Send us a text

In this episode, Lou breaks with the regular approach of this podcast to put a John Brown lens on pressing contemporary issues. He specifically addresses three main topics, arguing why John Brown would be an anti-Zionist due to the movement's oppressive colonial practices and its perceived anti-biblical, racialized nature; critiquing the notion that the recently murdered Charlie Kirk was a Christian martyr because of his white nationalist views and opposition to the Black civil rights tradition; and finally, condemning the Trump administration's attempts to revise history and minimize the violence and injustice of slavery. John Brown Today, Lou concludes, is a podcast devoted to the meaning of John Brown and therefore must serve as a platform to advocate for justice, truth-telling, and keeping his legacy alive in the face of modern political struggles.

To see an explainer video for this episode, check out the JOHN BROWN TODAY YouTube platform, and look for the short video entitled, "The John Brown Lens."

Send us a text

In this episode, Lou interviews the preeminent cultural historian of the 19th-century USA, David S. Reynolds. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of Reynolds' landmark biography, John Brown Abolitionist. Reynolds opens by describing his most recent project, the forthcoming Two Ships (Penguin), and then revisits the writing of John Brown Abolitionist, rehearsing some key themes from the book as well as reflecting on his background and methodology as a cultural historian. The interview finishes with a shift to Reynolds' 2020 opus, Abe, a cultural biography of Abraham Lincoln.

There is also an AI-generated visual overview available based on this interview. See "John Brown Sparked a War" (https://youtu.be/OMEwfYZQ3hM).

Content Warning: This episode contains two direct quotes from historical sources that include a racial slur. The audio has been edited to reduce the volume of the word to minimize harm to listeners.

Send us a text

In this episode, I am inviting you on a peculiar historical tour of the term, "Secret Six." While John Brown students are accustomed to seeing this term used to speak of Brown's key supporters, this episode is about the origin of the term and its significance in the literature about Brown. As you'll discover, while the "tour" of "Secret Six" is full of trivial and interesting cases where the term has been used since the nineteenth century, it was not really applied to Brown's story until the twentieth century. While the term has its uses, students of Brown should know that in many respects, "Secret Six" has largely been used by the abolitionist's detractors more than his admirers. The tour bus has arrived, so join me for the "Secret Six" tour. . .

Episode music: "Paradox" by Quincas Moreira (YouTube music)