* Introduction * To Free the Slaves * Carrying the War into Africa * Framing the Charges * The Indictment * The Jury Is Summoned * The Testimony Begins * The Name and the Shadow of a Fair Trial * The Quiet Was Deceptive * The Verdict * The Sentence * The Execution * Marching On * Notes * Bibliography * Index
John Brown's Trial is an important book on an important subject. Brian McGinty's impressive research sheds much new light on a crucial--and previously underappreciated--event in American legal history. -- Steven Lubet, author of Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp There have been many books about John Brown, but none provides as comprehensive an account of the famous trial as does McGinty's. His well-written narrative is compelling and lucid. I especially appreciated his analysis of whether Brown received a fair trial. Here is another winner from the author of Lincoln and the Court. -- Frank J. Williams, former Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and founding chair of The Lincoln Forum McGinty casts the spotlight on one of the great courtroom dramas of the nineteenth century, the trial of John Brown. This is Brown as we have never seen him before--not the martyr, nor the fanatic, but a man in complete control, who manages to transform his treason trial into a searing indictment of slavery in America. -- Thomas J. Craughwell, author of Stealing Lincoln's Body
Brian McGinty is an attorney and writer specializing in American history and law.
John Brown's Trial is an important book on an important subject.
Brian McGinty's impressive research sheds much new light on a
crucial--and previously underappreciated--event in American legal
history.
*Steven Lubet, author of Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten
Trial of Wyatt Earp*
There have been many books about John Brown, but none provides as
comprehensive an account of the famous trial as does McGinty's. His
well-written narrative is compelling and lucid. I especially
appreciated his analysis of whether Brown received a fair trial.
Here is another winner from the author of Lincoln and the
Court.
*Frank J. Williams, former Chief Justice of the Rhode Island
Supreme Court and founding chair of The Lincoln Forum*
McGinty casts the spotlight on one of the great courtroom dramas of
the nineteenth century, the trial of John Brown. This is Brown as
we have never seen him before--not the martyr, nor the fanatic, but
a man in complete control, who manages to transform his treason
trial into a searing indictment of slavery in America.
*Thomas J. Craughwell, author of Stealing Lincoln's
Body*
You'd think little new could be said about one of the most famous
trials in American history. But McGinty comes to his work as
attorney as well as historian. The result is a fresh perspective on
the trial of John Brown, a work that adds appreciably to our
understanding of the coming of the Civil War. Brown's trial, after
his 1859 attack on the federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Va.,
caused a sensation for its bold challenge to slavery...The author's
legal knowledge illuminates the proceedings' intricacies and
shortcomings, and reveals how Brown's brief closing statement,
considered among the most eloquent words in the nation's history,
had a more lasting impact than his armed raid.
*Publishers Weekly*
McGinty has written an important account emphasizing Brown's trial
rather than the raid itself as a significant turning point in the
struggle between North and South prior to the Civil War.
Recommended for all readers interested in the Civil War.
*Library Journal*
[McGinty] so judiciously arrays the facts and law of the four-day
trial in a Western Virginia courtroom, we are given a fresh
perspective on the meaning of John Brown...McGinty's narrative is
not confined to the trial and the legal issues of his argument. All
the fascinating details are here, from Brown's background to the
poetic legacy...Worth reading.
*Roanoke Times*
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