Professors here at the time. Im a home grown boy as most of you know. Lived just across the river here in Washington County. Grew up only a few miles from the antietam battlefield. Eshepherd as always been special to me. Its great to return here this evening to be here in the bird center. I knew senator bird well. I did quite a number of tours and programs for him at Harpers FerryNational Park when he would come and visit. And he became a big ally in helping preserve civil war battlefields. A really great honor to be here at shepherd, my home school. Im so thankful that 40 years ago i was taking finals and i havent had to take finals in 36 years. And its really good to be back in this prestigious bird center sharing with you this evening one story that happened right here. Did john brown elect Abraham Linco lincoln . I want you to think about that for a moment. Did john brown elect Abraham Lincoln . The first thing that came to mind is how can that be . Brown is dead. He cant vote, so how could he possibly have anything to do with the election of 1860. Before were finished this evening, i think well see that john brown, the ghost of john brown, the memory of brown was very influential in what happened in that election, that watershed election in American History that ultimately gave us americas greatest president. A few days ago, december 2, three days ago, 15 years ago, here in Jefferson County, something very important happened. A hanging, an execution. You here in Shepherds Town would have known about the execution. Everybody knew about it. Because john brown was climbing the scaffold. To be executed in charlestown,less than ten miles down the road in your country seat. It was not a if you believe execution. You would not be invited. In fact, you would not be invited because youre under martima marshamar martial law. Yes, you live here, yes, its your home, but right now, Jefferson County is occupied by more than 2000 soldiers. Which is more than the population of your town. What was it, jim, in 1860 roughly . 1,200. Youve got 2,000 people here in uniform in the county who literally are here to protect you, to defend you. Because from your perspective, you have just experienced abattack, an assault on the people of Jefferson County, the people of shepherdstown, the people of charlestown. The event happened in harp es ear ferry. But it goes beyond the boundaries of Jefferson County. This assault, this attack, or the word youre using over and again is greater an attack or assault. The word the people in Jefferson County is using and the word being used throughout skra va and the rest of the south, you have been invaded. This was an invasion. It was not a simple assault or attack. It was an invasion. Over the last several months, you have been here in this community in a constant state of fe fear, fearful to go out at night. Fearful to walk down the street. Fearful to leave the community youre familiar with. Youre totally afraid of any stranger, anybody that you dont know is here for dubious reasons and is here to harm you. This community has been gripped by paranoia. And you have every reason to fear this fear. Because your neighbors, the tia milire from shepherdstown, most of them have been gone now for almost six weeks. You havent seen them. Those who would be your neighbors, those young men serving as a militia unit to protect you and defend you have been here in Jefferson County along the border between maryland and virginia, have been in Harpers Ferry, have been in charlestown, they have been witness to the actual execution, which occurred a few days ago. But you know whats interest interesting is that even with that execution and now brown dead, you do not feel any safety. You do not feel any more secure. You discovered you are on the border of what appears to be a war. What appears to be a war thats been launched against you with you as the target. And whats interesting about this war is that the outsiders are americans. They are us. They are who we are. Yes, you have been attacked by fellow americans. 150 years ago. Now, what i want to do this evening is something i almost never do. I almost never use notes. We have friends here from cspan this evening, and as we were getting set up, i asked them if it would be okay if i move around a little bit because i dont like lecturns, i dont like to stand behind a lecturn. Thats not my style. Most of you who know me know thats not how i leak to give a presentati presentation. But whats important about tonight is i want you to hear not my words and not my voice, but their records. What were they saying . What they are saying is much more powerful, more meaningful, more dramatic and traumatic than anything i could say. So to understand what their words would be, think about your own words, silently consider your own words, what would describe how you feel about our Current Situation in 2015 and the events which happen to us here in our country by other americans only a few days ago. I think it was december 2. Now whats coming to mind are words. But you know whats really coming to mind are not words but emotions. Whats coming to mind is what youre feeling. What are we feeling. And thats what i want to share with you this evening is what were they feeling . I cant tell you what theyre feeling because i wasnt there. None of us can go to 1859 and say, this is what they felt. Feeling must be experienced. You must be part of it. It cannot be informed, it cannot be told. You must be a participant to feel. I would to share with you what they left behind for us that is their feeling. I think its appropriate to begin with the president of the United States. A former president one who you probably would have voted for if you could as a male citizen owning property here in virginia and white. In the 1840s, john tyler of tide water, virginia. Tyler had been keeping close watch on what was happening here in Harpers Ferry. And had been imprisoned in charlestown, was about to go on trial. Its possible that within of your neighbors would have been in the courtroom on the jury thats going to be trying john brown. Tyler had this to say about the situation. These words are feeling. They also have relevance to what you may be feeling in 2015. Former president tyler. Virginia hes referring to you as virginians and the state. Virginia is arming to the teeth more than 50,000 stands, alarms already distributed and the demand for more weapons daily increasing. Secessionist voices, as you might expect, delighted in john browns attack at Harpers Ferry. The leading voice of secession, charlestown, south carolina, the newspaper had this to say with respect to brown and the cause of this union. There is no more peace for the south in this union. And the richmond inquirer, which would be a newspaper that would have circulated in these parts noted less joyfully that browns raid at Harpers Ferry swelled the ranks of secessionists by tenfold. And as might be expected, a fellow virginian of yours, who you would be very familiar with Edmund Ruffin rejoiced in browns, what he referred to as outrageous since they might, i and i quote, stir the sluggish blood of the south. Now this next quote comes from an elected official, not from Jefferson County. But Jefferson County elected officials would have known this man well. When the virginia delegation would come together in richmond and meet in the building there in richmond, the Capital Building that Thomas Jefferson had designed, they would all hear this speech. You would read, you wouldnt hear it. But you would read it. These are some of the most famous words that describe the attitude of virginians in the immediate aftermath of the assault on you and Jefferson County and Harpers Ferry. Im dwoeng to share these words with some passion, because i think if you share them you cant say them without. These are words of anger. These are words that represent violation. These are words that are defensive and these are words of auction. Youre not going to stand for this. Youre not. These words describe how most of you would feel coming from an elected official. Youre going to recognize the game because a few years later he would become a very famous confederate general. These words would echo off the walls of the rotunda in the virginia capitol. Virginia will stand forth as one man and say with fanaticism that whenever you advance a hostile foot upon our soil, we will welcome you with bloody hands and hospitable graves. James l. Kipper, confederate brigadier in charge july 1863. Those are words not to be heard but to be felt. And none of you should be surprised by this southern outpouring of outrage. The petersburg, virginia, newspaper called the express would refer to brown and his men as, quote, the fruit of satanic doctrine, inculcated by the rabid and unprincipled teachers of the garrison, greeley and seward schools. All of whom who were top ranked republicans at the time. John tyler, former president , fellow virginian summed up well the response to john brown when he would state but one sentiment pervades the country security. To the whole union, or separation. Lets move from south of the potomac to the north. You might expect a certain reaction in the north because weve been taught this is where brown hails from. This is where his support was from and certainly thats where his fellow abolitionists reside. However, the initial reaction to john brown was not pleasant and was not supportive. We view the actions of brown and his associates as none other than as bloody murderers writes the new york herald, the chicago tribune, out in the midwest, lincoln country, would write that brown and his men were a band of fanatics, guilty of the most incomprehensible stupidity. Fol folly. Unpardonable criminality. And then the tribune to con cluld would write this stark mad enterprise was the spark of idle drowns. And another chicago newspaper concerned about brown on the fledgling Republican Party and the reputation of the republicans had this to say, the old idiot. The quicker they hang him and get him out of the way the better. Now that might surprise you, this is not what we would expect from the north. This is what you may expect the northern reaction to be. Lets start with ralph waldo emerson. From his home in concord, massachusetts, just west of boston. Emerson now brown personally. Emerson had deaned with brown, hosted brown, had brown stay with him. Emerson did not see brown in the same way that the new york lerld and chicago tib yuan did. Emerson would write that john brown is, and i quote, a pure idealist of artless goodness. Louisa may also cot, his neighbor also knew john brown. Shen and her father had dined with him, stayed with him, communed with him. Louisa may would write john brown is, quote, st. John the just. William lloyd garrison, the quintessential abolitionist, William Lloyd garrison compared browns effort at revolution at Harpers Ferry with that of the fight for independence, american independence from the british. Garrison would proclaim was john brown justified in his attempt . Yes, by god, if washington wasnt his. And wendell phillips, an outspoken menster in boston also alluded to the revolution of 76 when he preached that, and i quote, Harpers Ferry is the lexington of today. Perhaps Henry David Thoreau summarized yet new england intellectual thought on john brown when he would state john brown was the best news america has ever heard. Whats going on here . All these people are americans. But they dont see john brown in the same way. They dont react to brown in the same manner. They have attitudes, thoughts, that are extreme, where there seems to be no compromise. Whats happening to us . As a nation . As a people . Whats going on here . In 1859 . Im not going to dwell on brown and biography. I think its only important to know that hes a life long abolitionist, hes 59 years old, hes moved from place to place. Hed been involved in many different businesses. He has not really succeeded as a businessman, but he has succeeded as a fighter. He has succeeded as a warrior. And he has as his foundation a belief that godsn 0x has chosen john brown, that his purpose, that his destiny has been determined by god, and that he is an eninstrument of god placed here in our country, our nation for the purpose of ridding this land of what he considers its greatest evil slavery. And brown is tired of talk. He is tired of no action by politicians. He is tired of policy. He is tired of a Supreme Court that in 1857 in the dread scott decision determines that a slave is a slave is a slave and is property forever anywhere. Regardless of law passed otherwise. Brown believes that hi nation has failed him, that the nation has not been true to the principles of the declaration of endependence, and that it has violated the constitution of the United States of the people. Brown feels frustration, desperation, hopelessness. But what makes him most different from any other abolitionist is that john brown is willing to use violence. To bring about an industry. Not persuasion, that hasnt seemed to work. Not patience, that hasnt worked. And his violence is justified in his heart and in his soul because he has a special connection and special direction from god. I think we can best summarize john brown with just a few words. And these are words again of passion. These are words that are included in his provisional constitution, a provisional constitution of the United States created by brown and others. In the preamble, its very simply stated what john brown is and what his mission is. In this provisional constitution, it skas, whereas slavery throughout its entire existence in the United States is none other than the most barbarous unprovoked, unjustifiable war of one portion of its citizens upon another portion. The only conditions of which, are perpetual imprisonment. Hopeless servitude and absolute extermination. In utter disregard of the external pardon me, the eternal and evident selftruths set forth in the declaration of independence. Therefore, we citizens of the the United States and the opressed people who, by a decision of the Supreme Court, are declared to have no rights which the white man is bound to respect, and then he continues to say, we create this constitution and ordinances to better protect our persons, property, lives and liberties and to govern our actions. That is the john brown who was inspired to come here. Ewe know why he came. You know why he chose Jefferson County. It happens to be the home of a National Defense installation. Theres a United States armory here. A United States arsenal here. Only two hours from here, via travel time in 1859. You would think as a National Defense installation, it would be well guarded. There were no guards. Brown seizes the armory and arsenal with no casualties, seizes the weapons, holds the installation. Unfortunately for him, brown word will get out quickly that Harpers Ferry has been taken. Militia will be called into action, including the guard from shepherdstown, and the militia will begin to swarm towards Harpers Ferry. Jefferson county militia, principally from charlestown, being the first to arrive on the scene. Less than 12 hours after browns raid, browns war to end slavery commences. John brown is completely surrounded at Harpers Ferry by your neighbors. He discovers United States marines in the Washington Navy yard who were immediately sent to baltimore. They marched to Harpers Ferry where they meet Lieutenant Colonel robert e. Lee. You know the story, placed on trial. Less than two weeks after his capture in the middle of the 2nd of november, john brown is found guilty. Two weeks, by a jury of peers, your peers, not his. Found guilty of murder. All of which are potential Death Penalty crimes. Brown has failed, he failed. He came to Harpers Ferry to commence a war. People in the town were killed, others were killed, people were wounded. Browns army was decimated. It is an abject failure. Brown himself believes it is. But i think the interesting thing is that brown did not die at Harpers Ferry. The sword blade that the marine thrust at hmm did not penetrate the body but bounced off. Lieutenant green said it wasnt designed to wound him or put him out of commission for a bit. It was designed to kill him. But when the blade came forward, it apparently struck a breast plate or a belt buckle he was wearing and bounced off his boz di. Body. John brown would tell you, that was the hand of god. In the courtroom, virginia treated brown well h well. Virginia wanted the world to know that virginians were not barbarians, but brown was. Brown used this to his advantage. He saw now, stripped of the sword, the magic and power of the word. And brown used those weeks between his sentencing and his execution, four weeks exactly, november 2 to december 2, to preach to the people of the United States