The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds - 438 - John Brown - Part 1

Episode Date: July 15, 2020

Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds examine John Brown.SourcesTour DatesRedbubble Merch

When you're staying at an Airbnb you might be like me wondering could my place be an Airbnb and if it could what could it earn? You could be sitting on an Airbnb and not even know it. That in-law sweet guest house where your parents stay only part-time Airbnb it and make some money the rest of the year whether you could use a little extra money to cover some bills or for something a little more fun. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca slash host. You're listening to the dollop on the All Things Comedy Network. This is a

bilingual American History podcast where each week I, Dave Anthony, reach a story from American history to my friend. Gareth Reynolds who has no idea what the topic is going to be about. And this is bilingual. We have a Spanish version. Oh we, yes we do. El dollop. El dollop, yes. Which is actually Spanish for the dollop. That's correct. It turns out there is no word for dollop in Spanish. Yeah, well it's a goofy word anyway. So yes, have it is. Take it. So you can find that on all your places you find podcasts if you have friends that are Spanish-speaking or if you speak both the languages people say that they enjoy it very much

and it's just two different guys doing the same podcast. I have nothing else to say to you. Good catch up. And called it quote his jam pad. Jam pad? I'm the fucking hippo guy. Dave, okay. My name's Gary. My name's Gary. Wait. Is it for fun? And this is not going to become a tickly podcast. Okay. This is like an up five part coefficient. My room's a place. Now hit him with a puppy. You both present sick arguments. No sleep down hippo. That's like a hippo. Actually, part. No. I'm getting. No. I sleep down, my friend. No. No. Roder. Roder in the corn. May 9th, 1800. Okay. I'm a god. Yeah. Right. John Brown was born in Torrington,

Connecticut, to Owen Brown and Ruth Mills. Okay. So Ruth didn't take the Brown name. Yeah. Isn't that weird? I thought that would get you thrown in a fire at that time. Well, when this happens, because this happens a lot in these older stories, and I wonder if they just use her maiden name for the story purposes. Right. Because it's weird, but yeah. Yes. Back then. Yeah. I mean, for that to be allowed is just so coming for all the crazy, you know. Yeah, it's insane. I mean, women were. You couldn't wear pants until the 1920s. Yeah, they were almost property at that point. So I don't know how you wouldn't have.

All right. So he was the fourth of eight children. The Brown family's ancestry went all the way back to 17th century Puritan and religious zealot Peter Brown, who came to America on the Mayflower. Okay. Which if you don't know, Gareth was the first ship. Yeah. No, no, no. He goes to Nina. There's Pinta and. Oh, God. That one. Plymouth Rock. John Winthrop. Yeah. Yeah. No, we're done. Dave, brains coming out of my ear again. Yeah, I know. I know. Do you think people say alley with brains come out of their head? Wouldn't that be the best like to wake up during a brain surgery and just look at it. How we Jesus. So the Browns were poor.

Ruth was a teacher. Owen was a tanner and shoemaker. You remember what a tanner is? That's right. That's people open the first tanning boots. That's right. Yeah. The first tanning booth was open in 17th century. This is the story of Vic Taney. That's right. Tanners are the guys who. Tan tannahide. Yeah, the skin, the animal, take the, yeah. So they were known as hardworking people. Owen was very religious and a serious abolitionist. Okay. He was a strict Calvinist. He hated slavery and believed holding humans in bondage was a sin against God. But it's what we call progressive for the 1800s. Unlike everyone else who was like, no, this is what God wants. No, no, no. Remember, he talked to Heath. Heath had talked to God.

Yeah, yeah. No, I, no, I had a thing with God. He came up to me and he was like, you should, you should own a bunch of dudes. And I was like, really? Yeah. I didn't want to. I was just like, okay, God, none of us want to. But no, he's got God. Yeah, exactly. So I don't know what you're real weird, Mr. Brown. No wonder your wife kept her original last name. Holy shit, that got deep. It's a deep cut. So he grew up around slavery and he formed his beliefs very early. After he saw a Southern clergyman try to reclaim his free slaves in Connecticut, he later said, quote, ever since I have been an abolitionist and I think I shall die an abolitionist. And that, and that truly is what like we imagine we all would be like. But

people would see that and be like, would you go with him? He owns you. Like that was instead like. Yeah, I mean, there were people that were just like, well, we don't want to kind of against it. We also don't want to cause trouble. But it's pretty, I would say, I would say that the abolitionists were the moral people. And then everybody else was like, well, it's kind of, it's bad. But here's the thing, the economy runs on it. Like, you know, it's that bullshit. Right. Right. So this is John, this is who raised John. So John is obviously coming out of the gate. Huge anti slavery. Right. When he was five, the family moved to Hudson, Ohio, which was the frontier at that point. Owen started a successful tannery there. There were far more Native

Americans than whites in the area. Okay. Which is kind of how it should be still. But I was just going to say that's what that means is that was a better place to be. That's right. But the Browns treated the Native Americans with respect, and they were shown respect in return, which was super not normal for the time. So even though they were religious, they never tried to force their customs or beliefs on the Native Americans. So I mean, and they are we've confirmed through DNA testing, this is a white group. Yes. This is a white. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's just the last names misleading now that we're getting into it. Because I agree. Yeah. Owen would often quote, exchange meal and bread for the turkey, venison and fish they brought him.

So he's, he's just to him, the Native Americans are just people. He's a person. That's how he's treated. Right. Yeah. It's just sounds crazy. At one point, a rival tribe threatened threatened the local tribe that they were friends with. So Owen by himself led the construction of a protective cabin for the local tribe to live in. Okay. So he right. Okay. Pretty good. Yeah. Yeah. During these years, John spent his time with quote, herdsmen and Indians. Okay. So he's, yeah. So he's, I mean, he would be like a television show in the 70s. That's right. He's, yeah, he's straight out of a 70s TV show. And, you know, this is, well, there's probably not a lot of other people to hang out with. You know,

it's not like you can hang out with the factory guys, you know, right? Yeah, right. Right. So the herdsmen taught him how to herd cattle alone. And the Native Americans taught him how to shoot, ride and dress skins. And when he was six, he was, whoa, whoa, whoa, did not think that age was going to be thrown at me sick. Yeah, yeah, no, yeah. He's hurting, he's self hurting at six. Yeah, they started them out early. Come on now, cattle. Get your moving, boys. So when he was six, he was quote, installed as a young buckskin by his young Native American friends. So they like, it's not real, but his little, his buddies are like, you're part of our tribe. Well, by the way, and I like as a six year old, the greatest feeling in the world,

inclusion on that level, where you're like, I'm in charge now. Had the doggies always had the doggies rolling, rolling, rolling, keep them doggies rolling. What's happened? I'm six through the rain, weather, hell bent for leather. No, it's weird. Wishing my gal I'm six was by my side. Okay. Boy, I know what a hide feels like because I've been hung out to dry. So they even threw him a pretend initiation ceremony. So he loves it. He loves the Native Americans. He's growing up on them. He loves them. They're his buddies. His parents totally approve

of all this stuff. One day, a Native American friend gave John a yellow marble. Well, I'm hoping that this comes back. Otherwise, you could have cut that line. It was the first marble he had ever seen in his life. Okay. So it's the gateway marble. Imagine the joy. Yeah. Whoa. Look at the inside. No. He said he thought a great deal of it. I think the great deal of this. I like the round thing, the little round thing. It's great. But then after a while, he lost it.

And John would later write that it took him years to get over the loss. I mean, now picture Black Friday. Yeah. Yeah. It's a little different. Yeah. I mean, it's the little things in life that you get attached to. It's meaning. It's finding meaning in possessions. Right? That's right. Yeah. How many things did you lose? I'll lose something and two months later, be like, where the hell did that go?

Oh, yeah. That's it. What? But he's like, you know, he's got a black veil on. He's walking around. Yeah. Think about his marble. Where's John? And he's out back lamenting the marble again. Oh, boy. Poor kid.

It's time for that boy to let go of his marble. Hello. Here, marble. No, that's not how it works. I'm John. Here, marble. You're inside. Have a yellow streak. Hmm. Well, I'll be back out in the morning. Okay. That's not a thing, John.

It's not. It's not how marbles work. You're not going to cost me. I'm in charge. Okay. All right. You've gotten a little on re since you lost your marble. That's right. Son of a bitch.

I'll be in your office. What? Holy fuck. You are sorry. I'm going to tan you. By that, I mean, remove your skin. Oh, boy. So when he was eight, his mother died while giving birth. Good Lord.

Well, there's a number one cause of killer back then. Yeah, seriously. So Owen was now alone with six kids. A year later, he remarried a 21-year-old. Okay. They would go on to have eight more kids. Jesus Christ. What the fuck?

What year was pulling out and vented? When did that happen? When was the first time that someone was like, you know, you can shoot it on the belly? I don't think that's a, I think with the religious stuff here, I don't think that's a possibility. I think you got to go indoors,

which by the way is a great movie if you like porn, go indoors. You guys ready to go indoors? Oh, we're going indoors tonight. Going indoors. A religious biopic. John never got along with his stepmother. Never liked her.

So he would go out more. He spent most of his days alone out in nature. Looking for that goddamn marble. That marble, where I was all over the forest, it's got to be here. I think I was here. He wore, quote, buckskin furs and spent long days in the woods with only cattle or sheep for his companions.

At 12, he was sent to herd cattle alone 100 miles. Wow. At 12. What did you do when you were 12? I think I was stealing the things that kept the tire pressure in the tire. Yeah, that's about right. That's crazy. Cray 100 miles at 12.

He did it very confidently. It did not question his skills. Around this time, he also took on a squirrel as a pet. Well, Dave, all right. Look, this guy is a winner. He had to, he caught it and then he broke its spirit. So it would hang out. Like he, he tamed it.

It's not like it just, it's not like he had peanuts in the squirrel. He like, he caught the squirrel and then broke its wild spirit. Yeah. Or if it's just one of those weird animals that's like, I trust you. He was like, you, I will show you. You will be mine. He just made it out as, yeah, it's great. I'm a fan.

He kept it with them at all times. But after a while, the squirrel died. John mourned for two years. Oh boy. Well, the marble sounds like the marble was a harder loss, it feels like. But I feel like the, the marble, the squirrel allowed him to let go of the marble and then the squirrel died. That's how.

Why, what if he, what if he ran up and found that the squirrel had choked on the marble? Talk about a. Oh my God. Well, but then you have the marble back, don't you? It's true. It's true. It's a fair point. In 1812, America went to war with England and the Browns contracted with the military

and provided cattle horses and provisions. So John's father was very active during this time. So he's, he's out moving around, getting stuff to the military and whatnot. Now, John was disgusted by military affairs, specifically quote to profanity, disobedience, and mutinous talk of the soldiers. Yeah, he's far ahead of his time. Yeah, he's not into the military now. So for a while during the war, John stayed with a United States Marshal,

like his dad dropped him off there and was like, take care of the kid. Now there was also a slave child around the same age. Okay. So John and that boy became friends because John literally, he was raised to not see color and it was a genuine thing. As I like to say, he was raised. Yes. Well, John was treated very well by the Marshal, his friend was not quote,

the Negro boy was badly clothed, poorly fed and lodged in cold weather and beaten before John's eyes with iron shovels or any other thing that came first to hand. Iron shovels. Yeah, it's just insane. Like it's just insane. Yeah, it really I mean, yeah, there's just for there to be no line even in your warped world for that to seem. Yeah.

Okay. There's literally nothing in the world that would hit with a shovel. No, no living thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's so John was horrified and disgusted by this. His time there, quote, led him to declare or swear eternal war with slavery. Okay.

All right. Those are strong words for a 12 year old. Yeah, I refer a 12 year old. Give him a marble that'll shut him up. But he was 16. John studied at a school under a reverend in Massachusetts. The school was known for turning out preachers and missionaries. So at this point, he's thinking about becoming, you know,

a preacher missionary. So he went to the Morris Academy in Connecticut and John was going to devote his life to religion. He learned to speak with intent. So he goes to this place and he kind of learns how to preach and speak and, you know, it's part of the plan. Right. Yeah. There's a Boston preacher is like, dude, you got to deliver it all the way to the back.

Okay. Fucking let him know, right? They died for it. He fucking died for the sins. Then you do the blood, then you do the fucking body. Right. I can't hear you back here. I can't hear you back here.

Good. Look, look, that's what you're talking about. That's what you got to do. Put fucking God. Louder. I'm having a louder. I'm having an aside, Ma. I'm having a fucking aside.

Jesus Christ. At your mouth. Have I can. What the fuck? I'm not trying to have a side with you. I'm trying to have. Where'd that come from? I'm trying to have an aside with you.

And meanwhile, she's up my ass. You know what I'm saying? Anyway, don't ever live with your mother. That's why. You're farting too. Shut the fuck up. I'm a success, Ma. And I'm a success.

And I'm a success. You live here because you burned down your bar. Oh, yeah. Come on. That's for insurance money. For insurance money. Okay, kid. That's what she doesn't understand.

And you want to know the best part about heaven? My Ma is not going to be there. And I'm going to have just an area. No, I'll have a whole area to myself. It's going to be. I'll be there. She will not be there. You can't get rid of your mother.

Yes, I can. Yes, I can. Yes, I can. You're a fucking sinner. Anyway, that's the clergy. So here's your caller and your water. Take care. Did you get all the R words in there?

I'm just going to bring another one. Core, water. Oh, God. So while he was there, he was going to finish up and become a preacher. But as happens, he got an eye infection and he had to return to Ohio. By the way, that makes me believe there might be a God.

Give him Pekai. Save him. Save him from this torturous life of celibacy and secrecy. It's just amazing. That's it, boys. I got to go. I got a red eye. I'm out.

Dude, you're taking an overnight flight home? Yeah, that's it. I got a red eye. It's not going away. It's not going away. I got to get out of here. Look, it's pretty clear God doesn't want me to do this. God doesn't want me here.

Are you from Boston now? Because before... I don't know where I'm from. I don't know where I'm from. Yeah, you've been kind of kicked around all over the place. So yeah, you're... I spent some time in Ohio. I was in the Bronx as in...

You were in the Bronx? That part is in... Okay, in the Bronx part. The Bronx part doesn't ring a bell. But all right, if you say so. As in California? Didn't you say you had to go? Yeah, yeah, I got to go.

But I got some more places to list off. That's a minute. Kota, as in North Dakota. This is unbelievable. This guy's not cut out for public speech. And here's the crazy thing. They aren't even states yet. That's wild.

This kid's unbelievable. So he goes back to Ohio. He works in his father's tannery. And then he also trains to be a surveyor. Because that's a big thing at the time. You need to people go out and survey the land, right? Right, right. Because nobody knew anything.

It's not like you could just ask the people living there what the land is like. Google it. Google how the land is. No, it's just like, what was it like? Well, it was pretty bumpy in a few spots. And then it got a little valley-ish. And then it went up again a little.

Whoa. Got to have it. Got to have it. It was like a winner. That's like you were a human zilla. That's right, a human zilla. Or so we call it an HC. He most of all loved shepherding.

By his late teens, John had grown to six feet tall. One biographer described him as, quote, the manliest man I have ever seen. This guy. There goes the manliest man I've ever seen. Have any of you seen the manliest man I've ever seen? What? I'm looking for a man.

I'm looking for a man. There was a lot of men around here, buddy. Yes, yes, then. And it's he's none of these. For these are not the one I'm after. The one I'm after is quite simply. The manliest man I've ever seen. Yeah.

Again, I don't know what that means because if you either you've seen him or you haven't. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then shut your mouth. Then you haven't seen him because you'd remember if you'd seen him. You'd see him and you'd go, my God, that is the manliest man I've ever seen. As I don't think so. You haven't seen him. So maybe you should shut up and let the rest of us try to find him. I don't think I would ever say that.

If you saw this guy, you would. Yeah, or you would. Okay, so let me answer your question. No, I haven't fucking seen him. Okay, I haven't seen Giant Man or whatever he is. No, not Giant Man. Tough guy. No, no.

Big Bill. No. The Husky. No. It would be Tony. T-M-M-I-H-S. The manliest man I have ever seen. You see, what I want from him, if you're wondering what brought me in here,

is I want him to kill me. But I want the last thing I see to be his visage. For him. Okay, well, I can do half that. I would like to kill you. I can kill you. Yeah, you'd kill me, I would kill you. Yeah, maybe you go to the college of the manliest man I've ever seen

and then graduate and we can talk. Until then, my question, the manliest man I've ever seen. Okay. Reach out if you see him. So, John got married at 20 to Dianth Lusk, D-I-A-N-T-H-E, Dianth. We love the name Beth and Dianth, so we met in the middle. This is Dianth. Dianth Lusk was the daughter of his housekeeper.

Dianth Lusk? Yeah, it rolls off the tongue. Jesus Christ, it sounds like an ocean creature. And so, she is the daughter of his housekeeper, so you didn't have to go far to meet her. No. She was, quote, remarkably plain but near and industrious and an economical girl. Boy, sweet talker, huh? That's like, I mean, you hear that, you're like, let me in.

I want to know what's going on here. I want to know this industrious lady. Yeah, whose last name rolls off the tongue, Lusk. Like the first, Dianth Lusk. So, they fucked a lot. They had seven kids at 11 years. John was very strict and disciplined as children harshly. He believed in using the rod.

He thought his kids would become liars if he didn't. It's interesting that he hits his kids because it feels like parted upon him early and imprinted upon him would be a lesson of like, that's just, I mean, that's abuse. Yeah, well, I guess not. Yeah, I guess not. The Bible gives us mixed messages. The Bible doth giveeth mixed messages. John believed, quote, his own sinfulness was reflected in his children's disobedience.

Well, that's a tough curse to break as a child. Yeah, it really is. It's not great. You've got my mischievous nature, I can tell. Now, get in the fireplace. Wait, dad, what? His kids described his punishments as, quote, terribly severe, but they also said he never did it without a reason.

John Jr., the oldest, took the most. He kept track of John Jr.'s sins and punishments in a book. Here's one page. John Jr. for disobeying mother, eight lashes. For unfaithfulness at work, three lashes. For telling a lie, eight lashes. Just on and on. Wow, okay.

That'll mark it down. Yeah, sure, right. Yeah, it's nice to have a beating journal. One day, John showed John Jr. the book and said he had more debits than credits. Oh my God, what? What? Well, it's time to do your beating taxes. Well, look who's in the red.

Do you have any abuse ride, officer? Should I just get to the lashings? So he told John Jr. he needed to be lashed, and they went out to the barn where the punishment was given. But then when he was done lashing John Jr., John forced John Jr. to whip him until he had, quote, received the balance of his account. Okay, this is a very questionable, I mean, I don't, I don't think it helps.

All right, now you beat the shit out of your old man. What? Now you me, I'm taking down my pants, son, get on that butt. Now beat the living crap out of your old man. All right, let's do this. And we're going to do this every year on Christmas. I hit you, so I deserve to be hit. And when you're done hitting me, then you deserve to be hit.

You got it? And we keep going. I feel like this is a trick to make me go one over. No, just beat your dad. John Jr. wouldn't realize until years later. This was his father's version of spiritual self-flagellation. Okay, well, whatever floats your boat. That's right.

So after a while, John began punishing his kids less, and he realized there was more effective ways to punish kids and came to regret the lashings. So he came around. That's good. That's good. I don't know why we went there, but it's good that he learned. Yep. He was a very devoted father.

While alone, he nursed almost all the kids through scarlet fever, smallpox, and other illnesses. He would stay up all night beside their beds to make sure the fire was tended to to keep them warm. Wow. I don't know. I don't know if I'd do that. No, no. I'm kind of up for everything for my kid, but then staying up all night.

That's why I like to get sleep. You know what I mean? I like to be refreshed. That's why you don't have 30 children. You're going to be running at a little hospital eventually. That's why someone needs to just be like, you know what I tried the other night? Pulling out. Is that believable?

It was all upside. I don't know what that is. What is pulling out? It's everything but the finale. So the second you feel like you're about to have your creation, she just slip it out and say, oopsie poopsie. Looks like I got it on the sheets. And then you're good.

But then the sheets are dirty and it's not in the pocket. Oh, come on now. We don't want it. By the way, pocket. Quite a creepy term. We don't. Well, you wash the sheets. You wash the sheets once a month like regular.

Look. Look, when it comes to my seam and her cup runneth over. Catch my dress. It doesn't seem normal to not put it in the kitty hole. All right. Well, you just go on and have 95 children. Meanwhile, I'll just have gross sheets. Goodbye.

May I suggest the bottom? I knew we hung out for a reason. Look, you found a loophole. Not surprising where either. I kill that's why they call me the captain. There was a big shortage of ministers in Ohio. So Owen helped found the Western Reserve College and Preparatory School at Hudson.

Schools founder. Can you imagine there being a shortage? Like being like, my God, we're low on ministry. Jesus Christ. It has to be the only time in American history. Yes, seriously. A minister, like a minister shortage is a great thing. Oh my God.

This town doesn't have a minister. Why are our property values so high? The school's founder namesake, David Hudson, was a staunch abolitionist like Owen. And then the Hudson became a major stop on the Underground Railroad. Owen opened his own. Owen also opened up his own house to house fugitives on the run. And Hudson became so well known by fugitives

that a sign reading disc the road to Hudson was put up outside the city. Okay, wow, okay. You think that would give it away, but all right. Yeah, if only there was a clue. Keep looking, boy. In 1825, John was appointed postmaster in Randolph, Pennsylvania by President Andrew Jackson.

Wow, okay. And that just means you're in charge of the post office. That's right. So he goes to Randolph and at the new home, he quickly cleared 25 acres, built a fine tannery, and sunk vats. So he gets his shit rolling right away. Within a year his tannery employed 15 men. He also raised cattle, and he surveyed land.

And John quickly became a respected member of the community and very involved in the development of the town. Biographer Henry William Sage, he quote, he quote, surveyed new roads, was instrumental in erecting schoolhouses, procuring preachers, and encouraging everything that would have a moral tendency. Okay, so good, good. He was the town librarian.

He gave out books from his personal collection. I don't know if that's a librarian though. That's just, you're just... Yeah, you're just giving. Yeah. Yeah. 15 charge fee. I would assume there's late fee, a finger.

Right, right. John appointed himself as the only anti-slavery policeman in Pennsylvania. Wow. That's pretty, what a powerful position to be in. Yeah, and you just wake up one day and you're like, well, I've appointed myself. I'm the sheriff. So there's that.

I'm the sheriff now. Nobody, we haven't voted on that. We, there's no, we haven't talked. Who, I wouldn't, I wouldn't talk to me like that. That's a violation. No, I'm saying you're not the sheriff. Like you can't just... You're right.

I don't like your tone and you shouldn't talk to an officer of the law like that. That's all I'm saying. Right, but the thing is you're not an officer of the law. Oh, I believe I am. I don't know if you heard my earlier statement. I'm the sheriff right here. Look at the badge.

Look at this badge. I see the badge. It's, it's a piece of paper. Yeah, that says badge on it. That says badge on it. That's, again, that's not real. You're not a real sheriff. Until there's a real badge, then I'm the sheriff.

Do you have a paper badge that says sheriff on it? No, I, no. Okay. Well, there you go. So watch it, Jack. Respect the steel. I mean, the paper. I'm going to need some backup here.

We seem to have a little bit of a suggestion. John Woodroam, the nearby wilderness, helped any stray fugitives travel to safety and interviewed every prospective white settler to determine, quote, whether he or she was an observer of the Sabbath opposed to slavery and a supporter of the gospel and common schools.

So he's the town of heroin. Right. Yeah. Right. Okay. Right. He's just scrolling in and being like, are you good enough?

Yeah. The community thought so much of John that when speaking highly of someone, people would say, quote, he was as enterprising and honest as John Brown. Oh, it's John. We all love John. Yes.

Praise be to John. He's the bar. Right. What are you on a scale of zero to John Brown? I'm about a nine. I'm really great, but obviously I'm no John Brown. I'm more of a JB. Not that great, but not that bad.

I feel like we're doing the 1800s match game. I patched to number three. If you were John, what would you be like? Well, I would certainly train you to find the flaws within me, like a squirrel that I accidentally killed when I lost my marble. I'm sorry.

I should take myself out of the competition. Sorry. John's wife died after giving birth to their seventh child. Jesus. Was that not the number on his father? So on his mother? Yeah, I think it was the same number. Yeah.

Seven. It's a bad number. So that has to be, that should be a message to everybody from now on. Cap it. Yeah, that's right. If only he'd tried my little method. She was 30 years old.

Some said she showed signs of mental illness. She had a deposition to insanity as she got older. Two of the children were shown signs of mental illness. So the next year, John got married again. Sure. Next year, yeah. I'm sorry, Dave, please. I really am hoping that the age is not what I heard

the first two times. John's 16, year old Mary Ann Day. She was four years older than John's oldest son. That is fucking creepy. That is just... She was described as, quote, a large silent girl of rugged physical health and even greater ruggedness in nature.

What? Meet your mom. She's a shaved bear. She's 16. And you enjoy it. Now here's your new stepmother. She can kick the shit out of any animal in the fucking forest. She's your mom.

She just ripped a deer apart with her arms. She's 16. You're 12. This is a nightmare for you. So they kept having kids, those two. John became more and more of an abolitionist as he aged. He had been a wig, but when slaveholder Henry Clay took on a larger role in the wig party, he left.

And he hated slaveholder Democrat Andrew Jackson. He stopped voting in presidential elections all together after the 1830s. This was his way of protesting United States politics. Well, someone needs to learn about blue no matter who, David. Fugitive slaves came through the area. John was, of course, a stop on the Underground Railroad. He converted his barn into a, quote,

roughly boarded room entered by a trapdoor and ventilated and equipped for the use of escaping slaves. The hole was so cleverly concealed by hay that a man might stand on the trapdoor and yet see no signs of the hiding place. But still, we all know that movie shot. It's a real gulp moment. Well, I guess there's no trapdoor around here then.

Well, there's a lot of hay on the ground in there. Look at the thickness of that hay. Man, where'd you get hay so thick? Let me just pick up a little bit of that hay. Weird. There's a splinter on this hay. Well, I should be going. See y'all later.

That guy was an idiot. I'm still outside. I heard that and I still can't piece together what's happening. I'll see y'all around. Appreciate it. Well, fucking moron. He just stood right on the door. I realized I got to walk this way.

I heard that again, but I mean, I just, there's nothing to see here as far as I'm concerned. Boy, you got some good quality hay though. I'll tell y'all that much right now. I'll tell you that much for sure. It's the difference between my place and your place. Y'all got good hay. That's it.

I'm so far away now. Look how far away I'm going. I should take a piss. I love that you literally walked away. Man, I'm in character breath. So his place became a major stop on the Underground Railroad from 1825 to 1835. He helped an estimated 2,500 slaves. Wow.

John was also a huge admirer of slave rebels like Nat Turner and Joseph Sink who led famous rebellions against slave owners. Okay. John hired a black couple to help around the house and with his business. And then one day he asked them to join his family at Sunday service. But when they came, they receded near the door at the very back of the church. So John was not happy about this. Wow.

And the next Sunday, John invited them to sit in his pew with him. The entire congregation was visibly shocked and the minister looked angry. Two of John's sons were so disgusted by the congregation's behavior that they left the church and never joined another. That's so great. I mean, that really is to like, like for it to also be embedded in his children so deeply is, you know, shows you the truth of the conviction.

The Brown family was soon expelled for absences and a lack of reporting themselves. So he gets this letter and it's like, you're out of the church and everybody knows why. Yeah. But it's also, it's so dumb. It's just, again, it's so dumb. What an asshole. Every Sunday God throws a birthday party for himself and you don't show up and you go get to go to my big good place.

No, no, you don't get to come up here. No. But aren't you all seeing, all knowing, all loving being? Yes. For those who show up to my party. Fuck him. But who wants to go? Who wants to hang out with this person is a snarky little 16 year old.

No. I'll be in my room. So the Browns knew they were thrown out because of how they treated the black couple. And after John rarely went into any church. And then so he's kind of done with organized religion at this point too. He's like, well, this is just bullshit. Like they don't actually believe in what God would tell you to do, which would be to love everybody.

So around this time, several white families came and asked John to help them stop Native Americans from hunting nearby. Hey, look, we got a problem here. We moved in here and there's these people living here and they want to keep doing what they was doing. Is there a worse guy to approach with this problem? Hey, John, we understand you're the only compassionate man in town. Listen, there's some non-whites we're having issues with.

Just like he's like, uh-huh. Okay. Yeah. John told them, quote, I will have nothing to do with so mean an act. I would sooner take my gun and help you drive you out of the country. Well, I said what that is a very guy was not prepared to hear something like that. John, maybe you're not getting a full picture here. We're white guys and then these guys are not white guys.

Right. So I just want to make sure you understood the landscape here. Yeah. No, I don't care. That doesn't bother me. If anything, I don't like you. Okay. Okay.

Maybe I feel like you're not kind of getting the whole picture. So these are Native American, like they live on the land, right? And they hunt and they do all their business. And then we moved here and we're all white people. So does that better explain the situation? Well, no. I think the problem is that you don't understand that I understand your explanation. And how do I put this?

I don't give a shit that you're white. See how little I care? I'm whistling. Don't tell me again. Well, we're white. I understand that part. Yes. Yes.

Doesn't give you any. Yeah. Okay. I feel like we're just not, I feel like we're not hearing each other. We're hearing each other fine. I'm hearing you. Yeah. I just think your brain doesn't work.

Got a little brain. Okay. Don't make me whistle more. Don't tell me your white again. Have you had a fever? I've not had a fever. Okay. Yeah.

Any kind of any kind of spores blow up in your face, something like that. I had a really bad red eye once, but that's it. And that's not with nothing to do with that. To eat something with a fungus in it and something of that nature. No, I'm not going to. I'm fine. You know, you know, you know, you're white. I'm aware that I'm white.

I know I'm white. Yes. That's not the issue. You're looking for issues and they're just not. I'm white. You're white. They're not. Tell you what. Tell you what.

Okay. I'll tell you what. We're going to come back tomorrow and we'll talk to you. Don't come back here tomorrow and talk about. Don't come back here tomorrow to talk about this. After you've had a little bit of shut-eye. My eyes do not need to be shut. Yours seem to be shut when you're awake.

That's an issue. We'll see you tomorrow. I do not come back here tomorrow. All right, boys. We'll come back tomorrow. Goddamn it. In 1835, John moved back to Franklin Mills, Ohio to start a tanning business with Xenus Kent,

a successful local businessman. At the same time, Owen was in a heated ideological battle on the Western Reserve College campus. Faculty and students were split into two groups. One favored the colonization of blacks and the other immediate emancipation. So college has always been the hotbed of insanity. So if people don't know what the colonization of blacks is,

so one, the colonization is they're free but not equal. No voting and no owning. No, like you're still in every way of second classes. It's what Lincoln was actually for. Lincoln was not for equality. So that's the battle on campus. Owen wants them to have a quality. So Owen ended up leaving and joined nearby

Oberlin Collegiate Institute, where he helped reorganize the college as an anti-slavery institute that accepted both women and blacks. Okay, which surely some literally brains shot out of heads. Yeah, this is just like, what are them hippies doing? I mean, yeah, they're just like, okay, wait a second, everything's gone to shit.

We used to be special. Oberlin College became so successful in aiding slaves that it was known for never losing a fugitive slave to federal authorities. Wow, okay. Owen founded a dissident pro abolition church called Free Church and he helped found the Western Reserve Anti-Slavery Society. So they're, you know, his dad's still active.

It's all fucking happening. Yeah. So after Nat Turner's four day slave rebellion, Southerners were scared of another uprising. And Dave are still to this day. Turns out, never gone away. They turned their anger toward Northern abolitionists. Okay.

So the people who own people are mad at the people who don't want them to own people. Yes. They're the ones being, they're the ones being aggressive. Yes. It is, it's, it's, it's, it's Dave. It's, it's the bill of the whites. It's a, it's a human white.

It's a God given white, Dave. Illinois Anti-Slavery Editor, Elijah Lovejoy, was murdered in 1837. Abraham Lincoln called the murder quote, the most important single event that had ever happened in the new world. I mean, the general thing. Now, where are these theater tickets?

I love it. Like they, just millions of people had died and he's like, well, one guy got killed. This is the one. Lovejoy's murder led to pro-slavery mobs forming across the U.S. So they killed a guy and they're all fired up. Yeah. It's, I mean, like whatever, we don't even need to get into it.

Yes, exactly. Cherry, you cherry, I mean, it's always the anecdotal cherry picked thing. Yeah. You can inflate anything into something if you have the right amount of hot wind. The mobs led Lincoln to think he should solve slavery through the political process.

So because this guy got killed and then everyone got all fired up, he's like, well, we can't be too aggressive. Okay. Right. Right. He wanted to avoid actions that could lead to social disorder. He denied the use of extreme anti-slavery measures. His leadership caused other anti-slavery figures to push

pacifism and nonviolent forms of abolition. Okay. So it's all, it's all, it'll take the, take the brakes, you know, put the brakes on. Right. Let's not, let's not get too fast. Right. With this, this stopping people from being owned thing.

Yeah. Right. Yeah. And it continues to be our reaction. We have, I mean, we have the reaction of, to tragedy that, that of a dinosaur. We're like, now hold on a minute. Let's give it a couple of years.

Yeah. That's crazy. Or 20. Or yeah, for forever. Yeah. Meanwhile, in Hudson, John and Owen went to a Lovejoy Memorial meeting together. People gave speeches condemning the pro-slavery mobs.

And near the end, John stood, raised his right hand, and declared quote, here before God, in the presence of these witnesses from this time, I consecrate my life to the destruction of slavery. Bum, bum, bum. Amazing. Owen then stood up. Oh wow.

Okay. Owen then stood up beside him to show his solidarity and stood there crying. Wow. Wow. That's quite a moment. Yeah. So this isn't an opposition to write what Lincoln wants.

So they're not down with Lincoln's pacifism and anti-slavery ways. Right. Lincoln Lincoln was like, let's be bipartisan. Right. Yeah. Let's have, what about pragmatism on the slavery thing? Yeah.

Right. John's sons said he urged his entire family to pledge themselves to wage war against slavery and to quote, break the jaws of the wicked and pluck the spoil out of their teeth. Oh my fucking god. That's amazing. That's like, what if Van Helsing hated slavery? We're going to go kill them.

That's amazing. Like to that family. Yeah. Well, okay dad. It's now a bad night for us to come for supper. Feels like you guys have a really powerful moment going on. But at the same time, John was still a shit businessman. So he had to put the brakes on his anti-slavery business for

now and being poor only deepened his anti-slavery beliefs. Between 1837 and 1842, John juggled four large projects. So he's trying to get money going so he can get into his anti-slavery. Yeah. That goes words up. Yeah. He started a real estate scheme, a farm called Westlands,

a cattle business and a wool business. None of them made money. So he goes into financial disaster. He had relied on credit and state bonds to start the businesses and now owed thousands of dollars. Within a few years, the panic of 1837 instigated a major depression across the entire country and caused John to lose nearly all of his property and money. About 600 banks failed due to

a mass speculation. If you can imagine that happening. And well, Dave, all I hear is that's way too many banks. We should have four. That's right. Yeah. So labor reformers said class divisions created by capitalism turned laborers into wage slaves.

And John, this fired John up. Oh my God. I love this. He saw himself as a victim of and slave to the capitalist system. And this made him sympathize with blacks even more than before because blacks were literally enslaved for the sole purpose of personal wealth, a fundamental feature of capitalism. Can I just start picturing?

Can I start picturing him like a terminator from now on? It's sort of the vibe I'm getting. Yeah. Yeah. Despite all his misfortunes, John was optimistic. His creditors filed suits against him. To placate them, John decided to herd his cattle from Hudson to Connecticut where he'd sell them to a company he knew well, Wadsworth and Wells.

And then he would take that money and he would go to New York and Boston and then hopefully get another loan. And then he used that to pay off his debts. Okay. So he's trying to get loans to pay off his loans. Oh yeah, to hustle. Yeah. Hustle.

So he makes it to Connecticut with 200 cattle. And while there, he was taken to a local grade school and he gave an impromptu lecture on the evils of slavery. Oh my God. Amazing. We asked the Georgian if they would, quote, fight against this great curse when they grew up and several young boys raised their hands.

And then John said, quote, I want those who are quite sure that they will not forget it, who will promise to use their time and influence towards resisting this evil to rise. Only two boys stood because they're scared shitless. Yeah. And the teacher was like, I'm sorry, what were you going to talk about again?

Wasn't there? I thought you were coming in to talk about selling cattle. That's what I told you. Now, who will rise up and beat the masters? We will overthrow them. I know you'll kill a slave owner before you are 12. We're six. Then you will kill them before you are eight.

Oh my God. All right, guys, let's all welcome and thank Mr. Brown for coming in today. What a great speaker. Very passionate, very nice. Also, what is six squared? Well, this is actually geography. So I don't have the answer to that,

but I am again going to say that it's time for you to probably get moving. Take some of those goldfish if you want, the actual fish. And kids, once again, let's thank Mr. Brown. Wasn't that interesting? Two of the kids are missing. Where have they gone? And some of the knives are gone.

Have you noticed I haven't blinked since I came here? Yes, that is not lost upon me. All right, I'm just going to go ahead and sneaky, deaky out the window real quick. It's only the second floor. Thank you for coming in, sir. Goodbye. He's still there, isn't he?

Hey. So when he got to Boston, he looked like a beggar. He'd just been wearing his clothes the whole time on his whole trip. He met with three rich guys. He knew who had come to Ohio and asked them for a loan. And they said they'd consider it. So he takes this as a yes.

Okay, interesting. And he's so confident that he buys $130 with a sheep on the way back to Ohio. And then he waits for his loan money to roll in. Of all the crazy, it's just amazing to be like, if you were given a substantial amount of money, what would you buy? Man, get myself over 100 sheep.

I don't even want to think about it. So months go by, no loan money coming. He needs around $20,000, which at the time, today's money would be $550,000. Okay, so he's, sure, sure, sure, sure. Yep. He's just waiting for publishers' clearinghouse to show up with that big check that,

fuck you, sheep money. He takes another herd of cattle to Connecticut to sell them. And then he goes back to Boston. It's six months since he was there. And the rich guys are like, no, we're not giving you money. So he wrote to his wife, quote, I am now somewhat in fear that I shall fail of getting the money I expected.

We must consider ourselves very poor. Anyway, how are the sheep? So he borrows money from Wadsworth and Wells without telling them that he was borrowing money. Okay, good. That's how it works. That's how you borrow. He either took $5,500 from a cattle sale

or he took cash from their box in the office. And then he sent the money back to Ohio to pay off some of his debt. Didn't take Wadsworth and Wells long to realize the money was missing and they threatened to have John arrested. To buy time, John lied and said he would have the money because it was coming from Boston from the loan he was getting. Which was not happening.

That's right. Right, okay, sure. So, right. So, he's pretty fucked. Yeah, well, he's got sheep creditors on his ass. And then he met George Kellogg, an agent at the wool company, at a wool company in Connecticut. And Kellogg had heard all about John

and then he was a sheep herder and a wool expert. So, they talk and he says he'll give John an advance $2,800. He gave John a $2,000 advance on wool that John was to send from Ohio. So, he's giving John money now and then John's going to go to Ohio and send wool. So, it's a prepayment on wool. Dave, it truly feels like the Bernie made off of wool.

You know what it sounds like? It sounds like the wool of Wall Street. Oof, yeah. Yeah, come on. Somewhere, Will Anderson rang a bell. How about this? It's the wool for Wool Street. Whichever.

Pick your poison. John then took the money and gave it to Wasworth in Wells and went back to Ohio. And then when Kellogg found out, he wrote a very angry letter to John and John was just straight up and very honest and explained he was just in a bad situation and he did it and he signed it unworthily yours.

Unworthily yours. Well, that's fair. At least he's sheepish, part of the pun. Several weeks later, a letter came from Kellogg. He wrote that while the money issues were probably because of the depression that was happening, he was concerned about John's character. Wow, what kind of debt if you're indebted.

Look, you clearly are in over your head, but how are you? You okay? You all right? John wrote back, quote, I utterly deny a fraudulent or trickish design. With that, Kellogg was convinced John had not been malicious and decided not to press charges.

So he literally, so he took money from this guy and gave it to someone else. And then the guy wrote a letter and he was like, I would not have done it if I didn't have to. And the guy's like, all right. Yeah, the guy was like, are you okay? So John would send Kellogg small amounts of money to pay off his debt for the rest of his life.

In 1840, Owen tried to convince John to move to Virginia where land was very cheap. Virginia was a slave state, but the western border was full of poor white families who rarely owned slaves. And Owen knew some land had recently been given to Oberlin College and it had to be surveyed. I like that it's really becoming of a place

to say that it's not a moral objection to slavery, but they're too poor. That's right. Yeah. He talked John into taking the surveying job. So John would get a dollar per day and a thousand acres of land for cheap once he was finished. So he finishes the job in a month

and the land is given to him, but John turns it down. Instead, he was going to start a cattle business with an associate, Hem and Ovia. And a few months later, John changed his mind and wrote to Oberlin asking if he could have his land. And the response was, no, you can't have your land now. And then John sent an angry letter. Sorry, sorry.

Peter went on. That was the feeder? That's the feeder. He's already eating. He was there within two seconds. Of course he is. So they started negotiations and in the end John got a $29 settlement.

Okay. So yeah, let's say you go. That's marble money right there. So he's just in tons of debt. He started selling household items and farm equipment for cash. All he had left was his land and part ownership of a farm, Westlands. Then the Ohio Supreme Court ruled

he had to sell the Westland property to pay off alone and a man named Amos Chamberlain offered to buy the property for $1,681 which is way under price. But John legally had to agree to it. Right. So he's angry because the price is so low and the land is beautiful rich. It's just like his dream place.

So Chamberlain comes to take over the land and John issues a trespass warrant against him. He's got a friend who's a constable and he gets him to issue a warrant. Okay. So Chamberlain leaves and John writes to Chamberlain and begs him to let him keep the farm. Boy, the letters.

He's got these effective letters. Yeah. So it doesn't work. The Chamberlain's like, no. Right. So John then armed his three older sons. Jesus. 15, 17 and 19 and had them lie in a log hut at the edge of the farm

and he told them to shoot if they saw anyone. Oh my God. This guy's like moral compass. It's like it's in the Bermuda Triangle at times. It's just- Well, there's no five. It's zero or 10. Right. Exactly.

Right. So he's like, all the things, I'm like, 80% of what I hear, I'm like, this is great. And then he's going to shoot the guy who the court just decided owns his land. Feels a little rude. Feels like not the right path. But the guy was also taking advantage of the situation.

Yes, fair, but- Yeah. Well, I mean, the guy is essentially a predatory bank in a way. You know, he's taking advantage of a guy who's fucked. He's- Instead of giving him a fair deal, he's screwing him. Yeah. I hear you. It's just to set your boys up in a mini log cabin

and be like, kill him, seems, you know, it's a stretch. All right. So Chamberlain gets a constable to send a posse, and the posse got there. And as soon as they saw the boys with guns, they turned around and left. Dave, what is the law enforcement chain of command? It goes, what?

It goes sheriff, constable, posse, deputy. Like, there's a lot of- Yeah, it's pretty nebulous. Okay. Right. That's what it feels like. A few days later, John and two of his boys were arrested and taken to the Akron Jail. The other one ran off into the forest. Okay.

But they were released almost immediately because the sheriff didn't think that he should imprison men for defending their own property. Point. It's interesting. I mean, it's like, it's how some countries do it. Just like, yeah, I'm the person in the position of authority. You're fine. But while they were being held, an angry Chamberlain went to Westlands and tore down their log hut.

Okay. Okay. So there we go. So then the long legal battle began, and John had almost also promised the property to Hem and Oviatt, who he owed- or Heyman Oviatt, who he owed money to. Okay. So now there's a three-way legal battle going on in the court, and the court finally gives it to Chamberlain, and John basically has nothing. He's just totally broke.

Right. By 1842, John was so poor that he couldn't afford postage stamps. Wow. He filed for bankruptcy and was stripped of his remaining possessions. Quote, this is what he loses. A cracked pot, four wooden pales, six bedsteads, three bags, six old feather beds, two spinning wheels, one- four milk pans, one glass bottle, one tin can, two broken earth pots,

one pitchfork, four axes, one crowbar, one shovel, and 11 Bibles. So many stupid Bibles, but everything else is really adorable. It's just- that's quite a- I mean, when you really think about it, that's quite- I mean, we just have so much shit now. My cat's electronic feeder just went off. It's true. So now they have five beds, and his wife- he and his wife and 12 children sleep in five beds.

Oh, great. But by 1843, John was able to rent a small cabin in Richfield, and they- the family started to feel hopeful again. But then a few months later, four of the children died of dysentery in the same week. Wow. After John said he had, quote, a steady, strong desire to die.

In 1844, John met Colonel Simon Perkins, a sheep farmer, and the sheep farmer pity John, and offered John to merge his sheep with Perkins, and then John would tend the sheep, supervise the shearing, and send wool to the northeast. He could provide feed and shelter for the animals, and a house for John to rent for $30 a year. So John took the job.

Yeah, hell yeah. He spent several years herding 1500 sheep, and was with the sheep so much that he could tell every single one apart. What? No way. 15- 1500 sheep. What? He'd be like, what's up?

What's up, Larry? Hey, Frank. How are you? Hey, Bobby. Clarence, quit sniffing Stephanie's bottom. Get away from Chase. John earned the reputation as a wool expert, and wrote articles about different sheep breeds for local papers.

He also invented- Talk about an article. Honey, come to bed. I'm almost done with this sheep type article. It's amazing. So he's just calling it a sheep type article? Shut up, it's a neighbor. He also invented a remedy for a disease

caused by larvae in livestock animal stomachs. I mean, fairly impressive. John was recovering from his financial mess. He also was part of the Underground Railroad. In 1847, Frederick Douglass heard about John and decided to visit him. The Browns were thrilled to have him, and after dinner, John and Douglass talked from 8 p.m. till 3 a.m. Wow.

At one point, John spread out a large map of the U.S. across his dining table, and he told Douglass, quote, The Appalachian mountain range were placed here to aid the emancipation of your race. They are full of natural forts, of good hiding places, and could take a body of men into them and keep them there. He told Douglass of his plan to invade a southern state

with 25 men split into different groups, who would then raid plantations, liberate slaves, arm them, retreat to the mountains, and do this over and over and over again until they had a large army. What? Wow. God damn, that's amazing.

You're just coming down and like, we're going to franchise. Now we're going. Farewell. Well, it's a great plan. Totally. Yeah. It's amazing.

I mean, he must have just been like, Jesus Christ. This is quite a theory. So the goal was to weaken the institution of slavery with organized and intense anti-slavery attacks. He said he was not averse to shedding of blood. Douglass was intrigued, but he was skeptical. He wondered if the South might be, quote, persuaded to abandon slavery through peaceful means.

And history has told us no. Yes. Right. Yeah. Was there something that happened? Yeah. John insisted a peaceful transition was not possible. He knew Southerners would never give up their slaves,

and he wanted to set up an area where blacks could live and fight off any whites that came. They would use terror and violence to force a treaty that gave them their freedom. Jesus Christ. What did Jose just do? It's just a lot of... Let's just...

Can we chalk it up to Malarkey and keep going? What did Jose knock over? He knocked over a Topo Chico case with one bottle in it, but he was standing on it. He's gotten spoiled by standing on it when it has 10 bottles in it, and now it doesn't. And so he stood on it like, oh, my home. And now he's just knocked over a number of things.

That's good. Good. Ah, perfect. So it turns out John has been working on this plan for 20 years. Wow. Carrying out small, quick strikes, and then retreating was inspired by Nat Turner's Rebellion while using strongholds was a Native American tactic.

Right. Douglas was very touched by John's sympathy for blacks. It was, quote, unmatched by any other white person he knew. After Douglas wrote of John in his newspaper, quote, Brown, though a white gentleman, is in sympathy with a black man and is deeply interested in our cause as though his own soul had been pierced with the iron of slavery. That's pretty good.

So in 1848, John helped put together a multicultural community in North Elba, New York. The idea was to help free blacks and fugitive slaves establish a self-sustaining farming town. Great. Nearby white, and for some reason, nearby white people were against it. Chocking. Wonder what the problem was. So they overcharged black families for food

and drained their resources, which led to starvation. What people? So John shipped pork and flour, and it was distributed equally amongst the black families. And then in June, 1849, he moved with his family to North Elba. He surveyed their lands. He helped with farming. He helped with resources.

He became a friend with many of the families. John would later say North Elba was his favorite home and that he wanted to be buried there. In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, and this gave federal authorities the power to reclaim fugitive slaves in the North. John was livid. He converted his wool warehouse into a station

for the Underground Railroad. And in 1851, he organized 45 fugitive slaves and free black men to establish the League of Gileatus, I think. He gave arms to each member. So he arms 45 black dudes and told them to attack any federal marshals, southerners, or slave catchers in the area. Wow.

That's amazing. That's so fucking crazy. I mean, really, that's like, because if you're, like, if you are, if you are just a freed black person at that point, you are like, Jesus Christ, this is fucking terrible. I mean, as you would, you would fucking be losing your mind. And then to have a dude be like, we're going to kill them.

You're like, well, this plan is not terrible. I don't hate the plan. So this is the first militarized abolitionist group, specifically created by a white man in American history. Right. Unlike most other abolitionist groups, that consisted mostly of white men, John, quote, invited every.

Who were probably, like, in front of stores, like, can we get signatures? We're just trying to get a bunch of signatures. And then if we got enough signatures, then they have to vote on it. And then they're going to start a task force. Yeah. Or just honk your horn.

Honk your horn. Support us. John, quote, invited every colored person, whether male or female, older, young. The duty of the league shall be to give instant notice to all members in case of an attack upon any of our people. He also included women, which was very unique. But John was extremely progressive

and an outspoken supporter of women's rights. He attended feminist lectures with his daughters. His daughter, Anne, said John was a patriarch, but not patriarchal. He assigned chores with no regard to societal gender roles. Housekeeping and outdoor work were divided equally between his sons and daughters. Frederick Douglass wrote that the boys served

wash dishes and could cook as well as their mother. Fucking hippies, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Disgusting. Come on. Stay in your lane, everybody.

John also sympathized with working-class whites and was a labor reformer. He believed companies conspired to cheat farmers out of their share of profits. Who is this? Is there a chance this guy's a time traveler? It's almost like capitalism has never changed. Yeah, shocking.

Yeah. But to be fair, it pans out great. Spoiler. No, it turns out very well. John resented exploitative business leaders to combat the unfairness of capitalism. John decided to go east and establish and establish a distributing company.

So the guys who are taking all the money from the farmers, he's going to go out and set up a business to do what they do and give a better deal to the farmers. Little nervous about sending this man to the city for business. That's a good call because he refused to adjust prices based on supply and demand. He believed prices should be fixed based on quality and value. I should mention he's a horrible businessman.

Did I mention that? It's come across. So it doesn't work out. And in 1848, he and Perkins' wool business was 57,000 in debt. Good. Good, good, good. Good.

That's all right. And after years of trying to fix their partnership, they parted ways in 1854. Okay. There is the business acumen. It feels like he lacks. It's not great. No.

In May of that year, a black man in Boston named Anthony Burns was held by authorities because a Virginia farmer filed a request to reclaim him as a slave. Okay. So this is crazy to me. So I always thought the Fugitive Slave Act was like, you had to send almost like a bounty hunter to go get them. But this dude just filed documents.

So all he had to do was, and the authorities of that state would pursue them? Yes, because it's now a federal law that they can get them back. So John heard this news when he was in New York. And when he heard it, he rose from his chair and declared, quote, Anthony Burns must be released or I will die in attempt. This must be a guy who every time you stood up, he stood up, you were just like, shh, listen.

Oh, here we go. He's got, he's always got, whenever he stands up, he's got a banger. It's John time. It's John. He then declared he was going to Boston, but his friend who was with him talked about him out of it because John was in the middle of a debt-related lawsuit

filed by an angry creditor. Dave, Dave, that is the worst. That's the worst. You get like, if you're the friend, at least let him leave. Okay, if I'm him and you're the friend, right? That's it. And I will give my life to save Anthony Burns' life. I'm headed to Boston right now.

Hey, so we got a court thing. You know what I mean? You're in a little bit of debt. I understand. I just think it's- I understand. Yes, but the moment, the moment is calling for something like this. Right.

If you could just- I will head to Boston immediately. Yeah. So, I mean, we got to, we got to be there tomorrow morning. Well, surely there's a way. Can we not push? Is there no way to push? Can we not push a day?

I just don't think you should because it'll look bad. You know what I mean? I stood up. I just stood up. Yeah. Yeah. What if you stand up now and say, after I go to court for and pay my debts.

That's going to sound so- That's going to sound terrible. That's just going to sound like- No, I think- No, I think it's good. If you just go, I pay my debts. All right. Look, you're right.

I understand. And now the scheduling is actually coming back to me and making sense. I'm just so impassioned. Let's- Okay. A quick addendum to my decree. I will head to Boston at once.

After I clean up some legal stuff, there's a couple of snags I have to do here first. But Anthony will not be forgotten. Hopefully, the paperwork takes a couple more days, right? Isn't that what you were saying, Ethan, that I need to be here for a couple of days, Max? And then we'll- And then I'll-

Or- And then- Maybe- Then, and then- Yes. And then- Watch out. And then-

What? And then- I'll say what? And then I will give my life. What? Thursday. Not today. Thursday, ideally.

Worst case we pushed to Friday. Worst case Monday. So, can I take your order? Yes. We'll have tater tots with all the dipping sauces. Sure. So, John stood out compared to other abolitionists. He lacked prejudice in his public and private life.

He didn't just denounce racism at anti-slavery meetings and then retreat to a mansion like Wendell Phillips. John's abolitionism was deep and consistent. He didn't just want emancipation. He hoped to establish schools for black communities across the U.S. and he believed education was the key to securing a better future for black people and he understands society was corrupted by racism. Goddamn.

That year, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed. So, this meant inhabitants of the newly settled territories had the power to decide whether they were free or slave states. And this deepened John's rage. This made John fucking furious. Frederick Douglass published a letter written by John. He called legislators, quote, fiends in human shape who pass abominably wicked and unjust laws.

Okay, so that goes for any time period in America. Yeah, I was going to say, isn't that put in stone outside of Congress? So, after the Kansas-Nebraska Act, John's rage toward slavery escalated. For the first time, he mentioned a plan. He wanted to attack Harper's Ferry in what is now West Virginia. Harper's Ferry was chosen because it housed a federal arsenal that produced a large amount of weapons used by the U.S. military. Attacking Harper's Ferry would be symbolic of his opposition

to a national government that condoned and supported slavery. It was also essentially located railroad hub. The town was so important to the government that in later years in the Civil War, the Union and Confederate armies would fight over it 13 times. John's daughter, Anne, later said he detailed the plot to her when she was a young child, making her promise not to reveal his secrets to other members of the family.

I mean, adorable, right? Adorable. Okay, daddy. Yeah, hey, listen, daddy wants to tell you about a little bit of a trip that daddy wants to go on. Okay. Go down and kill a bunch of son of a bitch, as much of them, as much of these white motherfuckers

who are slavery-loving assholes. Daddy wants to tear them apart with his teeth, with his, I want their blood in my mouth. I want slave-owning blood dripping down my face. Baba. Baba. Yeah, yeah, Baba. Baba, because you know why?

Yeah, because I can't make words, because there's so much blood and muscle and gristle in my mouth that I can't make words, because I have a human being's flesh in my mouth that I tore off his body with my teeth. Okay, I'll tell everyone. No, no, no, let's not talk. Let's not. This is daddy and his little annies.

This is our secret. There's no telling anyone else in the family about the plan to kill a lot of people who own slaves. Okay, okay. Dip it in the blood. I won't say anything for one sheep. What? I have leverage.

Okay, I'm thinking about standing up right now. Do you want me to stand up? No. Because if I stand up, I'm going to make a proclamation. Okay. And it's going to be, it's going to be about you. And there's a shallow grave. Okay, okay.

Hey, what are you guys talking about in here? John, what's going on over there? Nothing. Sorry about what unicorns are probably like. Annie looks like she's seen a ghost. Oh, there was a ghost. Oh my God. You should have said something.

You should have called me in. No, I was just watching her face. Why are you so red? You didn't stand up, did you? I had a spicy taco. Yeah. Well, that makes sense, for sure. All right.

I cannot stand up. I haven't stood up yet. I don't want to because once I get up, I got to start yelling. So. All right, I'm going to go in the other room and have another baby. Don't die.

His daughter, Sarah, said John often drew sketches of felled trees and log forts he planned on using as protection in the mountain range. Wow. He's ready. According to Sarah, her father, quote, described the plan with such intensity that at school, her heart raced and she shivered

in dread whenever the town was mentioned in her lessons. So she has PTSD. Yeah, it's easy to learn in that environment. But the Harper's Ferry Plan required time, organization, money, and men. Right. It had to be put on the back burner for now. So instead, John decided to go to the new epicenter

of slavery-related conflict, Kansas. And that ends part one. Part one. Okay. So he's going to Kansas. Okay. Yes. Yes.

That's a good cliffhanger. I hope I think he's going to find his marble. It's really funny because this man in some ways has lost his marbles, but in a good way. It's true. He's lost his marbles. Man, I can't wait for part two. I don't like that I have to wait, too.

That's kind of bullshit. If it is better, that's better. It's better. I'll pine. I'll pine for it. You should. What's going to happen next week, everybody? Return at five out next week.

John Brown, Dallop, part two. Sources, Richard Boyer, the legend of John Brown, a biography in history. Edward Chamberlain, the big in biographies, John Brown. I mean, honestly, there's like 40. I mean, there's a lot. So just go to the sources page. It's going to take forever.

It's its own Dallop. We can do a Dallop source. It's a lot, but yeah. So go to the sources page, but there's a couple of the main ones. Goodbye, everybody.