ProfessorDavidBlight:
OnamorninginthesecondweekofMarch,1857,Americansgrewupliving--theydidn'tallquiteunderstandityet--buttheygrewuplivinginthelandoftheDredScottdecision.AndifyouwereAfrican-American,thatreallymeantsomething.Now1857is,ofcourse,thefinalyearoftheplayingoutofBleedingKansasandwe'llreturntothatinjustasecond.Andwe'regoingtodiscussmostlytodaythestoryofoneabolitionist;youcouldsaythemostfamousabolitionist,certainlythemostnotoriousAmericanabolitionist,JohnBrown.JohnBrownnevermadeiteasyforpeopletolovehim.Insomewayshewasn'tverylovable,untilhediedonthegallows,andthegallowsmadehimheroic--atleasttosomepeople--anditmadehimallbutthedeviltoothers.Therearecatalyticeventsinhistory,thatis,eventsaroundwhichideas,forces,movements,problemscoalesce.Unfortunately,theyoftenhavealottodowithviolence,andwe'llcomebacktothispointattheendtoday.
ButJohnBrownwasfar,far,far,farmoreimportantdeadthanhe'deverbeenalive.Poets,songwriters,lyricists,biographers,thosewhowouldcometolovehim,thosewhowouldcometohatehim,andthosewhocannotquitefigureoutwhattodowithhim,wouldneverstopwritingabouthim.Andwestillhaven't.Andwe'reinthemidstrightnowofaJohnBrownbiographyrevival.That'sinpartbecausenextyearisthe150thanniversaryoftheHarpersFerryraid.AlmostallmajorAfrican-AmericanpoetsinthetwentiethcenturyattemptedtheirJohnBrownpoem.SodidStephenVincentBenétinafamousandclassiclyric,epicpoemcalledJohnBrown'sBody,publishedinthe1920s.AndembeddedinthatpoemisthisversewhereBenét,Ithink,capturedthedilemmaofJohnBrown.JohnBrown--it'snoteasytodecide--washeaheroicrevolutionaryoramidnightterrorist?
ThisisBenét'sverse,embeddedina250-pageepicpoem."Thelawisouryardstickanditmeasureswell,ohwellenoughwhenthereareyardstomeasure.Measureawavewithit,measurefire,cutsorrowupininches,weighcontent.YoucanweighJohnBrown'sbodywellenough,buthowandinwhatbalancedoyouweighJohnBrown?
Hehadnogiftforlife,nogifttobringlife,buthisbodyandacuttingedge,andheknewhowtodie."MoreonoldJohnBrowncomingup.
TheyearbeforeJohnBrown'sraidthemostimportant,themostexhilarating,andbyfarthemostsubstantivelyinterestingpoliticaldebatesinAmericanhistorywouldoccurinIllinois,whenAbrahamLincolnrunsfortheU.S.SenateagainstStephenDouglas--StephenDouglas,thesameStephenDouglas,authoroftheKansas-NebraskaAct;parliamentariangeniusoftheCompromiseof1850;themanmostassociatedwiththeDemocraticParty'stheoryofpopularsovereigntyforKansasandNebraskaandthewholeoftheWest.Andthisguy,AbeLincoln,withonetermintheU.S.HouseofRepresentativesandthenafailedattemptatre-election,aguywithverylittleexperiencewhenheranforPresident.IntheopeningofhiscampaignhedecidedtoopenitintheLegislativeHalloftheoldStateHouseinIllinois.ItwasontheoutsidestepsofthatStateHousewhereBarackObamabeganhiscampaignalmostexactlyayearago.Butinside,LincolngavehisnowfamousHouseDividedspeech.Nowinyourreader,yourLincolnReader,editedbyMikeJohnson,youhavetheHouseDividedspeech,butreadpastthefirstpage.Don'tjustreadthatfirstlyrical,biblicalparagraph,readwhatLincolngoesontheargue.ThespeechisabouttheDredScottdecision.ThespeechishisoppositiontotheDred--totheSupremeCourtcasethathadjustbeenpassedtheyearbefore.ThespeechishisoppositiontotheKansas-NebraskaAct.Hisspeechisawarning.It'sthewarningofamoderateRepublican,butneverthelessamoderate,anti-slavery,freesoilRepublicanwhothrowsdownthegauntlet,inthewakeofDredScott.ThisisasentenceonthefifthpageoftheHouseDividedSpeech,page68inyourreaderifyoulookitup."Weshallliedownsoon,"saidAbrahamLincoln,"pleasantlydreamingthatthepeopleofMissouriareonthevergeofmakingtheirStatefree,andweshallawakethenextmorningtotherealityinsteadthattheSupremeCourthasmadeIllinoisaSlaveState."Gethisdrift.TheDredScottdecision,inhisview,andtheviewnowofmostinthisnew,extraordinarycoalition,theRepublicanParty,believestheDredScottdecisionnowthreatenseverybody--north,south,andwest--withthepresenceofslavery,andslavelabor,andallthatgoeswithit.
It'stheopeningofthatspeechthough,ofcourse,thattheworldalwaysremembers,andwelovetoreturntothisinourpoliticalculture,inourpoliticalhistory,wheneverwefeelgreatpolarizationandgreatdivision.Areweahousedividedagain,againstourselves?
"Ifwecouldfirstknowwhereweareandwhitherwearetending…"--thisissoLincoln;hekindofmeandersinabitofahomespunwayintoaveryseriousargument--"…wecouldthenbetterjudgewhattodoandhowtodoit.Wearenowfarintothefifthyearsinceapolicywasinitiated"--Kansas-Nebraska--"withtheavowedobjectandconfidentpromiseofputtinganendtotheslaveryagitation.Undertheoperationofthatpolicythatagitationhasnotonlynotceasedbuthasconstantlyaugmented.Inmyopinionitwillnotceaseuntilacrisisshallhavebeenreachedandpassed.Ahousedividedagainstitselfcannotstand.Ibelievethisgovernmentcannotendurepermanentlyhalf-slaveandhalf-free.IdonotexpecttheUniontobedissolved,IdonotexpecttheHousetofall,butIdoexpectitwillceasetobedivided.Itwillbecomeallonethingoralltheother."Southernersneverforgotthatsentence."Eithertheopponentsofslaverywillarrestthefurtherspreadofitandplaceitwherethepublicmindshallrestinthebeliefthatitisinacourseofultimateextinction"--andthosetwowords,morethananythingelseLincolnhadutteredbeforetheCivilWar,SouthernDemocratswouldneverforget--"oritsadvocateswillpushitforwardtillitshallbecomealikelawfulinallthestates,oldaswellasnew,northaswellassouth.Havewenotendencytothelattercondition?
Letanyonewhodoubtscarefullycontemplatethatnowalmostcompletelegalcombination,pieceofmachinerysotospeak"--andherehe'sarguingtheslave-powerconspiracy,withoutnamingit--"compoundedoftheNebraskadoctrineandtheDredScottdecision,lethimconsidernotonlywhatworkthemachineryisadaptedtodoandhow"--themachinery--"andhowwelladapted.Butalsolethimstudythehistoryofitsconstructionandtrace,ifhecan,orratherfailifhecan,totracetheevidencesofdesignandconcertofactionamongitschiefbosses,fromthebeginning."It'sallthere;theRepublicanPartycoalitionofideasandfearsisallthere.
Well,whatwaseverybodysoangryaboutovertheDredScottdecision?
It'sjustaSupremeCourtdecision.Well,Ileftyoutheotherdayhanginginabeyance.DredScottwas,asIsaid,anold,oldmanbythetimethisthingfinallygotbeforethe-gotonthedocketin1854,finallywasarguedinlate1856andearly1957.Andwhenthecourtbroughtdownitsdecision,literallytwodays,forty-eighthoursaftertheinaugurationofJamesBuchananasPresidentin1857,hiscasewasnow,hisnamewouldnowbecomealmostahouseholdwordacrossthecountry.Nowameasureofhowimportantthiscasewasasitwasdevelopinglargelyinlegalsecrecywasthekindoflawyerswhoarguedit.MontgomeryBlairandGeorgeTicknorCurtisforScott.MontgomeryBlairwasfromthefamousBlairfamilyfromMissouri,moderateanti-slaveryleaningRepublicansbythispointintime,MemberofCongress;GeorgeTicknorCurtis,aformerattorney-general,averyimportant,famoustriallawyer.AndfortheGovernment,anotherformerU.S.AttorneyGeneral,ReverdyJohnson,andaU.S.Senator,HenryGeyer,werethelayers.ReverdyJohnsonmadethestartlingstatementsintheargumentsbeforetheSupremeCourtandcalledfora--hemadestartlingstatementsandhecalledforabroaderpronouncementfromthecourt.HeurgedJusticeTaney,theChiefJustice,andthecourttorenderabigdecisionhereandtry,onceandforall,toputthis--asLincolncalledit--slaveryagitation,thiswholeslaveryintheWesternTerritoriesproblemtorest.TheSupremeCourtafterallissupreme.ReverdyJohnsonsaid--Iquotehim--"Thisisacasethatshalldeterminewhetherslaveryshallliveforever."Forever;whetherpreservationofslaverywastheonlywaytopreservetheUnion.
Thedecisioncameonthe6thofMarch1857,andherewasthedecision.Taneyandthemajorityinthecourtdidnothavetogoasfarastheydid.Thisisnowlegendaryandfamous,Taneydevelopinghismajority.Anditwasultimatelyasixtothreedecision.AndlestyouthinktheSupremeCourtdoesn'treallymatterinourpoliticalhistory,pleaseremembertheDredScottdecision.Numberonepartofthe--therewerethreepartsofthedecision.Thefirstwasjurisdiction.DidDredScottasablackpersonhavetherighttosue--thisisthefirstquestiontheywereaskedtosettle--therighttosueforanythinginaFederalCourt?
Couldanon-citizen,becausehewasaNegro--whichwasthelanguageusedthen--sueinFederalCourt?
Two,didScott'sresidenceonfreesoil--rememberhisfouryearswithDr.Emerson,hisformerowner,from1834to1838,livinginMinnesotaTerritory--didhisresidenceonfreesoilentitlehimtofreedom?
Or,ifaslavewastakenbyhisownertoFreestatesorFreeterritories,wasitthelawoftheStatethemastercamefromthatalwayshadjurisdiction?
Inotherwords,wasitthelawofMissourithattookprecedenth
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