Talk:John Brown (abolitionist)

Victor Hugo's letter

London News

The claim that Hugo's letter was "first published" in the London News is not supported by the cited source (David S. Reynolds) which states only that it was "sent ... to the London News". I am dubious that there existed a publication called London News in 1859. There were

• London Daily News, published the letter 9 Dec p. 15 c. 6 with heading

  We have received from Guernsey, with a request that it should appear it our columns, the following eloquent appeal from the illustrious poet of France...

• The Illustrated London News; no match for the letter on HathiTrust
• London Evening News was defunct by Dec 1859

The earliest publication I found on British Newspaper Archive is Morning Advertiser 8 December 1859 p. 3 c. 6 with introduction

To the editor of the London Advertiser

Sir, My father requests me to forward to you a few pages which he has written in reference to John Brown... yours, &c.,

Francois Victor Hugo -Guernsey, Dec. 5, 1859

The Paris correspondent of the Morning Herald noted on the 9th (p. 5 c. 4) that Hugo's French text was also published on the 8th in Paris by "both the Presse and the Opinion Nationale"

Of two 1860 reprints in the United States,

• one in Boston by the American Anti-Slavery Society is to the editor of "The London News"
• one in New York by Irwin P. Beadle is to the editor of "the London Star"; with a reply from Ann S. Stephens adverting to "your letter to the London Star".

If the American Anti-Slavery Society were sloppy with details they considered unimportant that might mislead later sources like Reynolds. jnestorius^(talk) 01:15, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Dates

Hugo's letter was dated 2 December. He says:

John Brown, condemned to die, was to have been hanged on the 2d of December—this very day. But news has just reached us. A respite has been granted to him. It is not until the 16th that he is to die.

This 1861 reprint says "But it was too late; the news of the reprieve was false". Might Hugo have invented the fake news (fake fake news?) to give more pathos to his letter?

This source says French newspapers printed the letter on 9 December "backdated for effect". François-Victor's covering letter to the Morning Advertiser was dated the 5th. Perhaps the original was on the 2nd, the English translation on the 5th. Or perhaps both were on the 5th. Would it take longer for post to get from Guernsey to London or Paris? Hugo was persona non grata in France so there might have been delays from mail inspectors or press censors.

jnestorius^(talk) 01:15, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Should W.E.B Du Bois be listed under contemporaries

Du Bois was born over 8 years after John borwn's death, they did not live alongside each other.Should he be roved form the contemporaries section Roma enjoyer (talk) 14:56, 19 January 2024 (UTC)

Exponent versus proponent?

I found this line confusing until someone pointed out to me that there was a definition of exponent that I wasn't aware of.

"Brown was the leading exponent of violence in the American abolitionist movement

But I still feel like proponent would be better after reading about it here.

Anybody else think so? Is there some reason why exponent is really better that I'm not aware of? Mmarchin (talk) 20:06, 1 March 2024 (UTC)

Hanged not hung

"The military, prepared for an attack, lined the square where Brown was to be hung, with "the greatest array of disciplined forces ever seen in Virginia", according to Major Preston.[207]"

It should be hanged, not hung. 2A00:23C8:2D88:5101:6682:3607:2A8:8647 (talk) 21:57, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

I looked it up and Merriam Webster says:

The past tense of hang in almost all situations is hung. You hung a picture on the wall, or you hung out at the mall. Only use hanged when referring to someone being sentenced to death via hanging. Some people bristle when they hear hanged or hung used incorrectly.

I will change it.–CaroleHenson (talk) 23:22, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

 Done here.–CaroleHenson (talk) 23:26, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

The Math is Off?

How can he be the fourth child of his parents, when he is listed as being born in 1800 (after his older sister's birth in 1798), but the other siblings listed were born in 1802 and 1804? This does not make sense without reference to his other two older siblings, in this list of four people John was born second not fourth. 76.247.110.161 (talk) 19:41, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

You are correct; thanks for bringing it up. I changed the wording to make the citations more forgivable. The note and the sources make it seem there is no authoritative source for a list of the siblings. BusterD (talk) 21:03, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

Evangelist vs. Evangelical

In the initial sentence the article describes Capt. Brown as an "evangelist." I've not read -everything- about him but have never read a source citing him as an evangelist. I'm wondering if there isn't confusion with the term "evangelical," which would be an accurate description of his religious convictions according to Dr. DeCaro in "Fire From the Midst of You."

I have little experience submitting suggestions for changes on Wikipedia. Please excuse any errors on my part. JohnBrownMarchingOn (talk) 22:08, 8 September 2024 (UTC)