John Brown Today
Louis DeCaro Jr.
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Experiment: "John Brown Speaks" Meets Google's Notebook LM
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou uploads the transcript of the extended introduction of his book, John Brown Speaks (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) to one of Google's AI programs, Notebook LM. …
2011 Throwback: Should John Brown Be Posthumously Pardoned?
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou introduces the question of whether John Brown should be posthumously pardoned. The theme begins with biographer David S. Reynold's Op-Ed in the New York Times on…
The Terrible Parable of the Dumbass Doyles
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou revisits the story of James and Maehala Doyle of Tennessee, who devoted themselves and their family to supporting slavery and opposing antislavery and…
John Brown, Accomplices, and the Struggle Against Systemic Racism: A Conversation with Dan Morrison
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou speaks with Dan Morrison, the founder of the John Brown Project and a documentary filmmaker from Torrington, Connecticut, John Brown’s birthplace. Morrison…
The John Brown Lens: What would Brown Say About Contemporary Zionist Israel, the Charlie Kirk Tragedy, & Trump's War on the History of Slavery
Send us Fan MailIn 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…
Echoes of Abolition: An Interview with Biographer and Cultural Historian David S. Reynolds
Send us Fan MailIn 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'…
A "Secret Six" Tour: Discovering the Contemporary Origin of the Term
Send us Fan MailIn 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…
Misusing John Brown: From Luigi Mangione to Christian Nationalism
Send us Fan MailIn 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…
The Cat Who Went to Kansas (and Other John Brown Animals)
Send us Fan MailIn 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…
S6E2 Sick of Bonhoeffer? Why the USA Can Celebrate a German Martyr, But Not John Brown
Send us Fan MailDietrich Bonhoeffer was born in 1906, and was a German Lutheran pastor, a figure noted in the theological world for his neo-orthodox views, and his most popular book, The Cost of…
S6E1 Back Again!
Send us Fan MailAfter the better of two years, John Brown Today is going back in production. This is just a brief message to greet listeners and to update them a bit, and thank them for maintaining…
S5E3 The Legend of John Brown's Baby Kiss Revisited
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou does a deep dive evaluation of the legend of John Brown kissing a black baby on the day of his execution, a story that has been enshrined in poetry and…
S5E2 "From John Brown to James Brown": A Conversation with Ed Maliskas
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou shares a conversation with author Ed Maliskas, a musician, clergyman, and researcher, the author of John Brown to James Brown: The Little Farm Where Liberty…
S5E1 The Sellout of Harper's Ferry Station: The Difficult Case of Heyward Shepherd
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou takes on the difficult theme of Heyward Shepherd, the black porter who was mortally wounded by John Brown's men during the Harper's Ferry raid, on the night of…
S4E10 Reaction & Reflection: David Blight on John Brown - - "John Brown Terrorist or Hero?"
Send us Fan MailAfter an extended hiatus, Lou returns with a reaction & reflection upon the YouTube video, "John Brown: Terrorist or Hero?" which features a short lecture by the eminent historian…
S4E8 What Did Blacks Really Think of John Brown? Kudos & Conflicts (Part 1)
Send us Fan MailIn Part 1 of "What Did Blacks Really Think of John Brown?" Lou reflects upon the question of white allies, particularly in the case of John Brown's story. What did black leaders and…
S4E9 What Did Blacks Really Think of John Brown? The Question of "Sambo Mistakes" (Part 2)
Send us Fan MailIn Part 2 of this two-part episode, Lou reflects upon the question of white allies, particularly in the case of John Brown's story. What did black leaders and other associates really…
S4E7 Questioning John Brown’s Sanity: A Historical Thread Considered
Send us Fan MailMany people in the United States, especially (but not exclusively) white people, tend to think of John Brown as someone who was "crazy." In this episode, Lou surveys what he calls a…
S4E6 John Brown’s Trial: The “Lost” Narrative of George H. Hoyt
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou presents a narrative written by John Brown's young lawyer, George H. Hoyt, written only a few years after the abolitionist's hanging. Hoyt went to join John…
S4E5 Why John Brown? A Biographer's Reflections in Response to a Thoughtful Critic
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Lou responds to the comments of a thoughtful but critical podcast listener who has well-stated reasons for asking, "why John Brown?" The question is a good one and…
Frequently Asked Questions
John Brown Today has published 55 episodes since November 2020, covering topics in Education, History.
John Brown Today is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 35m.
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