WEBVTT - Southern Politicians Get Spicy! Bedfellows Headfellows Part 1

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<v Speaker 1>School of Humans.

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<v Speaker 2>Did you guys know that back in the day, boys

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<v Speaker 2>used to share beds.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, but it's true.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, today sometimes the boys don't want to share beds.

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<v Speaker 2>Like I'm going on a trip soon and one of

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<v Speaker 2>my friends was like, I don't want to share the

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<v Speaker 2>bed with this other boy, and I said, fine, you

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<v Speaker 2>guys can have the room with the bunk beds.

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<v Speaker 1>So you know, if he was trying to not touch

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<v Speaker 1>the other boy.

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<v Speaker 2>Unfortunately, technically in the bunk beds, they're still going to

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<v Speaker 2>be on top of each other. But actually, back in

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<v Speaker 2>the day, it was quite normal to be a man

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<v Speaker 2>sharing your bed with another man, and sometimes not even

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<v Speaker 2>with a man you knew, just like a random guy.

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<v Speaker 1>Like maybe you're going.

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<v Speaker 2>To a hostel, a motel, a hotel, and you're in

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<v Speaker 2>one of the cheaper rooms. You might be sharing your

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<v Speaker 2>bed with another guy, just a random yeah, just like

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<v Speaker 2>you might be sleeping and then another man might be

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<v Speaker 2>slipping into your bed and then might be slipping into

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<v Speaker 2>something else, if you know what I mean. Yes, sometimes

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<v Speaker 2>men would sleep in beds with other men just to

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<v Speaker 2>be practical. But then sometimes they weren't just bedfellows. Oh no,

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<v Speaker 2>sometimes they became headfellows.

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<v Speaker 1>What a good joke.

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<v Speaker 2>As we all know, puns are the most sophisticated type

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<v Speaker 2>of humor. And sure, it's hard to like prove that,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, these men were sleeping together. People weren't really

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<v Speaker 2>talking about sexuality that much, whether hetero or homo, but

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<v Speaker 2>there is plenty of conjecture and some evidence that some

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<v Speaker 2>notable politicians in fact were headfellows. Again, that's men who

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<v Speaker 2>share beds, who have sex. It's a term I just

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<v Speaker 2>made up, but I am going to submit it to

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<v Speaker 2>the official historical record as a new thing to say.

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<v Speaker 2>And so American Filth we're having our first mini series.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right. We're gonna be.

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<v Speaker 2>Looking at several cases of headfellows. And first we're gonna

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<v Speaker 2>start with a pair of spicy, zesty letters between two

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<v Speaker 2>men who would go on to be some Southern and

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<v Speaker 2>Confederate politicians. And these letters, well, they prove that some

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<v Speaker 2>man on man hanky panky was occurring during the early

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<v Speaker 2>nineteenth century. You know what to do? Cue the theme song.

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<v Speaker 2>This is American Filth. I'm your host, Gabby Watts. Every

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<v Speaker 2>week I tell you a filthy story from American history.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's episode Bedfellows Headfellows Part one. Let's get into the

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<v Speaker 2>meat of this episode and meet one of the worst

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<v Speaker 2>men in American history, James H. Hammond ding ding ding

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<v Speaker 2>Ding ding ding ding ding Ding introducing our first headfellow. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>this guy was a huge piece of shit, if not

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<v Speaker 2>maybe one of the worst. One historian called him nothing

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<v Speaker 2>less than a monster.

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<v Speaker 1>So here's some of the horrendous stuff that he did.

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<v Speaker 2>Ps huge trigger warning for sexual assault. Hammond was born

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<v Speaker 2>in South Carolina in the early nineteenth century, and he

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't born well off, but he managed to snag himself

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<v Speaker 2>a wealthy lady named Catherine Fitzsimmons, and through her he

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<v Speaker 2>was able.

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<v Speaker 1>To enter the planter aristocracy.

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<v Speaker 2>Catherine was a shy seventeen year old whose family was

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<v Speaker 2>convinced that Hammond was just after her money, which he

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<v Speaker 2>probably was. As her new husband, he got all her stuff,

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<v Speaker 2>a ten thousand acre plantation, and he had two hundred

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<v Speaker 2>and twenty enslaved people, and oh boy, did he love slavery.

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<v Speaker 1>He's the one who coined the term cotton is King.

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<v Speaker 2>And he was also really into states rights, and by

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<v Speaker 2>the mid eighteen thirties he was making political moves He

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<v Speaker 2>eventually went on to be the governor of South Carolina,

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<v Speaker 2>a congressman, and a senator, And if you guys can

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<v Speaker 2>believe it, he didn't have a great personality among the

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<v Speaker 2>other planters. He had a pretty bad reputation. They thought

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<v Speaker 2>of him as aloof and vain, willful, proud, moody, reactive,

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<v Speaker 2>and he seemed to have a pretty heavy streak of sadism.

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<v Speaker 2>He himself would frequently beat the enslaved people on his plantation,

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<v Speaker 2>and then he would sometimes send them into malaria infested swamps. So, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>this guy was absolutely horrendous. But the thing is, his

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<v Speaker 2>bad behavior came to bite him in the back, in

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<v Speaker 2>the leg, in the butt. It bit him somewhere, and

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<v Speaker 2>his political career was interrupted.

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<v Speaker 1>For fourteen years.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, So what happened is it was eighteen forty six.

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<v Speaker 2>He was already well on his way into.

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<v Speaker 1>His political career.

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<v Speaker 2>He had served as the governor of South Carolina, and

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<v Speaker 2>at this point, one of South Carolina's senators was about

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<v Speaker 2>to step down and Hammond was going to take his place.

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<v Speaker 2>But suddenly Hammond withdrew from the seat because Hammond's brother

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<v Speaker 2>in law said to him, hey, if you become Senator,

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<v Speaker 2>I am going to expose some revealing information about you.

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<v Speaker 2>At the time, there were rumors of a sexual scandal

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<v Speaker 2>going on at the Hammonds, but there is no documentation

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<v Speaker 2>of what exactly happened.

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<v Speaker 1>But some sneaky, sneaky.

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<v Speaker 2>Historians published his diaries in the nineteen eighties and they

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<v Speaker 2>revealed what that incident was.

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<v Speaker 1>That his brother in law was referring to.

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<v Speaker 2>What had happened is that Hammond had repeatedly sexually abused

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<v Speaker 2>his four teenage nieces. And oh, do you think he

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<v Speaker 2>was apologetic about it? Absolutely not. In his diaries, Hammond

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<v Speaker 2>was like, I'm the victim. He's like, oh, goough, Why

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<v Speaker 2>am I being punished like this? All I did was

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<v Speaker 2>quote a little dalliance with the other sex. He also

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<v Speaker 2>just blamed the girls who he abused over two years.

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<v Speaker 2>He was like, oh, it's their fault. They were extremely

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<v Speaker 2>affectionate with me. They were the ones who permitted my

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<v Speaker 2>hands to stray unchecked, and they did not shrink from

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<v Speaker 2>my touch.

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<v Speaker 1>I fucking hate this guy.

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<v Speaker 2>And it was even worse than that, because Hammond was

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<v Speaker 2>also a frequent sexual abuser to the enslaved women on

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<v Speaker 2>his plantation.

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<v Speaker 1>He might have even.

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<v Speaker 2>Sexually assaulted a girl who was his own daughter. After

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<v Speaker 2>all of this sexual abuse, his wife left him and

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<v Speaker 2>took their children with her. But as history has taught

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<v Speaker 2>us again and again, it is literally impossible to cancel

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<v Speaker 2>a powerful white man. So like thirteen fourteen years yars later,

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<v Speaker 2>his wife had already come back to him, and then

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<v Speaker 2>he won a seat in the Senate in eighteen fifty seven. Yay,

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<v Speaker 2>nothing ever changes. So now that we really hate this guy,

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<v Speaker 2>let's get to the Bedfellows stuff. Also, I do think

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<v Speaker 2>this episode is slightly timely because Taylor Swift just put

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<v Speaker 2>out her album where she had a weird line where

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<v Speaker 2>she's like, I would live in the eighteen thirties without

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<v Speaker 2>all the racists or whatever.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, this episode is.

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<v Speaker 2>Mostly set in the eighteen twenties with all sorts of racists,

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<v Speaker 2>so I guess Taylor watch out for the eighteen twenties

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<v Speaker 2>as well. There were also racists then, so yeah, it's

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<v Speaker 2>pretty relevant to the modern day. Also, I do kind

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<v Speaker 2>of consider myself the Taylor Swift of podcasting, because sometimes

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<v Speaker 2>I used too many words to describe a simpler point

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<v Speaker 2>and could have been more thoughtful about what I said,

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<v Speaker 2>but instead decided to do quantity words instead of quality words.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you guys see what I'm saying?

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<v Speaker 2>See I'm doing it right now. But anyway, let's get

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<v Speaker 2>back to Hammond and start learning about this bedfellow's headfellow's stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>Before he was married, had an established political career, and

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<v Speaker 2>maybe before he was a complete pile of shit, he

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<v Speaker 2>was a young guy and had a pretty interesting relationship

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<v Speaker 2>with another young aspiring politician slash lawyer named Thomas Jefferson

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<v Speaker 2>Withers or just Jeffrey Withers or just jeff. Around the

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<v Speaker 2>time that Withers and Hammond became friends, Withers was studying

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<v Speaker 2>the law and he freaking hated it. He was like

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<v Speaker 2>the time one spends in college's time murdered. He's like,

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<v Speaker 2>why do I have to learn all these stupid dead

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<v Speaker 2>languages like Latin Ugh dumb? But Withers, through his own

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<v Speaker 2>education and education of himself because school was stupid, he

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<v Speaker 2>was like, I love States rights, national power boo. Like Hammond,

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<v Speaker 2>Withers was pretty unlikable. Some people described him as irritable

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<v Speaker 2>and moody and reactive, and maybe it's their general bad

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<v Speaker 2>attitudes that drew these two South Carolinians together. And how

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<v Speaker 2>they ended up being bedfellows. We don't know exactly when

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<v Speaker 2>they were in the same bed when they were doing bedfellowing,

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<v Speaker 2>but it seems that there was an opportunity where they

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<v Speaker 2>were doing that, and they were doing a lot more

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<v Speaker 2>than sleeping. Yeah, as they were two ambitious men who

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<v Speaker 2>were hustling and grinding, they might have also brought that

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<v Speaker 2>hustle and mostly that grind to the bedchamber. And how

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<v Speaker 2>do we know this well, because those sneaky sneaky historians

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<v Speaker 2>who love the hot goss they found a couple letters

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<v Speaker 2>that Withers wrote to Hammond, and damn they are frickin'

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<v Speaker 2>spicy as hell. And after these soothing advertisements, I'm gonna.

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<v Speaker 1>Read those letters to you. Brb.

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<v Speaker 2>Are you guys ready for this spice? Not like from Dune,

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<v Speaker 2>but like from the Gossip? Okay, So this is one

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<v Speaker 2>of the letters. On May fifteenth, eighteen twenty six. It

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<v Speaker 2>was sent from one Jeff Withers, our second bedfellow, ding

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<v Speaker 2>ding Ding, to our first bedfellow, Jim Hammond.

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<v Speaker 1>Jeff and Jim how romantic.

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<v Speaker 2>Pammond at the time would have been like nineteen and

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<v Speaker 2>Withers was about twenty two.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, here's the letter.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going to try to get into my best like

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<v Speaker 2>saucy Southern man voice.

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<v Speaker 1>Dear Jim.

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<v Speaker 2>No, I'm not going to do that, Okay, Dear Jim.

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<v Speaker 1>I got your.

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<v Speaker 2>Letter this morning at about eight o'clock from the hands

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<v Speaker 2>of the bearer. I was sick as the devil when

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<v Speaker 2>the gentlemen entered the room, and have been so during

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<v Speaker 2>most of the day. At about one o'clock I swallowed

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<v Speaker 2>a huge mass of epsom salts, and it will not

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<v Speaker 2>be hard to imagine that I have been at dirty work.

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<v Speaker 2>Since I feel partially relieved enough to write a hasty,

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<v Speaker 2>dull letter. MM so yeah, y'all are probably like, Wow,

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<v Speaker 2>this isn't actually that spicy. I don't need to know

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<v Speaker 2>about what he does when he doesn't feel good.

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<v Speaker 1>But also Ebsen salts still using that shit.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, whatever, But it's about to get very spicy because

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<v Speaker 2>he's like, I'm gonna write you a dull little letter,

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<v Speaker 2>but actually he's gonna write him a spicy little sex note.

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<v Speaker 2>I feel some inclination to learn whether you yet sleep

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<v Speaker 2>in your shirt tail and whether you yet have the

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<v Speaker 2>extravagant delight of poking and punching a writhing bedfellow with

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<v Speaker 2>your long flesh and pull the exquisite touches of which

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<v Speaker 2>I have often had the.

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<v Speaker 1>Honor of feeling.

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<v Speaker 2>Let me say unto THEE that unless thou changest former

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<v Speaker 2>habits in this particular, thou wilt be represented by every

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<v Speaker 2>future chum as.

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<v Speaker 1>A news sense. And I pronounce it with good reason too.

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<v Speaker 2>Sir, you roughen the downy slumbers of your bedfellow by

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<v Speaker 2>such hostile, furious lunges as you are in the habit

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<v Speaker 2>of making at him when he is least prepared for

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<v Speaker 2>defense against the crushing force of a battering ram without reformation,

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<v Speaker 2>My imagination depicts some awful results for which you will

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<v Speaker 2>be held accountable, and therefore it is that I earnestly

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<v Speaker 2>recommend it. Indeed, it is encouraging an assault and battery propensity.

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<v Speaker 1>Which needs correction.

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<v Speaker 2>An uncorrected threatens devastation, horror, and bloodshed.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you guys get what he's saying. He's basically being like,

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<v Speaker 1>oh my god.

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<v Speaker 2>Your flesh and poll It's like a battering ram. And

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<v Speaker 2>if you keep ramming it, baby, aUI, aUI, aUI, there's

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<v Speaker 2>gonna be devastation and bloodshed.

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<v Speaker 1>Daddy, like this is a real thing that they wrote

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<v Speaker 1>in history.

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<v Speaker 2>Isn't this amazing? And the rest of the letter it's

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<v Speaker 2>not really that interesting. But they just have this very

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<v Speaker 2>vulgar paragraph. But it ends with Jeff Withers saying, with

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<v Speaker 2>great respect, I am the old stud Jeff. No warm regards,

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<v Speaker 2>no best wishes, just I am the old stud Jeff. Also,

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<v Speaker 2>what I'm getting from this letter is that mister Hammond

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<v Speaker 2>was the top to mister Jeff Withers, unless that battering

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<v Speaker 2>ram was a power bottom. Unfortunately, we do not know

0:15:52.165 --> 0:15:56.685
<v Speaker 2>what Hammond said back to Withers, but Withers wrote again

0:15:56.765 --> 0:16:00.485
<v Speaker 2>to Hammond a few months later, on September twenty fourth,

0:16:00.565 --> 0:16:02.005
<v Speaker 2>eighteen twenty six.

0:16:03.445 --> 0:16:08.725
<v Speaker 1>It reads, my dear friend, your excellent letter.

0:16:08.565 --> 0:16:13.485
<v Speaker 2>Of thirteen June arrived a few weeks since, and it's

0:16:13.565 --> 0:16:18.205
<v Speaker 2>up to our imagination to imagine how excellent that letter was.

0:16:19.045 --> 0:16:21.645
<v Speaker 2>But in this one that Withers is writing, he gets

0:16:21.685 --> 0:16:22.565
<v Speaker 2>pretty saucy.

0:16:22.645 --> 0:16:24.445
<v Speaker 1>Yet again, it.

0:16:24.405 --> 0:16:27.565
<v Speaker 2>Seems that Weathers is trying to warn Hammond that Hammond's

0:16:27.565 --> 0:16:31.765
<v Speaker 2>sexual appetite is maybe a little bit too much. I

0:16:31.845 --> 0:16:36.765
<v Speaker 2>fancy Jim that your elongated protuberance, your flesh and pull,

0:16:36.925 --> 0:16:42.885
<v Speaker 2>your two Latin words indecipherable, has captured complete mastery over you.

0:16:43.445 --> 0:16:46.125
<v Speaker 2>And I really believe that you are charging over the

0:16:46.205 --> 0:16:50.965
<v Speaker 2>pine barrens of your locality, braying like an ass at

0:16:51.005 --> 0:16:55.765
<v Speaker 2>every she mail you can discover. I should lament to

0:16:55.805 --> 0:16:58.845
<v Speaker 2>hear of you feeding upon the dross of the pasture

0:16:59.285 --> 0:17:04.085
<v Speaker 2>and alarming the country with your vociferations. The day of

0:17:04.165 --> 0:17:07.325
<v Speaker 2>miracles may not be passed, and the flaming excess of

0:17:07.365 --> 0:17:13.085
<v Speaker 2>your lustful appetite may drag down the vengeance of supernal power.

0:17:13.965 --> 0:17:18.125
<v Speaker 2>And you'll be damned if you don't marry.

0:17:21.165 --> 0:17:23.205
<v Speaker 1>These horny guys, Jesus.

0:17:25.645 --> 0:17:29.685
<v Speaker 2>The historian who found these letters is Martin Duberman, and

0:17:29.765 --> 0:17:32.685
<v Speaker 2>apparently the archivists didn't want to give him these letters

0:17:32.725 --> 0:17:36.005
<v Speaker 2>because they didn't want him to see how gay these

0:17:36.045 --> 0:17:39.885
<v Speaker 2>guys were. He wrote a really excellent essay about these

0:17:40.005 --> 0:17:46.565
<v Speaker 2>letters that he called writhing Bedfellows. What Duberman was trying

0:17:46.605 --> 0:17:52.365
<v Speaker 2>to understand was are these letters representative of the cultural

0:17:52.485 --> 0:17:57.085
<v Speaker 2>context and attitudes around homosexuality at the time, or was

0:17:57.125 --> 0:18:03.165
<v Speaker 2>this just one specific case of homosexuality that occurred. So

0:18:03.325 --> 0:18:06.325
<v Speaker 2>here's the tea. Back when these were written in the

0:18:06.365 --> 0:18:10.885
<v Speaker 2>eighteen twenties, there was a more relaxed attitude towards sex.

0:18:11.645 --> 0:18:14.885
<v Speaker 2>This was before the second grade Awakening, This was before

0:18:14.965 --> 0:18:18.285
<v Speaker 2>there was a lot of evangelical sentiment in the South.

0:18:19.085 --> 0:18:22.365
<v Speaker 2>I mean, it wasn't completely relaxed or anything, but it

0:18:22.445 --> 0:18:26.925
<v Speaker 2>was pretty common that men, especially planters, were having lots

0:18:26.965 --> 0:18:32.045
<v Speaker 2>of sex outside of marriage. Durroim was also like, well,

0:18:32.125 --> 0:18:34.085
<v Speaker 2>if you look at the tone of these letters, it's

0:18:34.205 --> 0:18:38.885
<v Speaker 2>very casual. It's very flirtatious. You know, Withers isn't ashamed

0:18:38.965 --> 0:18:43.485
<v Speaker 2>of his behavior. He's like, murmurmur, your flesh and poll

0:18:43.645 --> 0:18:47.925
<v Speaker 2>or whatever. And so Duberman's guy of suggesting, like, well,

0:18:48.605 --> 0:18:51.645
<v Speaker 2>they're not trying to hide it. So maybe it was

0:18:51.685 --> 0:18:56.445
<v Speaker 2>actually more common than we think that men would have

0:18:56.525 --> 0:19:02.405
<v Speaker 2>homosexual relationships when they shared a bed, when they were bedfellows.

0:19:03.565 --> 0:19:07.365
<v Speaker 2>He's like, yeah, maybe homosexual quality and that kind of

0:19:07.405 --> 0:19:12.965
<v Speaker 2>behavior was casually tolerated at the time, meaning there might

0:19:12.965 --> 0:19:19.805
<v Speaker 2>have been a lot more headfellow bedfellows out there. But

0:19:19.925 --> 0:19:22.885
<v Speaker 2>the great thing about this is there's no real conclusion

0:19:22.925 --> 0:19:27.485
<v Speaker 2>because there's just not enough evidence out there. But whether

0:19:27.605 --> 0:19:30.085
<v Speaker 2>or not this was a larger trend, or whether this

0:19:30.285 --> 0:19:34.925
<v Speaker 2>was an isolated incident. Withers and Hammond went on to

0:19:34.965 --> 0:19:43.005
<v Speaker 2>have successful political careers despite their jaunt into homosexuality. Yeah,

0:19:43.045 --> 0:19:46.805
<v Speaker 2>they got to be those eighteen thirties racists that Taylor

0:19:46.885 --> 0:19:50.805
<v Speaker 2>Swift didn't want to have anything to do with. Hammond,

0:19:50.845 --> 0:19:53.925
<v Speaker 2>as we said, was a huge piece of shit. He

0:19:54.005 --> 0:19:56.645
<v Speaker 2>got canceled for like ten years, but then came back

0:19:56.725 --> 0:20:01.405
<v Speaker 2>because again cancelation doesn't work. And his four nieces who

0:20:01.445 --> 0:20:03.725
<v Speaker 2>he sexually abused, they.

0:20:03.565 --> 0:20:06.725
<v Speaker 1>Were ruined and they never went on to marry.

0:20:07.045 --> 0:20:10.525
<v Speaker 2>Hammond died shortly before the Civil War, while Weathers went

0:20:10.565 --> 0:20:14.965
<v Speaker 2>on to be part of the Confederate government. But don't

0:20:14.965 --> 0:20:17.965
<v Speaker 2>worry Whethers died shortly after the end of the Civil

0:20:18.005 --> 0:20:19.245
<v Speaker 2>War as a.

0:20:19.205 --> 0:20:24.045
<v Speaker 1>Big old loser. As always, we learn.

0:20:23.885 --> 0:20:26.885
<v Speaker 2>A lesson from American filth, and I think today's lesson

0:20:27.085 --> 0:20:29.885
<v Speaker 2>is that you can call your wee wee a flesh

0:20:29.965 --> 0:20:34.005
<v Speaker 2>and poll. Also, I guess it just reiterates that no

0:20:34.045 --> 0:20:36.485
<v Speaker 2>one can ever be canceled, and we are all alone and.

0:20:36.485 --> 0:20:41.245
<v Speaker 1>There's nothing we can do. I know, I know that's

0:20:41.325 --> 0:20:42.165
<v Speaker 1>not a good attitude.

0:20:42.205 --> 0:20:44.485
<v Speaker 2>I am trying to work on my nihilism, I promise,

0:20:44.965 --> 0:20:47.845
<v Speaker 2>But we are going to have another episode about bedfellows

0:20:47.885 --> 0:20:50.725
<v Speaker 2>next week, and this time it's about none other than

0:20:51.445 --> 0:20:59.485
<v Speaker 2>drum roll, drum roll, Abraham Lincoln. We cue the credits.

0:21:05.885 --> 0:21:08.045
<v Speaker 2>American Field is a production of School of Humans and

0:21:08.085 --> 0:21:12.565
<v Speaker 2>iHeart Podcast. It is produced, hosted, written by me Gabby Watts.

0:21:12.605 --> 0:21:15.605
<v Speaker 2>I also sound designed this episode. Our theme song is

0:21:15.605 --> 0:21:20.005
<v Speaker 2>by me and Jesse Niswanger. Our executive producers are Virginia Prescott,

0:21:20.005 --> 0:21:23.805
<v Speaker 2>Elsie Crowley, and Brandon Barr. Please leave the show a

0:21:23.925 --> 0:21:27.605
<v Speaker 2>review some stars you know, love it, hate it?

0:21:27.685 --> 0:21:29.445
<v Speaker 1>Do whatever help the algorithm.

0:21:29.885 --> 0:21:32.645
<v Speaker 2>Also, you can follow along with the show on Instagram

0:21:32.765 --> 0:21:37.325
<v Speaker 2>at American filth Pod. And just as a special little treat,

0:21:37.445 --> 0:21:39.725
<v Speaker 2>I am going to write a song that's gonna be

0:21:39.845 --> 0:21:42.605
<v Speaker 2>like a parody Taylor Swift song, but the lyrics are

0:21:42.645 --> 0:21:46.245
<v Speaker 2>going to be the words that we're in Wither's letter

0:21:46.325 --> 0:21:47.005
<v Speaker 2>to Hammond.

0:21:47.205 --> 0:21:48.845
<v Speaker 1>Okay, so it's gonna be.

0:21:48.805 --> 0:21:53.485
<v Speaker 2>Called Writhing Bedfellow or Flesh and Poll or something. But yeah,

0:21:53.565 --> 0:21:57.125
<v Speaker 2>go to Instagram, go see it. Talk at you next time.

0:22:05.805 --> 0:22:06.725
<v Speaker 1>School of Humans