Bleeding Kansas | The Man Who Sparked the Civil War | 5

American History Tellers

Wondery

History, Education For Kids, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2021

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

John Brown has been called many things: fanatic, hero, terrorist, martyr, zealot. Some of his contemporaries, including Frederick Douglass, believed that were it not for his raid on Harpers Ferry, the Civil War would never have started. But did Brown’s actions really bring about slavery’s eventual downfall? And can his impact still be seen today in a nation that remains deeply divided over issues of race?

In this episode, Lindsay discusses Brown’s complex legacy with historian David S. Reynolds, author of John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,
0:05.6	download the app today.
0:09.4	Imagine it's December 1859.
0:20.9	You're walking through the entrance hall of the state capital in Richmond, Virginia.
0:25.0	The people of your great commonwealth have just elected you as their new governor, and
0:29.4	today you're meeting with one of your most important constituents, Edmund Ruffin, a wealthy
0:33.6	planter and slave owner, and one of the most zealous leaders of the Sesson movement.
0:38.7	Across the hall, you see a man approaching with long white hair flowing down to his
0:42.6	shoulders.
0:43.8	Your eyes widen as you notice that he's clutching what appears to be a seven-foot spear.
0:48.6	Mr. Ruffin, governor, let me offer you my congratulations on your victory.
0:54.2	Thank you.
0:55.2	It was a tight race.
0:56.2	I'm just relieved.
0:57.2	It's finally over.
0:58.7	You get a closer look at the weapon in his hand.
1:01.6	It's a long pole with a double-edged bowing knife attached to the end.
1:05.7	Uh, what do you have there?
1:08.6	This here?
1:09.9	This is one of John Brown's pikes.
1:12.5	I got my hands on his entire weapons, Cash.
1:15.6	You know he had one thousand of these made for his attack on Harper's Ferry, weapons
	...

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