John Brown Today

John Brown Today

Louis DeCaro Jr.

Episodes 53
Avg. Duration 35m
Activity Highly Active
Since Nov 2020
Latest Episode Mar 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Monthly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
53%
Hosting
feeds.buzzsprout.com

About This Podcast

John Brown Today is a podcast devoted to historical and contemporary themes relating to the abolitionist John Brown (1800-59), the controversial antislavery and antiracist freedom fighter. John Brown Today is hosted by Louis A. DeCaro Jr., a Brown biographer and researcher, the most prolific author on the John Brown theme since the abolitionist's death in 1859. John Brown Today engages a range of themes from history and biography to popular culture and other contemporary themes.

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Recent Episodes

The Terrible Parable of the Dumbass Doyles

Mar 02, 2026 29m

Send a textIn 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 abolitionist…

John Brown, Accomplices, and the Struggle Against Systemic Racism: A Conversation with Dan Morrison

Nov 04, 2025 55m

Send a textIn 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 details his…

The John Brown Lens: What would Brown Say About Contemporary Zionist Israel, the Charlie Kirk Tragedy, & Trump's War on the History of Slavery

Sep 19, 2025 39m

Send a textIn 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 why…

Echoes of Abolition: An Interview with Biographer and Cultural Historian David S. Reynolds

Sep 05, 2025 54m

Send a textIn 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

Jul 24, 2025 24m

Send a textIn 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

Feb 04, 2025 36m

Send a textIn 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…

The Cat Who Went to Kansas (and Other John Brown Animals)

Dec 17, 2024 14m

Send a textIn 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…

S6E2 Sick of Bonhoeffer? Why the USA Can Celebrate a German Martyr, But Not John Brown

Dec 03, 2024 11m

Send a textDietrich 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!

Dec 03, 2024 5m

Send a textAfter 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 an…

S5E3 The Legend of John Brown's Baby Kiss Revisited

Apr 12, 2023 38m

Send a textIn 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 paintings. …

S5E2 "From John Brown to James Brown": A Conversation with Ed Maliskas

Feb 05, 2023 46m

Send a textIn 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 Budded,…

S5E1 The Sellout of Harper's Ferry Station: The Difficult Case of Heyward Shepherd

Jan 17, 2023 44m

Send a textIn 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 October…

S4E10 Reaction & Reflection: David Blight on John Brown - - "John Brown Terrorist or Hero?"

Dec 29, 2022 52m

Send a textAfter 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…

S4E9 What Did Blacks Really Think of John Brown? The Question of "Sambo Mistakes" (Part 2)

Oct 24, 2022 28m

Send a textIn 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 think…

S4E8 What Did Blacks Really Think of John Brown? Kudos & Conflicts (Part 1)

Oct 24, 2022 30m

Send a textIn 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 other…

S4E7 Questioning John Brown’s Sanity: A Historical Thread Considered

Sep 09, 2022 48m

Send a textMany 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

Jul 25, 2022 57m

Send a textIn 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 Brown in…

S4E5 Why John Brown? A Biographer's Reflections in Response to a Thoughtful Critic

Jun 30, 2022 44m

Send a textIn 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 Lou…

S4E4 Good Boy with a Gun: The Tragic Story of Will Leeman, A Harper’s Ferry Raider

May 26, 2022 48m

Send a textIn this episode, Lou does a deep dive into the story of William Leeman, the youngest of John Brown's Harper's Ferry raiders.  From his origins in Maine to Kansas and his enlistment in John…

S4E3 "John Brown Has Been Lost to His Own Church": An Interview with Louis DeCaro Jr. by Dr. Chris Dost, July 10, 2021

Apr 30, 2022 54m

Send a textIn this episode, Lou is interviewed by Dr. Chris Dost, biblical scholar and pastor of the Northville Baptist Church in New Milford, Connecticut.  This audio is excerpted from an interview…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does John Brown Today have?

John Brown Today has published 53 episodes since November 2020, covering topics in Education, History.

Is John Brown Today still active?

John Brown Today is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 35m.

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