The Secret Six: John Brown and the Abolitionist Movement

by Otto Scott

Book Overview

The Secret Six: John Brown and the Abolitionist Movement, including Notes, Bibliography, and Index, 375 pages. (First Edition, New York Times Book Co., 1979. Second Edition, The Foundation for... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812907779
• ISBN13: 9780812907773
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Nyt Times Books
• Length: 375 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Must read!!

A great treatise on a subject that many Americans are ignorant and misinformed about. As with any work, the reader must realize the underlying assumptions and agendas being put forth by the author and their reasonableness and validity. I believe that Otto Scott has done an exceptional job presenting and supporting his argument.

Otto Scott's book on John Brown

This is a marvelous book! A real eyeopener, and backed with facts, not opinions! The author, a professional journalist, really did his homework before he wrote this very professional and thorough fact filled book. Highly interesting and thought provoking, though some of what he reveals is a bit shocking. As a college history instructor, this is one book that I highly recommend to everyone who enjoys history and who values truth. Dr. James Brooks

Excelent, Must Read book on John Brown

This book shows John Brown's victims were NOT "Pro-slavery" and they were NOT slave owners. (Contrary to Northern mythology.) The previous person said to read Renehan's book instead, which refuted this book. That's NOT correct. Here is what Renhan had to say: [Quoting directly from Renhan's book] Free-state emigrants flowed not only from the North but also from the South, looking to found a state where, in the absence of slavery, their labor would be in demand. One John Doyle, who was destined to have a fatal run-in with John Brown, brought his family from Tennessee, recalled his widow, in order to "get to a free state where they would be no slave labor to hinder white men from making a fair day's wage." Her husband often said to her "that slavery was ruinous go to white labor; and that they had a large family of boys and would go there [to Kansas] and settle and try to get comfortable homes for their children." (5) Source-"The Secret Six"-Edward J. Renehan, Jr-copyright-1997; University of South Carolina Press-ISBN 1-57003-181-9 (pbk)-p. 82-83 (5) [p. 281] Amos A. Lawrence, Papers Relating to John Brown, Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Amos A. Lawrence, February 12, 1885, 151. Maggie Moore to Amos A. Lawrence, Chattanooga, 26 May 1885, Lawrence Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society [End Quote] Now notice, what Otto Scott says. (again notice, both books state, Browns victims were NOT "pro-slavery", and they were NOT slave owners. (also note the footnotes both books use. The footnotes are primary source material) [Quoting this book-Otto Scott] The night was hot and humid; the river was not far away. The Doyle family was asleep as the men approached their cabin. Two bulldogs rushed out, barking. Two of the men stopped and slashed one to death with their sabers. The other dog fled, howling, and the family awoke. The men knocked heavily on the door and James Doyle swung out of bed. "What is it?" he called. "What way to the Wilkinson place?" a man's voice answered. Doyle opened the door, saying he would tell them, and was almost knocked off his feet when several men rushed in shouting, "We're the Northern Army! Surrender!" Mahala Doyle clutched her youngest, a girl, and began to stammer. "Hush, Mother, hush," said James Doyle. His three sons moved beside him: William, twenty-two, Drury, twenty, and Hon, fourteen. The men pushed Doyle, and then the two eldest sons, out the door. Mahala Doyle began to weep, but when they reached for the fourteen-year-old she sprang out of bed and clutched him "Not him; Oh, God, not him." (3) The old man in the light jacket, leather tie, and farmer's straw hat, his face as thin and stern as an ax, punched the boy back and the men left, slamming the door. Mahala Doyle clutched John and listened, her eyes wide. The men stopped their prisoners about two hundred yards from the Doyle cabin, The leader placed his revolver against Doyle's forehead and pul

The movement is still going on. Great Job Otto!

The book shows the kind of men that financed John Brown's Abolitionist movement. They had no regard for the laws and Constitution of this country when it came to their fanatical obsession of the way our government should be governed. After reading this book, one knows that the Abolitionist movement is alive and well, media and all! The American people do not know their history. This book exposes a lot of truth as to what the movement really was: Power to overthrow the government by using the slavery issue to gain power over the states. It was a movement that caused the bloodiest war of our history. The loss of lives was more than any other war the Americans have fought. The Abolitionists were very prominent in their society: Preachers, teachers, and physicians. Because of their staus, they were able to influence the people. The slavery issue could have been solved the same way England solved their slave issue, by compromising and relocating the slaves. The real sad part is John Brown as being hailed as a hero while he should have been tried and hung for the murder of so many inncoent people. This book helps to put to rest the myth of John Brown as being a hero. It shows the fanatacism and cowardice of the Abolitionist movement by their use of others to do their dirty work. In this book, Otto does not take sides. He takes the historical happenings of both sides and allows the reader to draw up the conclusions themselves. He has the book well-indexed so that further study can be made. The excellent thing about this book is that you cannot find many books about the Abolitionist movement. Their movement has been well hidden from public view. (Too bad you only go up to 5 stars. It should have been given 5 and then some. Possibly 10 stars.) If you are interested in another book about the same issue, I recommend Samuel A Aslie's "A Southern View of the Invasion of the Southern States and War of 1861-1865."

The movement is still going on today. Excellent job Otto!

The book shows the kind of men that financed John Brown's abolitionsit movment. They had no regard for the laws and Constitution of this country when it came to their fanatical obsession of the way our government should be governed. After reading this book, one knows that the Abolitionist movement is alive and well, media and all! The American people do not know their history. This book exposes a lot of truth as to what the movement really was: power to overthrow the government by using the slavery issue to gain power over the states. It was a movement that caused the bloodiest war of our history. The loss of lives was more than any other war the Americans have fought. The Abolitionists were very prominent in their society: preachers, teachers, physicians, that they were able to influence the people. The slavery issue could have been solved the same way England solved their slave issues, by compromising and relocating the slaves. The real sad part is John Brown was hailed as a hero while he should have been tried and hung for the murder of so many innocent people. This book helps to put to rest the myth of John Brown as being a hero. It shows the fanatacism and cowardice in the Abolitionist movement by using others to do their dirty work. In this book, Otto does not take sides. He takes the historical happenings of both sides and allows the reader to draw up the conclusions themselves. He has the book well-indexed so that futher study can be made. The excellent thing about this book is that you cannot find many books about the Abolitionist movement. Their movement has been well hidden from the public. We are left with the films, fables, poems, books, etc with the one-sided view. All of these are far from truthful. (TOO BAD YOU ONLY GO UP TO 5 STARS. IT SHOULD BE GIVEN 5 AND THEN SOME. POSSIBLY 10 STARS)