives with no public funds. Liz, this is for you!
Given the ridiculous sentences for far lesser crimes, I think life in prison and one like Attica not Club Fed would be just.
The law doesn’t apply to everyone equally.
And who determines the law?
Probably White men. And not the poor ones.
In America, Definitely White Men have defined the laws.
The winners, determine the law, as well as the narrative, at least for a time.
😞😢so true.
I've been wondering whether the "Treason" word would begin to make its way into the misdeeds of Donald Trump. It certainly has seemed to me that the shoe fits.
The problem is that treason requires acts done during war, so though he sold out the country, that charge is not available. Sedition is, though!
Okay - I'll take sedition. Just please make him go away...
I really enjoyed reading this letter and learning the details of John Brown and Harper's Ferry. Quite the history lesson for this date. So far we have had recently conviction for seditious conspiracy.
In 1950’s children were taught that John Brown was a crazy man who committed murder and treason. I know because I was one of those children.
I can remember that too. I never really learned about the Civil War, pre, during, and after, until I took a class from a wonderful prof at the UO. In addition to his lectures (a hour and half worth of info in an hour), we had to read four or five books each term. I learned nothing about slavery before then either, but as a grad student, I had to read 5 extra books and do book reviews....so one on Jefferson and 14 on slavery. My mother, who was in school for a time in Arkansas, told me that what she had learned about the Civil War was very different than what I learned in school. I have read voraciously all my life and there is still information about our not so good past that still is coming to life. Right now I am reading about Mrs. Frank Leslie, illegitimate and probably half black, who managed to reinvent her past and run a publishing empire in NYC during the 19th century. Lola Mendez, also illegitimate who alters her past story, makes an appearance too and Miriam learned a lot from her. What strikes me, in addition to the amazing story of this lady, is how much NYC of the time sounds like any number of cities today.
I’m curious - I grew up in Northern Virginia and was taught the same. May I ask where you grew up?
Now I hear his words in the voice of Arthur Miller in Ken Burns Civil War.
It’s not that he was crazy--but he was a zealot for the Abolitionist cause. So much so, he was, at times, isolated from fellow abolitionists. The federal government had harsh laws re: assisting runaway slaves.
By the time Brown was at Harpers Ferry, he was grief-stricken and pushed to his limits following the death/murder of his son in Kansas. He and his sons had been part of the move to populate western areas so as to forestall their development as “slave states.” By the time he was in Harpers Ferry, he had changed his name to Osawatamie Brown to memorialize the killing of his son in Osawatamie, KS.
The reason he was buried up near Lake Placid, NY--he was recognized for his expertise in raising sheep. When John Smith donated his land for free slaves, he brought in John Brown to help them get started in a new livelihood. It was a place where Brown had some sense of peace and satisfaction...so that’s where John Brown lies “a moulderin’ in his grave.”
Thank you, Dawna. For me, this adds to Irenie's comments/link about John Brown.
Inner city of Chicago… Old Town.
I’m surprised. I would have thought it would only be taught that way in the South.
Suzanne,
Would a white teacher using a white approved book in a black area in Chicago really offer any different perspective than in, say, Philadelphia Mississippi?
Mike, considering your several comments here which seem to indicate you think John Brown was a black slave and not the white abolitionist that he was, I’m not sure the best approach to answering this question, even though I am a retired 5th-12th grade history teacher.
Suzanne,
Yes, definitely showing my ignorance to all today Suzanne. Thanks to your kind comments, I have deleted or clarified them all.
My apology. I would like to say, it won't happen again, but, I am not exactly well schooled in anything but engineering.
Nope, I grew up in northern Indiana. i also did some student teaching through Peace Corps training in south Chicago, Wendell Phillips High School, 3900 south, down the street from the White Sox Park. This was the middle 1960s. The master teacher taught in the worst high school in Chicago during the school year and was fine with it. She was white, btw. At one point, she had to go off for something family related and I had a sub, but I did the teaching. I wish I could remember what exactly we were teaching, but I don't. I don't think a white version of things would have flown very well. I do remember they were unhappy to learn that Africans also participated in the slave trade by capturing people and bringing them to the coast. Just this week my husband told me that the Catholic Church in West Africa financed itself through the slave trade. I also taught African history in a Catholic boys school in Sierra Leone. This is where i learned to despise white colonialism. Just finished Legacy of Violence about the British Empire and became angry all over again....so many of today's problems go back to this. Now the truth is out and what do we have....white people trying to suppress the teaching of our history of slavery, treatment of Native Americans and POC. Part of the problem is that they can't claim just being white makes them superior. I also read about ancient DNA and there is no such thing as lily white anyway.
I would LOVE it if all these white Christian nationalists had to do a DNA test! Of course, they would probably proudly spin it that their enslaver master ancestors raped slaves.
Nope....same version of “history” taught to me in Maine..many years ago. But my husband and I, as we moved out into the greater world, were curious and began to do our research. John Brown’s true story lead us to research into other historical events. Imagine our dismay...lots of dismay.
In NJ it was taught as the prelude to the civil war. He wasn't crazy, he lost the battle. Therefore it didn't get a lot of attention or detail.
In my rural town south of Boston (also in the 50's) he was a hero in school and at home. This begs the question: what is taught now?
The question of what is taught now becomes pathetic when you consider: Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the GOP poster girl who replaced Liz Cheney, represents the northern counties of NYS, including where John Brown is buried. Those voters don’t bother to learn their own history; those Trumpanzee troglodytes aren’t even aware of the developments that preceded them and made them what they are today. For many, their own ancestors are carved into the statues commemorating Civil War soldiers. In fact, like most knee-jerk, reactionary, Repugs, they don’t understand why they are even members of the Republican Party, or that it dates back to America’s 2nd Great Awakening. If you don’t even know your own history, WTF are you, really?
Me too, NC in the 50’s
I grew up in Maryland, just across the Potomac River, and was taught the same abridged version of the history of John Brown.
I grew up in California and didn't learn about it at all.
If I might have a problem with the charge of treason, I'd have none for murder, which is what the killing of the baggage handler certainly was. And while I have very mixed emotions about capital punishment, I'd have none if Trump were tried and found guilty of treason (only one of his offenses worthy of maximum punishment IMHO).
Thank you for the concise history lesson. I enjoyed reading of it again.
John Brown was white. A white man standing up and willing to die to end slavery....exactly what the slave holders feared most.
Understood and thank you and my apology for severe ignorance.
John Brown was a white man. He was an abolitionist.
This is a very interesting column, especially for the present day situation concerning the activities taken place on 6 January at the Capitol. Put this section of "... the Constitution a very limited definition of treason against the United States, saying that only levying war against the United States or “adhering to their enemies” or giving “aid and comfort” to an enemy could be considered treason..." and Preston's statement “Law had been violated by actual murder and attempted treason.” And ask the question -- is it possible the failed ex-president supported those committing treason? Is he then as guilty?
He was/is the prime mover of republican insanity these days, although they have espoused lies and spin for decades. Plenty of nuts where he came from, sad to say.
Yes, Preston had to wonder...but of course, that never came to pass--even for Lee. Should some of the Confederates been hanged? I don't know. But I know this--we allowed their mythical (re: lie) "lost cause" to remain as embers that are once again flamed into the same hideous, worst-selves sides of American culture. I've gone on record as saying I'd have shot anyone entering the Capitol on Jan 6. I stand by it now too--and for exactly the reasons stated in this story. No, we're not going to execute anyone for Jan. 6. I'd like to think that's ONLY because we, as a society, are at a place where we only do so for the most extreme circumstances. Is that the truth? I don't know and hope we don't have to find out anytime soon.
“Should some of the Confederates been hanged?”
If not hanged, certainly deprived of all property and privileges, especially Lee, who, as an officer in the US Army, was also guilty of desertion.
However, even if Lincoln hadn’t believed in
“…malice toward none and charity for all…”, Andrew Johnson would very likely have pardoned any Confederate leaders convicted of treason upon assuming the presidency after Lincoln’s death.
Had the Continental Army been defeated would the British have hanged Washington and the other leaders of what history would have likely labeled the American Rebellion? Thankfully, we’ll never know the answer to that question. I think Washington, Jefferson, Adams, et al assumed they would be. Taking up arms against the king, I.e. treason, was not taken lightly by the British.
"Had the Continental Army been defeated would the British have hanged Washington and the other leaders of what history would have likely labeled the American Rebellion?"
Absolutely, they would have hanged Washington post haste. Washington knew this as he was fighting.
Ben Franklin said it; 'We must all hang together, or we shall all hang separately. ''
Ralph, as a matter of fact, I believe Lee did not desert but rather quite honorably resigned his commission in the Union forces despite being asked by Lincoln to lead them when a day later Virginia seceded: "Robert E. Lee resigns from U.S. Army after Virginia secedes from Union. Colonel Robert E. Lee resigns from the United States army two days after he was offered command of the Union army and three days after his native state, Virginia, seceded from the Union. Lee opposed secession, but he was a loyal son of Virginia."
Lee quit his commission in the US Army to lead a rebel force against the nation he swore to defend and against his former fellow soldiers. To me, that is desertion wrapped in a pretty ribbon of "honorable resignation". The fact that Lee had more loyalty to the State of Virginia, and thus to the institution of slavery, than to his country indicates he wasn't much of a patriot after all anyway.
I say hang him for treason or desertion or both.
It would seem Lincoln and his administration were working pretty hard to reconcile the Southern forces after Appomattox and not add fuel to their continuing resentment of the Union forces by allowing confederate soldiers to keep their horses and I believe in some cases even their muskets to allow rebuilding the devastated South. He wanted the soldiers back as citizens, not slaves from a devastating war.
"...with malice toward none and charity for all..."
From Lincoln's second inaugural address.
I would have advocated such as well.
As an obsessed anti-gun supporter, on the 6th, I found myself yelling at the TV: “shoot him, please shoot him” to the young guard being backed up the stairs. My daughter came out of her home and looked me in horror. But it also ended her day of calmly working.
I would appreciate an HCR letter speaking to the history of presidential pardons. Given the way trump used them to obstruct justice I’m not a fan. It seems out of place in a country ruled by laws. It is literally a “get out of jail free” act. Why was that put in place?
For a deep dive into the Constitutional (Art 3, Section 3) development of the elements of treason see, J. Hurst's collection of essays. "The Law of Treason in the United States". 1971. For the Federal statutes see, Title 18 Chapter 115, sections 2381 through 2390. I will look for a copy the executed Jury Verdict form for the Stewart Rhodes' conviction on seditious conspiracy although there is a useful graphic outline of the ten (10) counts against ALL defendants at www.lawfareblog.com. See, " ... Thoughts on Oath Keepers Verdict."
Thanks, Bryan. I’ve just done a moderate wade into this topic to date. A deep dive may be needed.
Yes. I do have confidence in Josh Gerstein as a competent legal reporter. Other significant matters out there such as the dramatic data that there were over 1.8 Million 'early voters' in GA in 5 days.
And for another look at John Brown -- I highly recommend The Good Lord Bird by James McBride.
The book was made into a miniseries in 2020 starring Ethan Hawke as Brown. It's told from the perspective of Henry "Little Onion" Shackleford, a newly freed teenager who joins Brown on his crusade to end slavery. Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas are also featured. It is "equal parts absurd and tragic as it spotlights the ever-changing racial, religious, and gender roles that make up the American identity" writes a reviewer. I recommend it.
Who writes the memoirs, the biographies, the history and erects the statues and monuments determines the reputations of the victors and the victims. The Sixties protesters were criminals to some people living through that turmoil and heroes to most of their peers. One man’s terrorist is another man’s patriot. The laws and the punishments for violating those carefully concocted behavioral guidelines are perceived differently depending upon the points of view of the winners and losers. Had the American patriots lost their revolution, would their monuments have been erected? It is doubtful. Because beliefs are subject to change, I do not believe that punishments should ever be absolute. This is why the death penalty and life in prison sentences do not make logical sense. Lincoln and Brown were men on the same side of a moral argument, but each man ended up in a much different place in the history books. Both men made mistakes. One man was assassinated and is remembered as a martyr and the other man was hanged and remembered by most as a violent traitor. Time and perception change beliefs.
Lincoln didn’t take up arms himself.
Well said.