A reminder that "John Brown was insane" and "John Brown was a bloodthirsty psychopath" are both examples of Lost Cause revisionism that have seeped into 'common knowledge'. In his time, he was regarded as perfectly sane (at worst, he was considered a zealot (in the textbook sense e.g. someone completely, unwaveringly devoted to a cause) and somewhat egotistical due to, for example, his firm belief that God wanted him to lay down his life to free those held in slavery) and was widely regarded as very kind and decent to everyone but slave owners and those who defended slavery. Tubman called him "the greatest white man who ever lived" and said he did more for the slaves than even Lincoln did. Douglass called him "a brave and glorious old man" and said "History has no better illustration of pure, disinterested benevolence." Julia Ward Howe (who wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic to the tune of John Brown's Body) compared his death to end slavery to Jesus's crucifixion. Doesn't sound like a crazy, bloodthirsty maniac to me!
John Brown is probably the greatest American to date (Living or dead). When someone like Frederick Douglass or Harriet Tubman describe him in the following words, you know without a doubt he was a true patriot. “Henry (John) loved liberty for the rich and the great. Brown loved liberty for the poor and the weak.” “His zeal in the cause of my race was far greater than mine - it was as the burning sun to my taper light - mine was bounded by time, his stretched away to the boundless shores of eternity. I could live for the slave, but he could die for him.” Frederick Douglass, 30 May 1881 “He done more in dying, than 100 men would in living.” Harriet Tubman
"I am now certain that the crimes of this guilty nation cannot be purged away but with blood," he wrote when he died. Less than a year later, the union was at war with itself.
I was about to add this... when I saw you already had. That famous quote was in a note he passed to the guard who had been his jailor for the seven weeks between his capture and his execution. The man became quite fond of Brown in that time, and in appreciation for the guards kindness, when Brown gave him the note, he also handed him the only thing of value he had on him - a silver pocket watch. The entire note read: "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with Blood. I had...vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed, it might be done." - John Brown.
I just read a quote I'd never seen before from John Brown's wife. She was allowed to visit him in jail. Mary Ann Day, had married Brown in 1833. By 1859, when the raid occurred, the couple had 13 children, but only six survived to adulthood and just four survived their father (2 died in the Raid). This woman had suffered so much grief, and was about to lose her husband. She said: "I have had thirteen children, and only 4 are left; but if I am to see the ruin of my house, I cannot but hope that Providence may bring out of it some benefit to the poor slaves." 😯
John Brown was a patriot if ever there was one. Some men stopped on liberty with the white and wealthy, but he died holding the ideals of liberty for all.
Unlike many of his contemporaries who were fine with spitting in the face of the constitution and nature John Brown lived by the words that all men are created equal. I think he ought to be remembered as what the american spirit can be in its best self
I don't really think so. He was rebelling against an unholy, evil nation. He was a rebel and revolutionary. If you want to say America is a good nation because it has figures like Brown in it, that's fine, but it's important to remember the conflict and struggle these figures are forged in, and that's the struggle against an evil exploiting nation and it's institutions.
@@82abhilash How many slaves did the Union Army free? What about the abolitionist members of the legislature? How many did they free? What about specific military commanders, they each surely freed slaves to varying degrees? Or maybe they didn't because Lincoln freed them all (except the 11 attributed to Brown of course). What about black people working either in the Underground Railroad or in various military posts? Did they free any? What about the British decision to abolish chattel slavery prior to the US civil war, can we attribute any slaves freed to them? Surely it didn't hurt the cause of abolition, no? Why, exactly, did Lincoln decide to free the slaves when he did? If he had the power to free them why didn't he act, say, a day sooner? Because he couldn't or because he wouldn't? Maybe he had to wait for circumstances to be right and to shore up key support from other political constituencies? If so, why not share the credit with those whose support was necessary?
@@refoliation Share credit where it is necessary, but not with John Brown. He may have freed 11 slaves, but made life hell for millions. John Brown, the unwitting idealist that he is, helped feed the narrative of slave insurrection. A narrative used to further oppress the enslaved. Lincoln used knowledge and tact to achieve tangible results th-cam.com/video/JQSgSL3SPhw/w-d-xo.html
John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave, While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save; But tho he lost his life in his struggle to free the slave, His soul is marching on. Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah His soul is marching on! John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true, and brave; And Kansas knows his valor when he fought her rights to save. Now, tho the grass grows green above his grave, His soul is marching on. Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah His soul is marching on! He captured Harper's Ferry, with his 19 men so few, And frightened "Old Virginny" till she trembled thru and thru; They hanged him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew, But his soul is marching on. Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah His soul is marching on! John Brown was John the Baptist of the Christ we are to see, Christ who of the bondmen shall the Liberator be, And soon throughout the Sunny South the slaves shall all be free, For his soul is marching on. Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah His soul is marching on! The conflict that he heralded he looks from heaven to view, On the army of the Union with its flag red, white and blue. And heaven shall ring with anthems o'er the deed they mean to do, For his soul is marching on. Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah Glory glory hallelujah His soul is marching on! Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may, The death blow of oppression in a better time and way, For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day, And his soul is marching on. John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave, John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave, John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave, But his soul goes marching on!
@@Falcrist it boggles my mind that people can claim that the civil war wasn’t about slavery when this and several different versions of it was an actual Union marching song.
@@TheKingsPride It used to boggle my mind, but white supremacy cloaks itself in propaganda, conspiracy theories, and bogus history ALL THE TIME. Now it's just frustrating knowing that it's bullshit but not being able to do anything about it... and knowing that "lost cause" BS has been around basically since the end of the war when Jefferson Davis immediately started writing his history.
@@Falcrist yeah, sadly the traitors weren’t rooted out properly in the name of propriety and they got to sow their seeds freely. The major abundance of confederate statues proves that, as well as the awful reluctance to tear them down, as if history books get erased every time a statue of a traitor and a slaver gets removed. So many of them also hide behind the “democrats were the party of slavery” smokescreen, willfully ignoring the historical policy shift surrounding FDR.
@@TheKingsPride Unfortunately for ALL of us, there was no simple way to "root out all the traitors". These people had been spreading their propaganda for generations, so even if you really did "hang Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree" as the song says, other people probably would have come up with the same bogus history. Getting rid of that ideology completely would have meant committing a partial genocide and then abolishing the freedom of speech protections in the first amendment so you couldn't talk about that ideology. I don't think that would have been a moral strategy at all. In some ways it was good that we allowed people to live, but part of me wishes that at least a few of the top guys were hanged for what they did. As far as the party switch, I advise being precise about your language to the point of pedantry. It wasn't a 1-to-1 switch, and demographically it wasn't complete until Reagan... when white "conservatives" in the south finally started voting consistantly for "Republicans" at all levels.
“With the blood of the martyrs our flag is red!” There are few persons as deserving of the title of martyr and dare I say Saint in our ongoing struggle against injustice as our comrade and brother in arms John Brown.
John Brown is the most underrated figure in US history, perhaps the most underrated figure in world history. David Straitharn does a great job with this one. The world is undeniably different, for the better, today because of John Brown. A true patriot and warrior of God. Peace.
He was both great and insane. Dude thought God could whisper in his ear to go right or left. He's like the America Joan of Arc. Awesome and crazy at the same time and that's ok.
Nobody truly great is wholly sane. He was an awful family man by his own admission but look at it this way, he could have lived comfortably with his wife and kids but he could not in good conscience live comfortably while his nation used slavery to fatten it’s coffers. He scared the south and forced the north to act. You cant do that without being a little crazy
@@thenoisyninja it isnt normal.... peculiar at best... crazy though is something else... I dont regard his goal his means and the sacrifice it took from himself and his family as crazy... wars were fought and will probably be fought in the future... for what he stood for... he tried to stop that... he didnt completely succeed.. and there will probably be another confrontation... a very brave just man... within the greater picture... not the father I would hope for.... But still a true selfless just ally... a hero...
He surrendered a building, but never the cause. It should be noted that even that only happened when the troops offered that their lives would be spared if they surrendered, to which John Briwn replied something to the effect of "I would rather die here."
John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave, While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save; But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave, His soul is marching on. (Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! his soul is marching on! John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true and brave, And Kansas knows his valor when he fought her rights to save; Now, tho the grass grows green above his grave, His soul is marching on. (Chorus) He captured Harper's Ferry, with his nineteen men so few, And frightened Old Virginny till she trembled thru and thru; They hung him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew, But his soul is marching on. (Chorus) John Brown was John the Baptist of the Christ we are to see, Christ who of the bondmen shall the Liberator be, And soon thruout the sunny South the slaves shall all be free, For his soul is marching on. (Chorus) The conflict that he heralded he looks from heaven to view, On the army of the Union with its flag red, white and blue. And heaven shall ring with anthems o'er the deed they mean to do, For his soul is marching on. (Chorus) Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may, The death blow of oppression in a better time and way, For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day, And his soul is marching on. (Chorus)
Sorry, Esteban, but you are incorrect. John Brown's company was 21 men. 5 of them were black. Of those, only 2 were formerly enslaved. Shields Green escaped slavery in South Carolina. Dangerfield Newby was born into slavery in Virginia. His mother was enslaved and had been "hired out" by her enslaver to Dangerfield's father, who was a white farmer. His entire story and how he came to be free and join Brown's company is too long and complicated to recount here. Osborne Perry Anderson was born in Chester in the free state of Pennsylvania. John Anthony Copeland and Lewis Sheridan Leary were from Oberlin, Ohio. The rest of Brown's men were white, and the company included 3 of his sons, Owen (who did not go into Harper's Ferry, but "manned" the fort at the Kennedy Farm in Maryland awaiting further orders), Watson and Oliver. There are numerous excellent books that tell Brown's story, but you have to carefully avoid the bad ones. Most of the best scholarship on him has been done in the past 25 years. Read anything by Louis DeCaro if you want to know the truth.
@@Artzner52 Owen Brown had the Pikes, John Brown had made the Pikes to arm the slaves he intended to free, John Brown was NOT an idiot, he knew slaves were NOT permitted even to touch a firearm. Given this was the time period of muzzleloading firearms, it would take some time to train any slaves on how to use a firearm, till they could be trained John Brown intended to arm the slaves with Pikes, an arm that human beings have been using as a weapon for at least half a million years and thus we evolved to use Pikes (Spears intended to be thrusted not thrown). Recent "Tests" involving using such "Short Pikes" (10 to 12 feet long, instead of the very long Pikes of Alexander the Great and the Middle ages) and untrained people with such "Short Pikes" beat even trained swordsmen in combat over 70% of the time. With even minimal training that success rate for such short pikes goes up. John Brown intended to march into Virginia and free as many slaves as he could, train some to use the rifles he captured at Harper's Ferry but his plan was to fight defensive battles if he had to. John Brown knew he would NOT have the time to train the slaves he freed until he turned around and retreated back to Pennslyvania (Where Brown had more volunteers to help him, many with experience using firearms, in many ways it was for these volunteers the arms of Harper's Ferry were for, not the slaves he planned to free). Those Volunteers from Pennslyvania were to help John Brown, but most were unarmed and planned to use the Firearms stored at Harper's Ferry. When the local Militia formed up they contained John Brown and his 19 men in what is now known as "John Brown's Fort" but also blocked any of the otther volunteers from Marching south to come to John Brown's aid. Thus John Brown's plans had been defeated even before Robert E. Lee, JEB Stuart and five companies of US Marines arrived by train to actully capture John Brown and the survivors of his 19 men (Owen Brown survived for his existence and the Pikes were unknown to the Marines and local militia, thus when the raid failed Owen Brown went north to Pennslyvania. Owen was severly handicap (He could not use his right arm from childhood)and thus could not serve in the Army in the US Civil War and thus died in 1889 in Pasadena Califoria.
What's more, John HATED the way that Native Americans were treated and regarded in this country and compared it to slavery. He is truly a great American legend.
Written off as crazy, but John Brown was one of the rare examples of a white person dedicated to the principles of the Declaration of Independence. If you weren’t ready to stand with John Brown, you were complicit in perpetuating slavery.
Very rare example of a white person being dedicated ? Can you be a bigger racist POS ? Do you happen to know how many white men died in the civil war to end slavery ?
@@thomaspaine1815 most of those were conscripted and fought to preserve the union and all those on the South fought to preserve slavery. Lincoln was mainly in favor of preserving the union but it was thanks to the pressure of the radical republicans and abolitionists that he was moved to emancipation. The Republican party got rid of their radical wing post-war, turned their backs on reconstruction and became the party of industrialists and with further anti-labor/anti-civil rights pivots towards the South they are now the party that wants to preserve confederate statues glorifying the South that even Robert E Lee was against.
@@thomaspaine1815 lol every 8 years Republicans sell that line and every GOP Presidency wages stagnate further, and working class social services are cut to give tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. There is no party for the US working class.
Holy shit, I loved John Brown beforehand and even I could not fully comprehend how fucking awesome the dude was. This performance has illuminated and elevated Brown for me even further.
John Brown's son Owen is buried above Pasadena in the hills of Altadena on what was once his property. His headstone stands alone on public property and can be seen by anyone. You can goggle the directions to the location. Owen Brown was a well known figure when he relocated to California. His funeral procession was photographed with a massive crowd there on the same street the city holds the rose parade on.
John Brown literally died, sacrificed his life (and those of his children) to end the dehumanizing practice of slavery.... Fuckin wow- so deep and profound, powerful and sad. What strength and courage 🙏🏾🙏🏾💯💯
Weeping 🥺🥺. Thank you, John Brown. 🙏🏾 Just learnt of you today from Twitter. We must continue to remember you and the price you were prepared to pay for universal justice and freedom. We draw strength from this as we fight against other forms of injustice still plaguing so many of us around the world. Extraordinary performance by the actor.
We sang John Brown's name with all Joy at my school, we didn't know who he was but we sang heartily. Our songbook had a lot of great songs "Camptown races" was a big favourite. btw, my school is in England! When I learned about him he became a hero, one of many from America...
Congress decided that slavery is legal. John Brown, "I recognize that the congress has made a decision. But given that it’s a stupid ass decision I’ve elected to ignore it."
John Brown resides in glory for his glorious acts in the cause of liberty. His crucifixion was the signal that doomed slavery in the United States. May we all strive to be so worthy. God bless the legacy of Captain John Brown. 🎉
'Had I acted for the benefit of the rich, or the powerful, or for their kin. I would have been found to be rewarded rather than punished.' Depressingly.... familiar feeling in this day and age.
my drama teacher would always tell us to "act in the moment" because we needed to understand our parts from the perspective of time and David did a phenominal job! John Brown was a great man who sacrificed a lot for the greater good
This mans father taught him that slavery was evil and he took up arms against it. He wasn't alone. And I think that if he knew what some of his acquaintances did to slaves in the quiet of their homes they would also see the sharp end of his axe. I think Tarantino should make this movie.
“I will have nothing to do with so mean an act. I would sooner take my gun and help drive you out of the country.” - John Brown after being asked to displace native-americans in PA, 1820s
I'm a theater and classic cinema hobbyist based out of India.. This soliloquy and Naseeruddin Shah's Ashwatthama by Pt. Satyadev Dubey are my top 2 benchmarks for diction & dialogue delivery ❤❤
Such a great performance. It feels so authentic. You immediately get the feeling that Brown was an excentric, stubborn, difficult man personally, but nonetheless a hero who held on to his moral convictions at all cost.
Most people didn’t know that John Brown suffered a terrible handicap due to his inability to walk upright…because of his massive balls and ginormous BDE.
Honestly I am infuriated that we did not get the man who yelled on screen “I bid you stand men of the west!!!” To read the speech, I truly feel that a MASSIVE opportunity has been missed here
As I heard his speech I feel honored to have heard it. When I was in high school I gave chief Joseph‘s last speech before he surrender. I literally practice so much so that I Could at least come close to the way he might’ve express himself. I admire this guy for doing such a great speech, it brought a tear to my eye. John Brown; there aren’t too many men in politics like him these days, I pray to GOD doesn’t forget about man like this. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
🤔 I guess I'm unsure what that means then... My American heritage is a source of pride, as my ancestry includes those who fought for the freedom of our country in the Revolutionary War. They also fought for the Union of our country in the Civil War. Many of my family were Quakers, though. Quakers disallowed slavery, stood for abolition, but were pacifists... as was John Brown. He broke his pacifist ways to do what he did, to make war, start an insurrection. Others did too when push came to shove. Still others did this insurrection quietly for many years, hiding runaways and helping them along, thinking not to break their pacifism, but angering the slave owners terribly, in the name of God and right. They simply held the belief that if a law went against their religion, they didn't have to obey it. And slave law was wrong. My family tree includes ancestors and cousins that helped in this cause, and among my many cousins I count John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and another you should look up, Levi Coffin. This is also American heritage. We do mention them. And I'm very glad to see them appreciated for their efforts, even if they had a hard time getting things set right. Not everyone was ok with what was happening here, but as you could see from Brown's story, it was treacherous to go against the power of the slave owners. It took a nation standing against it with a President at the helm, willing to shut it down. And it took John Brown's sacrifice to show it was time to make it so. 🖤🤎🤍
@@maeve_a They were referring to the people who defend pro-confederate monuments as "american heritage". It's telling how they don't consider people like Brown to be part of American heritage worth celebrating- because he goes against what they actually support. Also regarding the Quakers, there certainly were Quakers who owned slaves, though it's certainly good that they as a generalized whole became abolitionists.
@@theEarlofChip Some Quakers participated in slave ownership early on, but even from the start many did not believe it appropriate. The majority ultimately disavowed the practice as a rule for the organization. However, as with many religious organizations, there were divisions and splinters that occurred, and while some splinters continued the practice, it's fair to say that overall the core Quaker community disavowed the practice.
Keep fighting fascism over there! Lots of work still being done in the US right now. Try to keep up over there, from one American Italian to a native. There is much work to do. All in the spirit of people like John Brown.
"Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.' "
This man, who carried God in his heart, tore down something so disorientingly big, so evil, so corrupt. He should be honestly regarded as a modern day profit. With words AND action John Brown did what he was instructed by Jesus Christ himself to do. Truly, he is what a God trusting person looks like. No man had ever understood one solitary problem of the world so well as John Brown understood how to bring an end to slavery.
I’m proud of the DNA I share with both John Brown and Ulysses S Grant. They are related to each other and most people don’t know that. Paintings of both men are on my Wall of Heroes. With include Washington, Lincoln, Douglass, Obama, JFK, Dr King.
"They hanged him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew!"
sus
Yet his soul goes marching on!
“As he died to make men holy, John Brown died to set men free”
So why the hell have we not got a freaking 3 hour movie about this man.... WTF.... Spike Lee, Tarantino.... Someone. Make this happen
www.sho.com/the-good-lord-bird
@@telemachyscores849 Wow! Is it out yet, if it is, is it good?
@@telemachyscores849 Ethan Hawke?
UK why brother, lol....🤦🏽♀️✊🏿❤💪🏾
@@telemachyscores849 Holy shit. Thanks
"he was hung at 11 and a half o'clock and died with unflinching firmness"
-Stonewall Jackson
kevin paul I think a small part of him did admire the man. You could literally say that by seeing what he said.
Whether that was quoted because of respect or because of fear, it was a quote of a man who understood the firmness of John Brown's character.
Poor Crazy Tom. He died in his bed, ranting with fever after being shot by his own troops.
“He died hallucinating and eith one arm “- some guy on Stonewall
A reminder that "John Brown was insane" and "John Brown was a bloodthirsty psychopath" are both examples of Lost Cause revisionism that have seeped into 'common knowledge'. In his time, he was regarded as perfectly sane (at worst, he was considered a zealot (in the textbook sense e.g. someone completely, unwaveringly devoted to a cause) and somewhat egotistical due to, for example, his firm belief that God wanted him to lay down his life to free those held in slavery) and was widely regarded as very kind and decent to everyone but slave owners and those who defended slavery.
Tubman called him "the greatest white man who ever lived" and said he did more for the slaves than even Lincoln did.
Douglass called him "a brave and glorious old man" and said "History has no better illustration of pure, disinterested benevolence."
Julia Ward Howe (who wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic to the tune of John Brown's Body) compared his death to end slavery to Jesus's crucifixion.
Doesn't sound like a crazy, bloodthirsty maniac to me!
Exactly! Thank you!
John Brown was the GOAT
John Brown is burning in Hell for all Eternity!
@@timothyblackburn2830 No Jefferson Davis is burning in drag.
@@timothyblackburn2830 Yup. Because the slavers at there too and do you think he'd be the type of person to miss out on that?
John Brown is probably the greatest American to date (Living or dead). When someone like Frederick Douglass or Harriet Tubman describe him in the following words, you know without a doubt he was a true patriot.
“Henry (John) loved liberty for the rich and the great. Brown loved liberty for the poor and the weak.”
“His zeal in the cause of my race was far greater than mine - it was as the burning sun to my taper light - mine was bounded by time, his stretched away to the boundless shores of eternity. I could live for the slave, but he could die for him.” Frederick Douglass, 30 May 1881
“He done more in dying, than 100 men would in living.” Harriet Tubman
He was great. I wish he was able to take out more pro-slavers and die a free and healthy old man
Harriet was supposed to bring him 3000 ppl to help at HF. That’s who he was waiting for. I wish she’d have made it.
Thaddeus Stevens certainly comes close.
@@casssmith2610 She was bed ridden that day because she caught a fever
Goddamn.
"I am now certain that the crimes of this guilty nation cannot be purged away but with blood," he wrote when he died. Less than a year later, the union was at war with itself.
I was about to add this... when I saw you already had. That famous quote was in a note he passed to the guard who had been his jailor for the seven weeks between his capture and his execution.
The man became quite fond of Brown in that time, and in appreciation for the guards kindness, when Brown gave him the note, he also handed him the only thing of value he had on him - a silver pocket watch. The entire note read:
"I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with Blood. I had...vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed, it might be done." - John Brown.
I just read a quote I'd never seen before from John Brown's wife. She was allowed to visit him in jail.
Mary Ann Day, had married Brown in 1833. By 1859, when the raid occurred, the couple had 13 children, but only six survived to adulthood and just four survived their father (2 died in the Raid).
This woman had suffered so much grief, and was about to lose her husband. She said:
"I have had thirteen children, and only 4 are left; but if I am to see the ruin of my house, I cannot but hope that Providence may bring out of it some benefit to the poor slaves." 😯
John Brown was a patriot if ever there was one.
Some men stopped on liberty with the white and wealthy, but he died holding the ideals of liberty for all.
Unlike many of his contemporaries who were fine with spitting in the face of the constitution and nature John Brown lived by the words that all men are created equal. I think he ought to be remembered as what the american spirit can be in its best self
I don't really think so. He was rebelling against an unholy, evil nation. He was a rebel and revolutionary. If you want to say America is a good nation because it has figures like Brown in it, that's fine, but it's important to remember the conflict and struggle these figures are forged in, and that's the struggle against an evil exploiting nation and it's institutions.
@@82abhilash How many slaves did the Union Army free? What about the abolitionist members of the legislature? How many did they free? What about specific military commanders, they each surely freed slaves to varying degrees? Or maybe they didn't because Lincoln freed them all (except the 11 attributed to Brown of course). What about black people working either in the Underground Railroad or in various military posts? Did they free any? What about the British decision to abolish chattel slavery prior to the US civil war, can we attribute any slaves freed to them? Surely it didn't hurt the cause of abolition, no? Why, exactly, did Lincoln decide to free the slaves when he did? If he had the power to free them why didn't he act, say, a day sooner? Because he couldn't or because he wouldn't? Maybe he had to wait for circumstances to be right and to shore up key support from other political constituencies? If so, why not share the credit with those whose support was necessary?
@@refoliation Share credit where it is necessary, but not with John Brown. He may have freed 11 slaves, but made life hell for millions. John Brown, the unwitting idealist that he is, helped feed the narrative of slave insurrection. A narrative used to further oppress the enslaved. Lincoln used knowledge and tact to achieve tangible results
th-cam.com/video/JQSgSL3SPhw/w-d-xo.html
@82abhilash Lincoln used a army imao not knowledge like John Brown but he wasn't so privileged he did more with less imao.
🎶His Soul is Marching On!🎶
John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But tho he lost his life in his struggle to free the slave,
His soul is marching on.
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
His soul is marching on!
John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true, and brave;
And Kansas knows his valor when he fought her rights to save.
Now, tho the grass grows green above his grave,
His soul is marching on.
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
His soul is marching on!
He captured Harper's Ferry, with his 19 men so few,
And frightened "Old Virginny" till she trembled thru and thru;
They hanged him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew,
But his soul is marching on.
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
His soul is marching on!
John Brown was John the Baptist of the Christ we are to see,
Christ who of the bondmen shall the Liberator be,
And soon throughout the Sunny South the slaves shall all be free,
For his soul is marching on.
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
His soul is marching on!
The conflict that he heralded he looks from heaven to view,
On the army of the Union with its flag red, white and blue.
And heaven shall ring with anthems o'er the deed they mean to do,
For his soul is marching on.
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
Glory glory hallelujah
His soul is marching on!
Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may,
The death blow of oppression in a better time and way,
For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day,
And his soul is marching on.
John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on!
@@Falcrist it boggles my mind that people can claim that the civil war wasn’t about slavery when this and several different versions of it was an actual Union marching song.
@@TheKingsPride It used to boggle my mind, but white supremacy cloaks itself in propaganda, conspiracy theories, and bogus history ALL THE TIME.
Now it's just frustrating knowing that it's bullshit but not being able to do anything about it... and knowing that "lost cause" BS has been around basically since the end of the war when Jefferson Davis immediately started writing his history.
@@Falcrist yeah, sadly the traitors weren’t rooted out properly in the name of propriety and they got to sow their seeds freely. The major abundance of confederate statues proves that, as well as the awful reluctance to tear them down, as if history books get erased every time a statue of a traitor and a slaver gets removed. So many of them also hide behind the “democrats were the party of slavery” smokescreen, willfully ignoring the historical policy shift surrounding FDR.
@@TheKingsPride Unfortunately for ALL of us, there was no simple way to "root out all the traitors". These people had been spreading their propaganda for generations, so even if you really did "hang Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree" as the song says, other people probably would have come up with the same bogus history. Getting rid of that ideology completely would have meant committing a partial genocide and then abolishing the freedom of speech protections in the first amendment so you couldn't talk about that ideology. I don't think that would have been a moral strategy at all. In some ways it was good that we allowed people to live, but part of me wishes that at least a few of the top guys were hanged for what they did.
As far as the party switch, I advise being precise about your language to the point of pedantry. It wasn't a 1-to-1 switch, and demographically it wasn't complete until Reagan... when white "conservatives" in the south finally started voting consistantly for "Republicans" at all levels.
Wow! What a performance of John Brown's last words, I felt like I was listening to the man himself!
Amazing
“With the blood of the martyrs our flag is red!” There are few persons as deserving of the title of martyr and dare I say Saint in our ongoing struggle against injustice as our comrade and brother in arms John Brown.
John Brown wasn’t a commie, that’s a slight on his name. Stfu
John Brown is the most underrated figure in US history, perhaps the most underrated figure in world history. David Straitharn does a great job with this one. The world is undeniably different, for the better, today because of John Brown. A true patriot and warrior of God.
Peace.
And they claim till this day THIS GREAT MAN was insane... careful even I would follow and protect him in a heartbeat.....
He was both great and insane. Dude thought God could whisper in his ear to go right or left. He's like the America Joan of Arc. Awesome and crazy at the same time and that's ok.
This man was a patriot, and anyone saying otherwise is a traitor.
@@MrStrawberryfields4 He did not believe that. I've never found a source that has said that.
Nobody truly great is wholly sane. He was an awful family man by his own admission but look at it this way, he could have lived comfortably with his wife and kids but he could not in good conscience live comfortably while his nation used slavery to fatten it’s coffers. He scared the south and forced the north to act. You cant do that without being a little crazy
@@thenoisyninja it isnt normal.... peculiar at best... crazy though is something else... I dont regard his goal his means and the sacrifice it took from himself and his family as crazy... wars were fought and will probably be fought in the future... for what he stood for... he tried to stop that... he didnt completely succeed.. and there will probably be another confrontation... a very brave just man... within the greater picture... not the father I would hope for.... But still a true selfless just ally... a hero...
An absolute hero. Abolitionist till death. No negotiation. No faltering or surrender.
Though he did if fact surrender.
He surrendered a building, but never the cause. It should be noted that even that only happened when the troops offered that their lives would be spared if they surrendered, to which John Briwn replied something to the effect of "I would rather die here."
@@zacharyking900He didn’t surrender, he was captured. There’s a difference.
John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave,
His soul is marching on.
(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! his soul is marching on!
John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true and brave,
And Kansas knows his valor when he fought her rights to save;
Now, tho the grass grows green above his grave,
His soul is marching on.
(Chorus)
He captured Harper's Ferry, with his nineteen men so few,
And frightened Old Virginny till she trembled thru and thru;
They hung him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew,
But his soul is marching on.
(Chorus)
John Brown was John the Baptist of the Christ we are to see,
Christ who of the bondmen shall the Liberator be,
And soon thruout the sunny South the slaves shall all be free,
For his soul is marching on.
(Chorus)
The conflict that he heralded he looks from heaven to view,
On the army of the Union with its flag red, white and blue.
And heaven shall ring with anthems o'er the deed they mean to do,
For his soul is marching on.
(Chorus)
Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may,
The death blow of oppression in a better time and way,
For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day,
And his soul is marching on.
(Chorus)
It wasn't "John Brown and nearly 2 dozen slaves". It was Brown, 7 other white men, 12 free black men, 1 freed slave and 1 fugitive slave.
Sorry, Esteban, but you are incorrect. John Brown's company was 21 men. 5 of them were black. Of those, only 2 were formerly enslaved. Shields Green escaped slavery in South Carolina. Dangerfield Newby was born into slavery in Virginia. His mother was enslaved and had been "hired out" by her enslaver to Dangerfield's father, who was a white farmer. His entire story and how he came to be free and join Brown's company is too long and complicated to recount here. Osborne Perry Anderson was born in Chester in the free state of Pennsylvania. John Anthony Copeland and Lewis Sheridan Leary were from Oberlin, Ohio. The rest of Brown's men were white, and the company included 3 of his sons, Owen (who did not go into Harper's Ferry, but "manned" the fort at the Kennedy Farm in Maryland awaiting further orders), Watson and Oliver. There are numerous excellent books that tell Brown's story, but you have to carefully avoid the bad ones. Most of the best scholarship on him has been done in the past 25 years. Read anything by Louis DeCaro if you want to know the truth.
@@Artzner52 Owen Brown had the Pikes, John Brown had made the Pikes to arm the slaves he intended to free, John Brown was NOT an idiot, he knew slaves were NOT permitted even to touch a firearm. Given this was the time period of muzzleloading firearms, it would take some time to train any slaves on how to use a firearm, till they could be trained John Brown intended to arm the slaves with Pikes, an arm that human beings have been using as a weapon for at least half a million years and thus we evolved to use Pikes (Spears intended to be thrusted not thrown). Recent "Tests" involving using such "Short Pikes" (10 to 12 feet long, instead of the very long Pikes of Alexander the Great and the Middle ages) and untrained people with such "Short Pikes" beat even trained swordsmen in combat over 70% of the time. With even minimal training that success rate for such short pikes goes up.
John Brown intended to march into Virginia and free as many slaves as he could, train some to use the rifles he captured at Harper's Ferry but his plan was to fight defensive battles if he had to. John Brown knew he would NOT have the time to train the slaves he freed until he turned around and retreated back to Pennslyvania (Where Brown had more volunteers to help him, many with experience using firearms, in many ways it was for these volunteers the arms of Harper's Ferry were for, not the slaves he planned to free).
Those Volunteers from Pennslyvania were to help John Brown, but most were unarmed and planned to use the Firearms stored at Harper's Ferry. When the local Militia formed up they contained John Brown and his 19 men in what is now known as "John Brown's Fort" but also blocked any of the otther volunteers from Marching south to come to John Brown's aid. Thus John Brown's plans had been defeated even before Robert E. Lee, JEB Stuart and five companies of US Marines arrived by train to actully capture John Brown and the survivors of his 19 men (Owen Brown survived for his existence and the Pikes were unknown to the Marines and local militia, thus when the raid failed Owen Brown went north to Pennslyvania. Owen was severly handicap (He could not use his right arm from childhood)and thus could not serve in the Army in the US Civil War and thus died in 1889 in Pasadena Califoria.
What's more, John HATED the way that Native Americans were treated and regarded in this country and compared it to slavery. He is truly a great American legend.
Written off as crazy, but John Brown was one of the rare examples of a white person dedicated to the principles of the Declaration of Independence. If you weren’t ready to stand with John Brown, you were complicit in perpetuating slavery.
Very rare example of a white person being dedicated ? Can you be a bigger racist POS ? Do you happen to know how many white men died in the civil war to end slavery ?
@@thomaspaine1815 most of those were conscripted and fought to preserve the union and all those on the South fought to preserve slavery. Lincoln was mainly in favor of preserving the union but it was thanks to the pressure of the radical republicans and abolitionists that he was moved to emancipation. The Republican party got rid of their radical wing post-war, turned their backs on reconstruction and became the party of industrialists and with further anti-labor/anti-civil rights pivots towards the South they are now the party that wants to preserve confederate statues glorifying the South that even Robert E Lee was against.
@@greenbrickbox3392 We Republicans are once again the party of the working class !
@@thomaspaine1815 lol every 8 years Republicans sell that line and every GOP Presidency wages stagnate further, and working class social services are cut to give tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. There is no party for the US working class.
@@greenbrickbox3392 Trump got back working class jobs , go peddle your BS some place else!
Holy shit, I loved John Brown beforehand and even I could not fully comprehend how fucking awesome the dude was. This performance has illuminated and elevated Brown for me even further.
John Brown's son Owen is buried above Pasadena in the hills of Altadena on what was once his property. His headstone stands alone on public property and can be seen by anyone. You can goggle the directions to the location. Owen Brown was a well known figure when he relocated to California. His funeral procession was photographed with a massive crowd there on the same street the city holds the rose parade on.
He has gone to be a soldier in the Army of the Lord, and his soul goes marching on!
John Brown literally died, sacrificed his life (and those of his children) to end the dehumanizing practice of slavery.... Fuckin wow- so deep and profound, powerful and sad. What strength and courage 🙏🏾🙏🏾💯💯
This man is not an actor. This is John Brown himself, traveled through time. He looks exactly like John Brown, wow! And what a performance!
San's john brown's huge balls
This man should be remembered on the same level of Malcolm x and Martin Luther King.
Fun fact: David Strathairm would later go on to play Secretary of State William H. Seward in the Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln."
And unrelated fun fact. He KILLS it as Klaes Ashford in The Expanse.
Weeping 🥺🥺. Thank you, John Brown. 🙏🏾 Just learnt of you today from Twitter. We must continue to remember you and the price you were prepared to pay for universal justice and freedom. We draw strength from this as we fight against other forms of injustice still plaguing so many of us around the world.
Extraordinary performance by the actor.
You should read about Elijah Parish Lovejoy! His murder inspired John Brown.
Excellent historian Du Bois wrote book about John Brown's life.
Very moving. John Brown. A hero of mine...….
Same!
John Brown is one of our greatest Heroes. Period.
I agree with you 100%
I salute you john brown 💪
John Brown did his duty on earth as he has chosen.
The fact that this man is not on US currency speaks to the powers that be.
Is 2020 and I’m just finding out about this legend today
Sadly, we do a piss poor job of teaching history in this country.
Don’t feel badly… many don’t. History doesn’t teach about the true heroes.
They don’t want people to know about him
We sang John Brown's name with all Joy at my school, we didn't know who he was but we sang heartily. Our songbook had a lot of great songs "Camptown races" was a big favourite. btw, my school is in England! When I learned about him he became a hero, one of many from America...
Congress decided that slavery is legal.
John Brown, "I recognize that the congress has made a decision. But given that it’s a stupid ass decision I’ve elected to ignore it."
He was a great man.He didn't die in vain
"For he is on the side of justice and you are on the side of chains!"
John Brown resides in glory for his glorious acts in the cause of liberty. His crucifixion was the signal that doomed slavery in the United States. May we all strive to be so worthy. God bless the legacy of Captain John Brown. 🎉
John Brown was a g!!! Rest in Perfect Peace !!!
I wept proudly.
'Had I acted for the benefit of the rich, or the powerful, or for their kin. I would have been found to be rewarded rather than punished.'
Depressingly.... familiar feeling in this day and age.
He sacrificed his life and raised his children to do the same. My his legacy live on.
Was that Viggo Mortensen introducing him?
James Matthews Yes.
my drama teacher would always tell us to "act in the moment" because we needed to understand our parts from the perspective of time and David did a phenominal job! John Brown was a great man who sacrificed a lot for the greater good
John Brown is the greatest American that ever lived.
There should be statues of this man everywhere!
There's one in Kansas.
Nope
@@zacharyking900 yes
Its a shame they havent made a kickass hollywood movie of him yet. I mean CMON, someone make that happen!
Should be but he’s not “Americas” hero. Americans hero’s are Robert E Lee and those that fought to keep slaves in bondage.
His soul is marching on!
Real American hero. John Brown lives on in out hearts even in the third world.
This mans father taught him that slavery was evil and he took up arms against it. He wasn't alone. And I think that if he knew what some of his acquaintances did to slaves in the quiet of their homes they would also see the sharp end of his axe. I think Tarantino should make this movie.
Second!
“I will have nothing to do with so mean an act. I would sooner take my gun and help drive you out of the country.”
- John Brown after being asked to displace native-americans in PA, 1820s
What a man , may his soul continue to rest in peace 🙏🏾
may his soul go marching on, as the old sonf goes
His truth is marching on!
Well don David, u did justice to how he actually delivered the words not from his mouth but from the pain of his heart. We don!
I'm a theater and classic cinema hobbyist based out of India.. This soliloquy and Naseeruddin Shah's Ashwatthama by Pt. Satyadev Dubey are my top 2 benchmarks for diction & dialogue delivery ❤❤
Such a great performance. It feels so authentic. You immediately get the feeling that Brown was an excentric, stubborn, difficult man personally, but nonetheless a hero who held on to his moral convictions at all cost.
Passion is frowned upon by milquetoast. I share dna with John Brown. And I’m proud of being passionate and don’t apologize for it.
Got this video on loop.
I feel like this performance was just like it was done. An excellent job at stirring the emotions.
John brown didn't have 2 dozen slaves at Harper's ferry. He had 20 soldiers, including about 7 black slaves and freed men
John Brown was the hardest, bravest, most badass white dude to ever walk the face of the Earth.
Most people didn’t know that John Brown suffered a terrible handicap due to his inability to walk upright…because of his massive balls and ginormous BDE.
David Straithairn is so, fucking, underrated it hurts.
Take down the statues of Confederate traitors and replace them with John Brown
Real talk
There's plenty space in Africa to put whatever you want there.
Well spoken. Respect.
Damn hero. Rarely do people with such an unwavering devotion to what is right appear through history.
His soul is still marching on!
Honestly I am infuriated that we did not get the man who yelled on screen “I bid you stand men of the west!!!” To read the speech, I truly feel that a MASSIVE opportunity has been missed here
didn't David play a high ranking Union politician in the Lincoln movie???
knew he looked familiar somehow
A courageous, genuine humane BEing...Resting in Power.
Wow!
Just look at all the Brave Men that came b4 us. Salute John Brown. .👆🙏☝✊
As I heard his speech I feel honored to have heard it. When I was in high school I gave chief Joseph‘s last speech before he surrender. I literally practice so much so that I Could at least come close to the way he might’ve express himself. I admire this guy for doing such a great speech, it brought a tear to my eye. John Brown; there aren’t too many men in politics like him these days, I pray to GOD doesn’t forget about man like this. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
How come all these "american heritage" warriors never mention JOHN BROWN??? 😐
He wasn't pro-Confederate, obviously.
He was freeing the slaves.
🤔 I guess I'm unsure what that means then... My American heritage is a source of pride, as my ancestry includes those who fought for the freedom of our country in the Revolutionary War. They also fought for the Union of our country in the Civil War. Many of my family were Quakers, though. Quakers disallowed slavery, stood for abolition, but were pacifists... as was John Brown. He broke his pacifist ways to do what he did, to make war, start an insurrection. Others did too when push came to shove. Still others did this insurrection quietly for many years, hiding runaways and helping them along, thinking not to break their pacifism, but angering the slave owners terribly, in the name of God and right. They simply held the belief that if a law went against their religion, they didn't have to obey it. And slave law was wrong.
My family tree includes ancestors and cousins that helped in this cause, and among my many cousins I count John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and another you should look up, Levi Coffin. This is also American heritage. We do mention them.
And I'm very glad to see them appreciated for their efforts, even if they had a hard time getting things set right.
Not everyone was ok with what was happening here, but as you could see from Brown's story, it was treacherous to go against the power of the slave owners. It took a nation standing against it with a President at the helm, willing to shut it down. And it took John Brown's sacrifice to show it was time to make it so. 🖤🤎🤍
@@maeve_a They were referring to the people who defend pro-confederate monuments as "american heritage". It's telling how they don't consider people like Brown to be part of American heritage worth celebrating- because he goes against what they actually support.
Also regarding the Quakers, there certainly were Quakers who owned slaves, though it's certainly good that they as a generalized whole became abolitionists.
@@theEarlofChip Some Quakers participated in slave ownership early on, but even from the start many did not believe it appropriate. The majority ultimately disavowed the practice as a rule for the organization. However, as with many religious organizations, there were divisions and splinters that occurred, and while some splinters continued the practice, it's fair to say that overall the core Quaker community disavowed the practice.
John Brown didn't pontificate on the immorality of slavery, his indignation at this assault on human dignity led him to war!
italy here, I just discovered the story of John Brown. what a great example! may him rest in the justice he fought for.
Keep fighting fascism over there! Lots of work still being done in the US right now. Try to keep up over there, from one American Italian to a native. There is much work to do. All in the spirit of people like John Brown.
John Brown is just possibly the bravest human being that ever lived.
Another hero who should be more widely known, is Cassius Marcellus Clay. Amazing man, story, and connection to Muhammad Ali.
John you are needed now as much as you were needed then
Fists clenched head up speaking the truth until the end. An American to show us what we are supposed to be.
"Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.' "
John Browns body is molding in his grave his truth goes marching on. Glory Glory Hallelujah
Viggo casually there for the intro
No one is free, until we all are.
He did wonderful, he's a great actor anyway!....whenever I see him I think if his role in "Losing Isaiah " with Halle berry and Jessica Lange.❤
John Brown is a literal based Christian gigachad
What a brilliant rendition.
Deep.
Died fighting for the downtrodden for his faith, liberty for all in the name of his nation
a great man with courage
John Brown was the best caucasian man to ever take a breath of life
White man here. Can confirm
This man, who carried God in his heart, tore down something so disorientingly big, so evil, so corrupt. He should be honestly regarded as a modern day profit. With words AND action John Brown did what he was instructed by Jesus Christ himself to do. Truly, he is what a God trusting person looks like.
No man had ever understood one solitary problem of the world so well as John Brown understood how to bring an end to slavery.
a REAL American hero. so very few of those
Is that Aragorn from lord of the rings at the beginning?
JOHN BROWN’S BODY LIES A MOLDERING IN THE GRAVE, BUT HIS SOUL GOES MARCHING ON.
Was that Viggo in the first part?
JOHN BROWN LIVES
BTW, it was Harper's Ferry, Virginia at the time.
Viggo! Need to mention that he does the intro, you would get more clicks!
I’m proud of the DNA I share with both John Brown and Ulysses S Grant. They are related to each other and most people don’t know that. Paintings of both men are on my Wall of Heroes. With include Washington, Lincoln, Douglass, Obama, JFK, Dr King.
You should be very proud! Brown and Grant are criminally often ignored
Excellent portrayal , well done !
Wow i definitely felt every word he said ❤❤❤
Incredible performance!