On Tuesday, October 26, 2010 noted Connecticut historian Bill Hosley presented "John Brown: The Connecticut Roots of an American Legend"
Martyr, terrorist, evangelist, and anti-slavery crusader, America never forgets nor fully reconciles its perspectives on John Brown (1800-1859) the Connecticut native whose fiery rhetoric and controversial activism blazed the trail that led to our Civil War. Although he was raised mostly in Ohio and achieved fame in Kansas, Brown's combustible combination of evangelical fervor, yankee ingenuity and marketing savvy, made him a convincing exponent of Connecticut values and identity. This armchair tour of art, objects and historic sites associated with John Brown will recall the drama and issues of his life by reviewing how his legacy has been interpreted, preserved and expressed in art, sculpture, poetry, material culture, music and in mythologized historic sites. We also grapple with Brown's story as a prism through which a deeply divided Connecticut processed the most dramatic time in the nation's history - the decade leading up to the Civil War.
Martyr, terrorist, evangelist, and anti-slavery crusader, America never forgets nor fully reconciles its perspectives on John Brown (1800-1859) the Connecticut native whose fiery rhetoric and controversial activism blazed the trail that led to our Civil War. Although he was raised mostly in Ohio and achieved fame in Kansas, Brown's combustible combination of evangelical fervor, yankee ingenuity and marketing savvy, made him a convincing exponent of Connecticut values and identity. This armchair tour of art, objects and historic sites associated with John Brown will recall the drama and issues of his life by reviewing how his legacy has been interpreted, preserved and expressed in art, sculpture, poetry, material culture, music and in mythologized historic sites. We also grapple with Brown's story as a prism through which a deeply divided Connecticut processed the most dramatic time in the nation's history - the decade leading up to the Civil War.
