2、w1857is,ofcourse,thefinalyearoftheplayingoutofBleedingKansasandwe'llreturntothatinjustasecond.Andwe'regoingtodiscussmostlytodaythestoryofoneabolitionist;youcouldsaythemostfamousabolitionist,certainlythemostnotoriousAmericanabolitionist,JohnBrown.JohnBrownnevermadeiteasyforpeopletolovehim.
3、Insomewayshewasn'tverylovable,untilhediedonthegallows,andthegallowsmadehimheroic--atleasttosomepeople--anditmadehimallbutthedeviltoothers.Therearecatalyticeventsinhistory,thatis,eventsaroundwhichideas,forces,movements,problemscoalesce.Unfortunately,theyoftenhavealottodowithviolence,andwe'
4、llcomebacktothispointattheendtoday.ButJohnBrownwasfar,far,far,farmoreimportantdeadthanhe'deverbeenalive.Poets,songwriters,lyricists,biographers,thosewhowouldcometolovehim,thosewhowouldcometohatehim,andthosewhocannotquitefigureoutwhattodowithhim,wouldneverstopwritingabouthim.Andwestillhave
5、n't.Andwe'reinthemidstrightnowofaJohnBrownbiographyrevival.That'sinpartbecausenextyearisthe150thanniversaryoftheHarpersFerryraid.AlmostallmajorAfrican-AmericanpoetsinthetwentiethcenturyattemptedtheirJohnBrownpoem.SodidStephenVincentBenétinafamousandclassiclyric,epicpoemcalledJohnBrown'sBo
6、dy,publishedinthe1920s.AndembeddedinthatpoemisthisversewhereBenét,Ithink,capturedthedilemmaofJohnBrown.JohnBrown--it'snoteasytodecide--washeaheroicrevolutionaryoramidnightterrorist?ThisisBenét'sverse,embeddedina250-pageepicpoem."Thelawisouryardstickanditmeasureswell,ohwellenoughwhentherea
7、reyardstomeasure.Measureawavewithit,measurefire,cutsorrowupininches,weighcontent.YoucanweighJohnBrown'sbodywellenough,buthowandinwhatbalancedoyouweighJohnBrown?Hehadnogiftforlife,nogifttobringlife,buthisbodyandacuttingedge,andheknewhowtodie."MoreonoldJohnBrowncoming
