Reflections of a High School History Teacher & Civil War Historian
[...] hat tip to Kevin Levin’s entry at Civil War Memory for this one. Mr. Levin runs an excellent blog with occasional flashes of [...]
My recent post on the unveiling of another large Confederate flag in Tennessee generated a number of comments. It’s an emotional issue on all sides and it is unlikely that the interested parties will ever fully agree on whether it should be displayed in public as well as its meaning. But that’s the way it
75 Comments — 13816 Views — June 11, 2009
The following guest post by Michael Schaffner examines the wartime evidence for the Kirkland story. It is a thoroughly researched essay and is well worth your time. I should point out that Mr. Schaffner did not set out to write a piece debunking this particular story. Like many of us he was curious about the
38 Comments — 7817 Views — December 22, 2009
I‘ve been thinking quite a bit about the images of slave rebellions and miscegenation that shaped the world view of white Southerners throughout the antebellum period. In the case of Nat Turner’s Rebellion newspapers throughout Virginia and beyond offered extensive coverage and attempted to offer an explanation that would assuage the concerns of what white
17 Comments — 7363 Views — June 26, 2009
[Hat-Tip to Steve West] How would you like to attend a reenactment of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. On March 7 the Sovereign Majestic Theater in Pottsville, Pennsylvania will be transformed into Ford’s Theater. Booth will be played by Charles Sacavage, a retired Pottsville Area School District history teacher who now teaches history part-time at Alvernia
18 Comments — 6840 Views — February 25, 2009
[Hat-Tip to Lee White] Back in 2008 I commented on a graphic novel that tells the story of Patrick Cleburne’s plan to arm slaves in exchange for their freedom. I expressed a number of concerns in that post and I appreciate the author of the novel for offering his own perspective. Now it looks like that
75 Comments — 5664 Views — February 5, 2010
No, Jeb isn’t drunk he’s just enjoying another lazy summer afternoon. Felix maintains his usual look of disinterest. Tweet
0 Comments — 144 Views — July 14, 2006
[If you haven't done so already make sure you read the guest post by Bill Oberst Jr. who played Sherman in the movie.] Little has changed in the format of historical documentaries since the 1990 release of Ken Burns’s The Civil War. The formula is straight-forward: It includes interviews with respected scholars, powerful imagery, narrative voice,
8 Comments — 139 Views — April 22, 2007
It’s a pretty miserable day here in central Virginia. On top of the rain I am strung out on the couch watching college football and dealing with a cold and sore throat. Since it looks like I will not get anything serious done today I thought I might offer you the second installment of my
16 Comments — 388 Views — September 26, 2009
[Hat-Tip to Chapati Mystery, Cliopatria, and Progressive Historians] I’ve been on Facebook now for about 2 months and I am enjoying it immensely. I’ve connected with some old college friends and students that I taught in Alabama back in the late 90s; more recently, I watched as my school used Facebook as a way to mourn
5 Comments — 61 Views — August 31, 2007
This forthcoming book about Robert E. Lee by John Perry is apparently part of a new series of books on American military leaders published by Thomas Nelson. The volume on Patton is subtitled: “Tenacity in Action.” From the book description: It’s no surprise that Robert E. Lee graduated second in his class from West Point.
29 Comments — 1121 Views — April 18, 2010
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Richard Williams is going to go ballistic over this!
I don't think so. After all, Richard is all about fighting for freedom and liberty.
When I was reading his blog he got quite upset a couple of times over folks who were, in his opinion, “celebrating” John Brown.
I was just kidding. If I understand Williams correctly, Brown didn't understand that slavery was part of God's plan.
It is really interesting to see John Brown being–not rehabilitated, exactly, but taken more seriously as a (largely) rational actor, rather than as the Thomas Hart Benton/Raymond Massey image of the unhinged bloodthirsty Old Testament fanatic.
This is great, even if I do have problem with Brown hacking people to death.
I have ancestors who lived in Ashtabula then moved to Indiana and Michigan. My great grandmother attended Oberlin just after the turn of the century. I never knew her, but the house she was born and raised in is in northern Indiana and is featured on a couple underground railroad websites. I found a copy of her 1901 HS commencement program online. She gave a speech entitled “Not so Black as They're Painted.” I would love to know the text of that speech!
Regarding RGW, a while back I had a discussion with him about Brown seizing a federal arsenal and secessionists doing the same thing. He doesn't see the similarities. Somehow secessionists are to be celebrated but not Brown.
Is this a period song or did these folks just write it?
Like I said before, I guess Brown didn't understand that slavery was part of God's plan.
That's right. His actions will continue to be debated, but the tendency to brush him off as psychologically unbalanced is a non-starter and prevents us from understanding Brown as well as the broader reform movement of which the abolitionist movement was part.
That song is from the album by Magpie, “John Brown: Sword of the Spirit”. I really like the whole album. I find John Brown an endlessly fascinating and challenging character. He clearly understood his personal mission of fighting slavery as fulfilling God's will as he understood it in his Calvinist Christianity. Ironically for those who attack Union leaders because none of the major players during the Civil War held 21st-century ideas of racial equality at the start of 1861, John Brown actually did take such a view. He was also notable in having an unusually egalitarian view of women's rights.
His actions as a guerilla fighter, including the “Pottawatamie massacre”, are a persist challenge to anyone who looks at the situation seriously. As the mini-civil-war in Kansas showed, the slaveowners were willing to use violence and break the law on a massive scale to expand slavery. Other than rigid legalism or actual pacifism, I find it very difficult to find reason to condemn his actions as an anti-slavery fighter, even on tactical grounds. At the same time, because people today looking for excuses to commit violent acts for some fringe cause point to Brown's example, I also think it's important to understand the very real threat to freedom and democracy he was confronting.
The notion that he was “insane” just doesn't hold water. (Ironically again, some of those hoping to have his life spared after the Harper's Ferry raid promoted the notion in hopes of having him pardoned or at least not executed.) I have seen one essay by Bertram Wyatt-Brown making a plausible case – tricky as psychohistory is – that Brown suffered from depression. It could help explain some very particular mysteries, like why he delayed so long in evacuating Harper's Ferry with the captured weapons. But it can't explain his political actions and decisions, much less does it make them “insane”. And it certainly can't explain why he actions had such a lasting impact and why he is still a powerful symbol of freedom.
Bet they have listened to a Pete Seeger or Weavers album or two
Bet they have listened to a Pete Seeger or Weavers album or two