>> GOOD EVENING, CHRIS.
THANK YOU, MY FRIEND.
THANKS AT HOME FOR JOINING US
THIS HOUR.
IN 1845, FREDERICK DOUG LOSS,
THE GREAT AMERICAN ABOLITIONIST,
PUBLISHED THE FIRST OF WHAT
WOULD BECOME THREE AUTO BIO
GRAPHICAL ACCOUNTS OF HIS LIFE.
THE FIRST ONE WAS CALLED
"NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF
FREDERICK DOUGLAS, AN AMERICAN
SLAVE."
HE IS OF COURSE ONE OF THE
GREATEST AMERICANS OF ALL TIME.
HIS AUTO BIOGRAPHIES ABOUT LIFE
AS A SLAVE AND HIS STRUGGLE TO
BECOME FREE, IN ADDITION TO
EVERYTHING ELSE HE DID IN HIS
LIFE, THOSE WRITTEN WORKS ARE
SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL
WRITTEN AMERICAN ACCOUNTS OF
ANYTHING ON ANY SUBJECT.
IN NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE, WHICH
IS THE MOST WIDELY READ OF THE
THREE OF HIS THREE AUTOBIO
GRAPHICAL ACCOUNTS BUT ALSO IN
THE SUBSEQUENT ONES HE WROTE AS
WELL INCLUDING THE NEXT ONE "BY
BONDAGE AND MY FREEDOM," ONE OF
THE MOST HARROWING THINGS HE
DESCRIBES ABOUT HIS LIFE IS A
YEAR-LONG PERIOD WHERE THE MAN
WHO OWNED HIM AS A SLAVE DECIDED
THAT YOUNG FREDERICK DOUGLAS WAS
ENCOURAGEABLE.
HE DECIDED THAT FREDERICK
DOUGLAS NEEDED, IN EFFECT, TO BE
TAMED, TO BE BROKEN.
AND SO HE SHIPPED FREDERICK
DOUGLAS OFF TO A MAN LITERALLY
KNOWN AS A SLAVE BREAKER.
THE SLAVE BREAKER WAS NAMED
EDWARD COVEY, C-O-V-E-Y.
THIS IS PART OF HOW FREDERICK
DOUGLAS DESCRIBES HIM.
HE SAYS, QUOTE, I HAVE NOW LIVED
WITH HIM, MEANING HIS SLAVE
OWNER, NEARLY NINE MONTHS, AND
HE HAD GIVEN ME A NUMBER OF
SEVERE WHIPPINGS, WITHOUT ANY
VISIBLE IMPROVEMENT IN MY
CHARACTER OR ANY CONDUCT.
NOW HE WAS RESOLVED TO PUT ME
OUT AS HE SAID, QUOTE, TO BE
BROKEN.
THERE WAS IN THE BAY SIDE A MAN
NAMED EDWARD COVEY, WHO ENJOYED
THE KPE CRATED REPUTATION OF
BEING A FIRST RATE HAND AT
BREAKING YOUNG NEGROES.
BREAKING.
FREDERICK DOUGLAS THEN GOES ON
IN CHAPTER AFTER CHAPTER AFTER
CHAPTER IN THIS AUTO BIOGRAPHY.
LOOK AT THIS.
THE EXPERIENCE.
YOU KNOW, COVEYS MANNER OF
PROCEEDING TO WHIP.
CHAPTER AFTER CHAPTER AFTER
CHAPTER HE DESCRIBES THIS
EXPERIENCE, THE WAY THAT EDWARD
COVEY TORTURED HIM AND BEAT HIM
NEARLY TO DEATH AND WORKED HIM
NEARLY TO DEATH ALL THE TRY TO
DESTROY FREDERICK DOUGLAS
SPIRIT, TO TURN HIM INTO A
DOCILE SLAVE WHO WOULD WORK OUT
QUESTION WHERE HE WOULD THEN BE
RETURNED TO HIS OWNER.
BECAUSE DOUGLAS IS SO CAPABLE
AND BRILLIANT, HIS OWN
RECOUNTING OF WHAT HAPPENED TO
HIM IN THAT PERIOD OF HIS LIFE,
WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM WHEN HIS
SLAVE OWNER SENT HIM TO EDWARD
COVEY, WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AT
EDWARD COVEYS HANDS, WHAT
HAPPENED TO HIM WHEN HE STAYED
AT HIS FARM, BECAUSE FREDERICK
DOUGLAS IS SUCH A LUMINOUS,
IMPORTANT, BRILLIANT, INSPIRING,
INCREDIBLE FIGURE, UNPARALLELED
FIGURE IN AMERICAN HISTORY,
BECAUSE OF WHAT WE KNOW HE IS
CAPABLE OF, BECAUSE OF WHAT WE
KNOW WHAT HIS MIND WAS CAPABLE
OF AND WHAT HE DID FOR HIS
COUNTRY IN HIS LIFE, WHEN HE
RECOUNTS WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AT
THE HANDS OF EDWARD COVEY, IT IS
THE MOST DISSPIRITING AND
DECEMBER LIT AND MISERABLE THING
THAT DOUGLAS WRITES ABOUT.
HE SAID, I SHALL NEVER BE ABLE
TO NARRATE THE MENTAL EXPERIENCE
THROUGH WHICH IT WAS MY LOT TO
PASS DURING MY STAY.
I WAS COMPLETELY WRECKED,
CHANGED AND BEWILDERED, GOATED
ALMOST TO MADNESS AT ONE TIME
AND AT ANOTHER RECONCILING
MYSELF TO MY WRETCHED CONDITION.
I SUFFERED BODILY AS WELL AS
MENTALLY, HE SAYS.
THE OVERWORK AND BRUTAL
CHASTISES OF WHICH I WAS THE
VICTIM, COMBINED WITH THAT EVER
GNAWING AND SOUL DEVOURING
THOUGHT, I AM A SLAVE, A SLAVE
FOR LIFE, IT RENDERED ME A
LIVING EMBODIMENT OF MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL WRETCHEDNESS.
THAT WAS FREDERICK DOUGLAS
ACCOUNT OF HIS OWN LIFE IN THAT
LOWEST PERIOD IN HIS OWN LIFE.
AND THAT WRITTEN ACCOUNT DID
MORE THAN ANY OTHER TO GALVANIZE
THE AMERICAN ABOLITIONIST
MOVEMENT TO BRING AN END TO
SLAVERY.
OF COURSE IT WAS NOT FICTION.
IT REALLY HAPPENED AND IT
HAPPENED AS FREDERICK DOUGLAS
SAID IT DID AND EDWARD COVEY WAS
A REAL PERSON WHO OPERATED A
SLAVE BREAKING OPERATION AT HIS
FARM TO WHICH FREDERICK DOUGLAS
WAS SENT.
NOW, IF YOU GO BACK TO THAT
INITIAL DESCRIPTION, DOUGLAS
DESCRIBES COVEYS FARM AS BEING
ON THE BAY SIDE.
WHAT HE MEANT BY THAT IS THAT
THE FARM WAS ON THE FAR SIDE OF
CHESAPEAKE BAY, THE FAR SIDE OF
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM THE MAINLAND
OF MARYLAND.
EDWARD COVEYS FARM, HIS SLAVE
BREAKING OPERATION WHICH HE
TORTURED FREDERICK DOUGLAS AND
COUNTLESS OTHERS WAS THIS HOUSE.
AND ITS SURROUNDING FARMLAND ON
THE EASTERN FARMLAND.
THE FARM AND THE HOUSE AT THE
FARM ITSELF HAD A NAME, A
FITTING NAME.
IT WAS CALLED MOUNT MISERY.
ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO NOW, A
LITERATURE PROFESSOR WROTE A
VERY THOUGHTFUL PIECE IN THE
BALTIMORE SUN NEWSPAPER
SUGGESTING A NEW FUTURE FOR
MOUNT MISERY, SUGGESTING THAT
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
SHOULD CONSIDER BUYING MOUNT
MISERY TO MAKE IT A
COMMEMORATIVE SITE.
HE ARGUED, WOULD NOT THE MOST
FITTING OUTCOME FOR MOUNT MISERY
BE AS A MONUMENT OR MUSEUM
WHEREIN A KEY MOMENT FROM THE
COUNTRYS PAST CAN FIND A
RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE COUNTRYS
HISTORY.
THE FIGHT BETWEEN SLAVE AND
SLAVE BREAKER THAT TOOK PLACE
THERE IS EMBLEMATIC OF TWO OF
THE THEMES OF AMERICAN HISTORY,
THE HORRORS OF LEGALLY
SANCTIONED RACIAL VIOLENCE AND
ALSO THE NOBILITY OF THE
STRUGGLE AGAINST IT.
AND THEN HERES ACTUALLY THE
KICKER FROM THAT PIECE.
THE PROFESSOR SAYS, QUOTE,
PRESERVING MOUNT MISERY AS A
PUBLIC SITE OF CONTEMPLATION
FROM DEMOCRACY AND DECEMBER
PATISM ARE GIVEN A HUMAN FACE
ALSO WOULD HELP KEEP SAINT
MICHAELS FROM BEING MERELY A
RESORT FOR THE WEALTHY.
A RESORT FOR THE WEALTHY?
CHECK THIS OUT.
THE OCCASION FOR THAT CALL THAT
WELL-ARGUED PIECE IN THE
BALTIMORE SUN THAT MOUNT MISERY
SHOULD BE PURCHASED AND
PRESERVED BY THIS COUNTRY
AGAINST SAVES IN GREAT NUMBERS
BUT SPECIFICALLY AGAINST ONE OF
THE GREATEST AMERICANS OF ALL
TIME, THE KEY ROLE THAT THE
TORTURE IN THAT HOUSE PLAYED IN
TURNING ON OUR AMERICAN
CONSCIOUS TO EVENTUALLY
OVERTHROW SLAVERY, THE OCCASION
FOR THAT CALL TO PRESERVE MOUNT
MISERY AS A MONUMENT TO THE HELL
THAT HAPPENED THERE, THE REASON
THE BALTIMORE SUN PUBLISHED THAT
JUST LESS THAN 15 YEARS AGO NOW
WAS THIS REVELATION THAT WAS
PUBLISHED IN "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" EXACTLY 15 YEARS AGO
TODAY.
ON JUNE 30th, 2006, ITS TITLES
WEEKENDS WITH THE PRESIDENTS
MEN.
IT IS KIND OF A KICKY SIDEBAR
PIECE IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
THAT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE SUMMER
OF 2006.
AND THAT PIECE REVEALED THAT
THAT SITE ON THE EASTERN SHORE
OF MARYLAND, MOUNT MISERY, THAT
HOUSE, THAT FARM HAD ACTUALLY
BEEN RECENTLY PURCHASED AND WAS
NOW BEING LIVED IN AS A PRIVATE
HOME.
CAN YOU IMAGINE, RIGHT?
FIRST OF ALL, THE HOUSE IS STILL
CALLED MOUNT MISERY TODAY.
THATS STILL THE NAME BY WHICH
IT IS KNOWN.
WHO WOULD WANT TO LIVE IN A
PLACE CALLED MOUNT MISERY?
BUT THEN YOU GET TO THE REASON
THAT ITS CALLED MOUNT MISERY,
RIGHT?
IT WAS THE HOME, THE SAME
BUILDING STANDING THERE SINCE
1804. FREDERICK DOUGLAS WAS TORTURED
FREDERICK DOUGLAS WAS TORTURED
THERE IN 1833 AND 1834.
WHETHER OR NOT YOU THINK THAT
PLACE SHOULD BE PURCHASED BY
THIS COUNTRY AND MADE INTO A
MEMORIAL FOR THE WORST MOST
VIOLENT EVILS OF SLAVERY AND
THEIR ROLE ON TURNING ON
AMERICANS CONSCIOUS TO END
SLAVERY, WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE
INTO THAT IDEA, WOULD YOU WANT
TO LIVE THERE YOURSELF?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO WAKE UP THERE
IN THE MORNING AND PLAN
BREAKFAST, HAVE THAT BE YOUR
HOME?
WHO WOULD DO THAT?
THAT ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" 15 YEARS AGO
TODAY WAS ACTUALLY CONTROVERSIAL
AT THE TIME THAT IT WAS
PUBLISHED BECAUSE IN WRITING
THAT PIECE IT DID REVEAL THE
EXACT HOME ADDRESS OF A SENIOR
GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WHO IN FACT
HAD MADE MOUNT MISERY HIS
PRIVATE HOME.
HIS NAME IS DONALD RUMSFELD, AND
HE WAS AT THE TIME, THE SUMMER
OF 2006, STRUGGLING TO THE END
OF HIS DISASTROUS TENURE AS
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE UNDER THE
BUSH ADMINISTRATION.
HE LIVED AT THE TIME AT MOUNT
MISERY.
HE BOUGHT THE PLACE IN 2003 AS
HE WAS LEADING THE NATION INTO
THE INVASION OF IRAQ.
THAT WAS WHERE HE WENT TO GET
AWAY FROM WASHINGTON WHILE
RUNNING TWO DISASTROUS WARS.
HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE