The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom

I usually find that dual biographies don’t work very well, but in this case it was very interesting to see how the end of slavery came about by the opposite approaches of Abraham Lincoln and John Brown. While both men concluded that slavery was morally wrong, Brown felt that there was no reasoning with the hearts and minds of slaveholders; that only violence could end the scourge. He was probably not completely sane, and he was certainly not a great military strategist. An interesting link to Lincoln is that John Wilkes Booth attended Brown’s hanging after he was convicted for his role at Harper’s Ferry. Booth’s fanaticism obviously continued unabated. On the other hand, Lincoln’s political and pragmatic approach continued the government’s timid policies of appeasing the South, until the South itself forced a violent confrontation. <br /><br />This book was very well-written and researched. At some points the details were so exact and vivid that I felt like I was actually present when the actions were taken or the speeches were made. The book includes brief biographies of each man’s private life, before getting into their more public roles. I knew much less about Brown than I did about Lincoln, so I had more to learn there, but I also learned things about Lincoln and his decision making.

Did you ever read one of those books where, when you got to the end, you said to yourself, "that's it??!!" This book was one of those kind. The narrative was brisk and engaging; above all, Mr. Brands is a terrific storyteller. You can conceivably wonder whether the length of the book could have been doubled without detracting from its readability. The book focuses on the parallel lives of John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. Along the way we are introduced to a whole group of movers and shakers. Bottom line: if narrative history is your thing, then give this book a shot.It's well worth your time.

<i>The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom</i> by H.W. Brands was a riveting dual biography of John Brown and Abraham Lincoln and the period of history where each man's commitment to overcoming slavery were handled in diverse and very different ways. H.W. Brands addresses this dichotomy as follows:<br /><br /><i>"What does a great man do when his country commits a great evil? John Brown chose the path of violence, Lincoln of politics. Yet the two paths wound up leading to the same place: the most terrible war in American history. Brown aimed at slavery and shattered the Union; Lincoln defended the Union and destroyed slavery."</i><br /><br />H.W. Brands has become one of my favorite historians because of the unique perspective he brings to our history as well as spinning such a compelling narrative. By weaving the stories of Abraham Lincoln and John Brown together and portraying the interface of their similar beliefs and the vastly different approaches of each man, not only documents such an important chapter in our history, but gives one a greater understanding of the conflicting influences and beliefs during the time of the Civil War. <br /><br /><i>"Lincoln appreciated the irony, the mischief life plays on human designs; doubtless he noted the irony that increasingly tied him to John Brown. The Kansas slayer and Harpers Ferry raider had embraced violence in the struggle against slavery, while Lincoln condemned it. Lincoln chose instead the peaceful path of democratic politics. But Lincoln's path had by now led to slaughter a thousand times greater than anything John Brown ever committed. And unless the South experienced a sudden change of heart, the slaughter would only continue."</i>

<b>Structure/Formatting</b> 5/5<br />I seem to have a tendency to love dual biographies. I've read some that are done better than others, and this one is set up in the way that I seem to enjoy most (fairly chronologically, even with the flipping back and forth between subjects). Even though the two primary subjects are frequently in different parts of the country and not interacting with one another, their different storylines work very well together. <br /><br /><b>Thoroughness of research/knowledge of subject</b> 5/5<br />This book was incredible at broadening my TBR with the vast amount of sources referenced. Whenever possible, the author used primary sources and accounts of the two men's writings and speeches. This made the men come to life on the page and really helped tell their stories. <br /><br />In the back of the book, the author lists a small selection of recommended continued reading. The 2018 biography on Frederick Douglass (by David Blight) was already high on my TBR, but this author's praise of that book means I will need to get my hands on it as soon as possible. While Douglass was not one of the two primary subjects of the book, he is present throughout most of the book as he had interactions with both John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. <br /><br />I felt like the author did a great job of showing both of these characters as people (fallible and flawed) and he provided context for the time period without trying to excuse any prejudices or flaws. I learned a LOT throughout the course of this book, and I'm looking forward to reading through some of his recommended reads.<br /><br /><b>Storytelling/writing</b> 5/5<br />The writing in this book makes learning about American history so easy. He interweaves quotes in such a way that it feels like dialogue from a novel. Even just the fact that the chapters were relatively short, this book kept you on the edge of your seat, wanting to read "just one more chapter." Being my introduction to this author's writing, reading this book bumped "Heirs of the Founders" higher up my TBR so I can read more from this author.<br /><br /><b>Level of enjoyment</b> 5/5<br />I really enjoyed this book. There were some sucker-punch moments, especially in how events in this book can relate to the current Black Lives Matter movement, but this is a book I couldn't wait to read more from each day.<br /><br /><b>Prior knowledge needed</b> 4/5<br />My prior knowledge going into this book was a little shameful. I, of course, knew who Lincoln was and his role as President. I knew nothing about his life prior to the Presidency though. And I don't think I had even ever heard of John Brown, though Harper's Ferry was a place I had heard of, though I couldn't have told you why. That said, this book was FANTASTIC at explaining the history I didn't know and expanding upon the parts I did know. My only issue came from the first time Stephen Douglas was mentioned. I was listening to the audiobook for that section on my drive to work, and the author kept referring to him simply as "Douglas." I struggled at first thinking he was referencing Frederick Douglass. If I had been reading the physical copy during that section, the spelling difference would have stuck out immediately, but in audio form, I kept having to use context clues ("Oh, this guy is a politician") to help me figure out who he was talking about. So, just know! There are two Douglas(s)es in this book!<br /><br /><b>Overall Rating</b> 4.8/5<br />I really enjoyed this book, and I'm again excited to branch out beyond my "normal" American history books set before 1800. I recommend this book to everyone. I think everyone can learn and appreciate something from this book. It will be a book I think about for quite a while.

Oof. I finished this book because I was being stubborn, and I did feel like I learned some good information from it. I knew very little about Kansas before the war or about John Brown in general, and this was a good source for refuting a lot of those historical myths that can get bandied around by Southern apologists. But honestly, I found it a SLOG and I was delighted to reach the end. I had quite enjoyed Brands’s biography of FDR, and I see many reviews on here that found this book readable and speedy. I … definitely did not.<br /><br />I think one issue I had was that Brands seemed overrun by his sources. I can only imagine how strong the temptation is to quote at length when you have a million sources, all convinced of their own historical importance, and all happy to go on at typical 19th century length. But to me the point of citing a source should be to make a POINT. For example: it is interesting that several abolitionists were initially happy to see the South secede and thought it had a right to do so. We could have acquired that information by reading a few words from Wendell Phillips … or William Lloyd Garrison … or Horace Greeley. Instead we heard from ALL THREE. Not only that, but the length of these citations was slowly drifting away from history writing and towards “annotated sourcebook.” The quotes from each of those sources, along with paraphrasing of the entire articles and speeches they wrote, went on for at least three or four paragraphs. Each. We got extensive quotations of absolutely everything, even when they did not support an interesting point or observation. Brands quoted Lincoln’s comments (and the crowd’s responses) every single time a cheering crowd arrived at the White House … even when his comments were essentially to say that he had no comment. Eventually it gave me the sensation of reading a whole stack of form letters sent by movie stars to their fans: the repetition of the words and anecdotes across sources made them seem less authentic and a whole lot less interesting. I know there are debates about what it means to write history and how much interpretation the historian should bring to their sources, but to me even a biographer needs to approach a subject with the idea that they are crafting something OUT OF the sources … not just reprinting them in full.<br /><br />My other issue was with the narrative shape of the book. Brands starts with (mostly) alternating chapters about Brown and Lincoln. Then … not. It’s obviously not Brands’s fault that Brown died before Lincoln’s presidency … but on the other hand, he IS the one who chose to link the two of them. In the very last chapter he makes a fairly compelling argument about how they are connected, but that feels like it’s too late to make sense of the structure. Once Brown dies, he almost entirely disappears from the narrative except for some fairly weak gestures toward his memory (“and the soldiers were singing about John Brown’s body…”). The part of the story I did want to know, like what happened to his family and how the trials of the other conspirators went, was entirely ignored. I saw the same issue of narrative floppiness with Stephen Douglass - we get an interesting sketch of someone who was essentially willing to create chaos by scuttling the old compromises in order to buoy his political career, but then we only learn he DIED in a quick explanation about why Lincoln was writing some random letter about total minutia to some other senator and not to Douglass. Again, I know different biographers have different opinions about their roles in making a “story” out of a life, but to me the advantage of reading history (as opposed to living through it as we have been recently) is that you CAN see that narrative through line.<br /><br />This review is sounding a little harsh, and I will say that I found it comforting in a twisted way to read about such a disastrous time in history … a good reminder that things have often been bad in our past, that they only look United and Inspiring in the rear view mirror, and that every leader faces a chorus of voices exclaiming “You’re doing it wrong!” So I’m glad that I read it. But I am VERY glad that I can call it “done.”

This book is a dual biography of specific time periods in the lives of John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. The book is well researched and well written as I have come to expect of the author as I have read several of his other books. As the title indicates the theme is the different paths that John Brown and Abraham Lincoln took in freeing the slaves in the United States. The most interesting part of the book for me was the detail on John Brown and his thoughts and convictions. I have read some about him, but not to the degree that the author covered here. There was also more focus on Lincoln's approach to the subject than is covered in many of the biographies that I have read. I recommend this book to anyone who had an interest in the two individuals and their unique approaches to addressing the slave situation in the United States.<br /><br />I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

The latest effort from H.W. Brands is not only a kind of dual biography of John Brown and Abraham Lincoln; in a very real sense, it is a dual biography of abolitionism and emancipation.<br /><br />I had not read a book that focused more specifically on John Brown. He always glides into the historical narrative within the context of a larger scope: the Civil War, its causes, the impact of the raid on Harpers Ferry on national politics. It was a pleasant surprise to read much more deeply what motivated John Brown as he matured, even if his fanatical commitment to freeing slaves still remains steeped in evangelical zeal and probably a touch of insanity. It is also equally as possible that Brown wasn't clinically insane at all, but enlightened beyond his time and devoted to a radical solution. I'm still not overly interested in a larger biography of Brown but the approximately 100 pages here served the same purpose: elucidating exactly how John Brown got to Harpers Ferry.<br /><br />Lincoln's concurrent journey is threaded through that narrative and is somewhat less fascinating only because it is more familiar to me. The centerpiece of the book is a detailed account of the famous Harpers Ferry raid as well as generous transcript excerpts of the investigation and trial of John Brown. It's still a mesmerizing historical event, particularly as Brown succeeded in catching the arsenal there by surprise and make Harpers Ferry essentially the first battlefield of the Civil War. Throw in the hostage taking of the great grand-nephew of George Washington and now we can see deep ties to American history.<br /><br />The final third of the book is the aftermath. Lincoln wins the presidency and we see his evolution on slavery, the development of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, and the central place of slavery in the war. Brands draws some symmetrical ties between Brown and Lincoln's impact on the freedom of African Americans in history, and we're done. Another popular historical triumph from Brands, and the book I would point to for those who want to read deeper into John Brown and Harpers Ferry.

The heart of the book: John Brown believed that slavery needed to be immediately defeated and that violence was justified in opposing it. Lincoln denounced violence and was solely interested in saving the Union, even if that meant maintaining slavery. Lincoln chose politics and sought compromise; Brown chose revolution and would only accept surrender. Yet it was Lincoln who led the bloodiest war in American history and the abolishment of slavery; the violence and liberation of John Brown paled in comparison. What John Brown predicted, Lincoln eventually realized: that "the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood." John Brown hoped to start a revolution, but Lincoln actually fought and finished it. The preferences of the men mattered very little to the larger historical forces at work. This feels a lot like an example of Tolstoy's "when a ripe apple falls, what makes it fall?" section, Hegel's Cunning of Reason, Marx's "Men make history, but they do not make it as they please" quote, etc. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />John Brown Quotes:<br /><br />"Jason Brown recalled tears rolling down his father's face. "God sees it," John Brown said. "I have only a short time to live-- only one death to die, and I will die fighting for this cause. There will be no more peace in this land until slavery is done for."<br /><br />"Upon what principle do you justify your acts?"<br />"Upon the golden rule," Brown repeated. "I pity the poor in bondage that have none to help them; that is why I am here-- not to gratify any personal animosity, revenge, or vindictive spirit. It is my sympathy with the oppressed and the wronged, that are as good as you and as precious in the sight of God."<br /><br />(Brown before his sentencing for treason): "I believe that to have interfered as I have done, as I have always freely admitted I have done on behalf of His despised poor, is no wrong, but right. Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I say, let it be done."<br /><br />Henry David Thoreau: "He could not have been tried by a jury of peers, because his peers did not exist... I see now that it was necessary that the bravest and humanest man in all the country should be hung... I rejoice that I live in this age, that I am his contemporary."<br /><br />Frederick Douglass: "His zeal in the cause of my race was far greater than mine. Mine was bounded by time; his stretched away to the boundless shores of eternity. I could live for the slave, but he could die for him."

A little on the dry side at times yet still some interesting history.

This thoroughly researched study of two emblematic giants of U.S. history compares and contrasts the very different -- and differently significant -- actions taken by John Brown and Abraham Lincoln regarding freeing the country's enslaved population. While the fiery Brown's life and death comprise the book's the most dramatic sections, the detailed narrative explaining Lincoln's gradual, lawyerly progress to supporting emancipation are equally fascinating. Because the author is a skillful storyteller as well as an accomplished historian, the book can be as rewarding for general readers as for specialists in the period. Thanks to the publisher for supplying an advance reading copy via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.