A must read: 'A Voice from Harper's Ferry'
With essays by Mumia Abu-Jamal, Monica Moorehead &
Vince Copeland
By Pam
Parker
"A Voice from Harper's Ferry" is a must read for any serious
student of the history of slavery, Black oppression and
rebellion in the United States.
The pamphlet was written by Osborne P. Anderson, who was the
only surviving African American participant in the raid. It
includes essays by the late Vince Copeland, a founding member
of Workers World Party; Monica Moorehead, the 2000 presidential
candidate of Workers World Party; and Mumia Abu-Jamal, former
Black Panther Party member and current political prisoner.
Contrary to popular belief, there were a tremendous number
of insurrections against slavery in the United States, Latin
America and the Caribbean. These insurrections ranged from
poisoning the slave masters to full-scale armed rebellions.
One such rebellion that was pivotal to the struggle against
slavery was the raid on Harper's Ferry on Oct. 17, 1859.
Osborne Anderson was a free man who, after surviving the
rebellion, fought as a noncommissioned officer on the side of
the Union Army in the Civil War. His first-hand account of the
raid on Harper's Ferry was originally published in 1861. This
was right after the start of the Civil War.
The manuscript was discovered in 1974 by Vince Copeland, and
reprinted with his help in 1980. His introduction to that
printing, "The Unfinished Revolution," appears again in the new
edition.
Monica Moorehead gives a thorough definition of what
constitutes a nation. She writes that some may think that "a
nation is a group of people who share a common language, common
heritage, and common borders. But this gives only a partial
answer."
She explains that many nations are oppressed inside of other
nations. Such was the plight of the African slave, and still is
of many oppressed nations within the United States today.
Mumia Abu-Jamal writes from his cell on death row that
Osborne P. Anderson's account of the raid "opens the door to a
history seldom seen."
The cause of Black liberation
This year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of John
Brown. In 1854, Brown and six of his sons joined the
anti-slavery struggle in Kansas. They played a crucial role in
keeping Kansas free from slavery.
Brown studied the slave uprisings of Nat Turner, Gabriel
Prosser, Denmark Vesey and others as he painstakingly plotted
the Harper's Ferry revolt. The plan was to capture Harper's
Ferry, a strategically located town in Virginia, and use the
huge arsenal there to arm the many slaves who lived in the
area.
Anderson reflects on the natural tendency of humans to
reject being enslaved: "There is an unbroken chain of sentiment
and purpose from Moses ... to John Brown ... to ... Gabriel,
and the Denmark Veseys, Nat Turners ... of the Southern states"
to reject slavery.
He describes the participants in the rebellion, giving the
reader a glimpse into the personalities and backgrounds of
these courageous men.
He speaks with great admiration of John Brown, the white
abolitionist who initiated the raid, looking past the fact that
his skin was of the same color as the slave masters'. Anderson
was inspired by the fact that this man was willing to take up
arms against the slavocracy in the cause of Black
liberation.
He also speaks in admiration of the many Black men, some
"freed," who gave their lives to the struggle. Many of them
were offered arms shortly before the rebellion, and did not
hesitate to fight.
In his account you don't get the feeling that these men were
on a suicide mission, but that theirs was one of many
well-planned and well-executed rebellions against the cruelty
and repression of slavery. Their intent was to incite
widespread uprisings.
Anderson gives delightful accounts of the fear and disbelief
of the slaveholders as they were overtaken and stripped of
their arms by slaves. One of the plans was to have a Southern
colonel deliver his arms in surrender to Anderson, because "it
is proper that the South be taught a lesson at this point."
He explains that "Captain John Brown" lingered at the ferry
while considering the release of his prisoners. This hesitation
gave the "marines" the opportunity to close in on them from all
sides and smash the insurrection. Anderson details the savage
and merciless attack on his comrades by the enemy.
There were no regrets. And even in the face of a military
defeat, Anderson saw this battle as an example of what could be
accomplished.
This rebellion sparked fear in the hearts of the ruling
classes.
Anderson wrote, "As it was, even the noble old man's
mistakes were productive of great good. ... John Brown did not
only capture and hold Harper's Ferry for twenty hours, but he
held the whole South."
The book is available at www.leftbooks.com.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
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