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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)

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In this episode, Lou discusses two recent online articles to illustrate how John Brown is often appropriated and misused by writers in discussing contemporary issues. The first article discussed is an effort to draw a parallel between John Brown and Luigi Mangione, who allegedly murdered a healthcare executive in cold blood last year. The second article presents John Brown as a Christian Nationalist. In both cases, Lou objects to the misuse of John Brown, showing how inaccurate these appropriations tend to be.

Links to the articles, fyi:

Will Shetterly, "What you say about Luigi Mangione is what you would've said about John Brown," Medium (Dec. 14, 2024).

Shiv Parihar, "John Brown, Christian Nationalist," Providence Magazine (Dec. 13, 2024).

Theme music: "Land of My Fathers" by The 126ers (YouTube)

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In this episode, Lou discusses the animals--pets, livestock, and others who are part of the John Brown story, from the dogs of Harper's Ferry to a cat who went to Kansas. Just when you thought you'd heard everything about John Brown, huh?

Guest music: "Story of a Toy" by Freedom Trail Studio (Youtube)

Also available on the John Brown Today YouTube station