Quarles - Professor of History and author of the well-received
Black Abolitionists (1969) - looks at John Brown from a new and
welcome perspective. Eschewing the sterile disputes re Brown's
psychic balance, Quarles shows that to blacks the Old Man was,
before and after Harper's Ferry, a beloved hero. Though an
authoritarian personality and temperamentally a "loner," Brown's
links with both freedmen and runaway slaves were extensive. Much
has been made of the fact that on that fateful day at Harper's
Ferry only five blacks joined his embattled band, and Frederick
Douglass, despite Brown's entreaties, was not among them. Quarles
manages to show that this small number was largely fortuitous and
circumstantial - not, as has been often alleged, a sign that Brown
had no support in black communities. Quarles concedes that Brown
certainly overestimated the militancy of slaves, mistaking the
rhetoric of violence for actual combat readiness. In Chicago,
Oberlin and especially the Canadian community of Chatham, Brown had
made important alliances with black orators, clergymen and
activists. Bad communications and the secretiveness which
necessarily surrounded the plans for the insurrection were at least
partly to blame for the poor turnout. Quarles also reminds us that
unlike most white abolitionists who considered blacks mentally and
morally inferior, Brown had no such color prejudices. His sympathy
for blacks was grounded in respect, his kindness was not at all
patronizing - this as much as Harper's Ferry endeared him to his
black neighbors and allies. A judicious addition to the John Brown
bibliography and a fine study of ante-bellum black-white
cooperation. (Kirkus Reviews)
John Brown is an endlessly fascinating historical figure. Here are
two classic studies by a pioneer in African American studies, one
about the place of John Brown in African American history, the
other about the reasons for the unique esteem in which he has been
held by successive generations of blacks.This two-in-one edition
features a new introduction by William S. McFeely, author of the
Pulitzer Prize-winning "Grant: A Biography."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
