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John Brown TodayAuthor: Louis DeCaro Jr.
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. Language: en-us Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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2011 Throwback: Should John Brown Be Posthumously Pardoned?
Saturday, 14 March, 2026
Send a textIn 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 December 1, 2009 entitled, "Freedom's Martyr," in which he suggested the symbolic value of a posthumous pardon for Brown, either by the State of Virginia or even by then President Barack Obama. Two years later, this question was revisited by a John Brown birthday meeting, "Five Nine 2011" (commemorating the 211th birthday of Brown), held at the Brecht Forum in New York City. Among the other guests, both Reynolds and yours truly were invited to present the case for--and against--a posthumous pardon. Here's an opportunity to revisit that discussion and perhaps draw your own conclusions: Should John Brown today be pardoned? If you'd like to view a video of the entire "Five Nine 2011" program on YouTube, click on this link: https://youtu.be/TT4hvNgmtxY?si=BrNRafHG6ilf9E__
