1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Ye. 2 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to the show Ridiculous Historians, friends and neighbors. Thank 3 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: you for tuning in. If you are like some of 4 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: us in the studio today, perhaps you did some extra 5 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: curriculars in high school or maybe even college. Perhaps you 6 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: were one of those uh student council members or something 7 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: of the ILK maybe model you in or so on? Um, 8 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: but let us know, my name is Ben. Are you 9 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: accusing our audience of being nerds? Been? No? No, I 10 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: I actually I was in student council and took it 11 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: pretty far. What about what about you know? You uh 12 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: civic minded? Uh tyke? No, No, I was an artsy 13 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: type of nerd. I was in the orchestra and I 14 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: got beat up for that instead of being in student council. 15 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: Did you physically get beat up? Not really? Oh no. 16 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: It was a very pacifist job. And I went to 17 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: a fine arts magnet school, so it was cool to 18 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: be in the orchestra at those schools. But then I 19 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: had a real culture shock situation when I switched from 20 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: my fine arts minut school UH to a public high 21 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,279 Speaker 1: school in Birmingham, Alabama that was primarily focused on sport, 22 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: and it was a real adjustment. Let's say rule tide, 23 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,839 Speaker 1: big time, big roll tide. Okay, what does that even mean? 24 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: I you know what tides role? I remember somebody about 25 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: this on a previous episode. Yeah, it's for it's for 26 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: the Crimson tide. I here, it's According to Urban Dictionary, 27 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: role tide can be used as a greeting, a departure, 28 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: or to smooth rough ties between people and shut others up. 29 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: So it's it's a catch all. Uh, Let's introduce our 30 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: super producer, Casey Pegram. Casey, were you a student fond 31 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: of of civic organizations in your time? No? I was 32 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: a band kid. I was in the orchestra. I was 33 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: in the marching band, all that good stuff. Did you 34 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: get beaten up? No? No, I didn't get beaten up. 35 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: It was we We kind of had like an understanding. Yeah. Yeah, 36 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: and you were you were one of the percussion kids, right, 37 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: You were on the drum line, And that is true. 38 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: Played played snare in marching band and uh intended to 39 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: play snare and like orchestrad band too. He's one of 40 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: the cool ones. Absolutely, But I'm sorry, Casey, I'm gonna 41 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: keep you on the case for just a second long. 42 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: When you say we had an understanding, what do you 43 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: mean by them? I think we just kind of stuck 44 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: to our own like territory, you know, sure, just didn't 45 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: try to like get up in each other's business. And 46 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: by in each other, you're talking about you guys versus 47 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: the jocks. Yeah, the jocks are like the preppy kids 48 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,239 Speaker 1: all are the skater kids or whatever. It's just like 49 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: everybody just kind of like be cool. Yeah, I transversed 50 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: a lot of factions because I did the student council 51 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: thing for a while. I ran the school's literary mag 52 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: in high school. I was a drama person, but my 53 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: real key to the owning the means of production was 54 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: I ran the announcements, which was quickly became a terrible 55 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: comedy sketch show. Keys to the Kingdom. My friend and 56 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: Casey on the case, and we are talking about civic 57 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 1: organizations or these sorts of extracurricular activities for a reason. 58 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: Today you see many people who later go on to 59 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:30,959 Speaker 1: be politicians or enter a life of public service start 60 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: pretty young. Right in our modern days, and for most 61 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: generations of people listening to the show today, we all 62 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: had something like student council, right, meaning that we all 63 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: had these these ways to practice what could later be 64 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: a career. Today's episode is about someone who was elected 65 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: to US Congress and someone who was an historic first 66 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: in the congressional history of our country. Also someone that uh, 67 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: I'll just say it, I had not heard of before. 68 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: I had not either. And his name is John Willis Minard. 69 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: And on February eighteen sixty nine, he became the first 70 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: African American to address the U. S House. And he 71 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: was from Louisiana. And this all had to do with 72 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: the passage of the fifteenth Amendment, when African Americans were 73 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: first allowed to vote. John Willis Minard was born in 74 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: eighteen thirty eight in Randolph County in southern Illinois, in 75 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: a town with a really cool name, Kaskaskia. I think 76 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: you got that right, man, you think so? I think, well, 77 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 1: we'll find out, Illinois listeners, let us know. Uh. And 78 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: details of his early life, as you may imagine giving 79 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 1: the time frame here, are very scarce. All that we know, 80 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: all that his storians know about this is that we're 81 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: certain his family, what he and his family were free. 82 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: We think that both of his parents were born in Illinois, 83 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: but they may have also had ties to New Orleans. Yeah, 84 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: there's indications that they were of French Creole descent. Exactly exactly, 85 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: you don't. Menard spent his first eighteen years in this 86 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 1: town where he worked on a farm, a very normal thing. 87 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: He attended a school in Sparks, Illinois, and abolitionist school, 88 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: and then he went on to attend Iberia College. That's right. 89 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: And he was just twenty two when he first published 90 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: an Address to the Free Colored People of Illinois, which 91 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: was a treatise, an abolitionist treatise that really espoused his 92 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 1: position on the notion that slavery was one of the 93 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: greatest evils in all mankind. That's right. So he already 94 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 1: had this this knack for public speech, right for civil service. 95 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: And during the Civil War he became the first African 96 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: American to work as a clerk at the Bureau of 97 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:12,719 Speaker 1: Immigration at the Interior Department in d C. And this 98 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: meant that he was going to travel internationally representing the 99 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: United States. He traveled to Belize, and his mission in 100 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: Belize was something that that could seem very controversial today. 101 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: His mission was to investigate beliefs to evaluate whether it 102 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: would be a good foreign country for African Americans to 103 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: relocate to. Yeah, and it's like it's I mean, it's 104 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: it's very problematic. It's like, were they trying to figure 105 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: out if they could like send them there, was it 106 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:50,360 Speaker 1: a place they would go of their own free will? 107 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: I mean, they were free men. But the notion of 108 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: establishing a colony quote up even that word is rife. 109 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: Uh and a largely non white country like that was 110 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:04,599 Speaker 1: a little problematic. It would be seen a little problematic today. 111 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: And he was sent there by President Lincoln himself, Yes, exactly. 112 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: And this is the thing. If we put ourselves back 113 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: in the time and place, right back in menhards time 114 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: and place, then what we see is that he personally 115 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: thought this was the right move. He thought this was 116 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 1: a good and promising idea. And he was by no 117 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: means alone. This is almost another branch of the story. 118 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: He was on a mission, and he did believe in 119 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: this mission. However, as we know, there was not a 120 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: He was not spearheading a large new colony in Belize. 121 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: He eventually left the Interior Department to become active in 122 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: Louisiana during reconstruction, and he created two newspapers, the Free 123 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: State and then one called the Radical Standard. Also during 124 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: this time, people who create an ed newspapers have this 125 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: tremendous influence on public discourse and it's no surprise that 126 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: they are more likely than other people to move into politics. 127 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: So in eighteen sixty eight there's a special election in 128 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 1: New Orleans to fill a seat formerly occupied by James 129 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: Mann who was a Democrat and he had died in office. 130 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: And Minard, who was a Republican. Just goes to show 131 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: how different um as parties were in those days in 132 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: the art today was elected on November three to the 133 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: seat in Louisiana's second Congressional District one with the majority 134 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: of votes. And this is this is a historical moment 135 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: because he became the very first African American to do that. 136 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,440 Speaker 1: Enter in a real pill or someone who at the 137 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: very least was what's not happy the election, and that 138 00:08:55,679 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: is Caleb S. Hunt, who was Minard's opponent in this situation. 139 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: Caleb S. Hunt takes this to the House Committee on 140 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: Elections and he says, look, this is this is not right, 141 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: and he has more than a ting of racism when 142 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,199 Speaker 1: he's saying this, does Caleb s Hunt, uh, and I 143 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 1: challenge this. I think these results are men larky. And 144 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: so the House Committee on Elections they huddle together with 145 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:28,680 Speaker 1: themselves and they cannot come up with a neat way 146 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: to resolve this. So the case continues. It goes to 147 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: the House of Representatives, and the House of Representatives suspends 148 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: its usual regiment of rules such that they enable Minard 149 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: and Hunt to address the chamber too, for each man 150 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: to make his own case in front of Congress. Only 151 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: one person decides to speak at the House, and that 152 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: is John Willis Minard. And this is pretty cool. We 153 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: actually have something of a historical core uh illustration of 154 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: this situation. It's an etching from the eighteen sixties that 155 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: shows Minard to be a very tall, uh, skinny man 156 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:14,199 Speaker 1: wearing a black suit at tails in fact, really really 157 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: great less tech um and he's standing behind something of 158 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: a very like baroque looking podium uh and members of 159 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: Congress looked on. So just picture the scene here, um 160 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: and Minard is holding a copy of his speech in 161 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 1: his left hand and he raises his right hand. This 162 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: account comes from a Washington Post article called he was 163 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 1: the first black man elected. And here's what he says, 164 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,199 Speaker 1: Mr Speaker, I appear here more to acknowledge this high 165 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 1: privilege than to make an argument before this house. Um. 166 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: That is because he had been elected to the U. S. 167 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:55,840 Speaker 1: House of Representatives, but Congress denied him his post refused 168 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: to set him right. Right, So this speech that he drafted, 169 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,960 Speaker 1: it's not super super long as four words, and he 170 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 1: addresses the Chamber of February eighteen sixty nine. In this speech, 171 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: he is doing exactly what he says in the beginning, right, 172 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: he says, I'm not really here to argue with Congress. 173 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 1: I'm here because this is such a distinct honor, a 174 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: high privilege. Creole Magazine has a great article about this, 175 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: wherein they provide some of the context here. So in 176 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 1: his opening statement, he essentially says, look, I want you 177 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 1: guys to determine this case based on its merit only. 178 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: Obviously he doesn't say you guys, but he does mention 179 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: that his opponent, Caleb S. Hunt, did not comply with 180 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: congressional law, and because he did not comply, Hunt was 181 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: technically not able to contest the election results. And then 182 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,839 Speaker 1: Minard also flexes a little and says, you know, I 183 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: out more than sixty of the vote, which is really 184 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: good if we're being honest. But as you said, Noel, 185 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: despite his speech, the Committee of Elections decided to rule 186 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: against Minard and they did not give him the seat 187 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 1: that he won again by the popular vote. But they 188 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:25,080 Speaker 1: also did not give the job to Caleb S. Hunt. 189 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: Would you have to wonder, like, how was this guy 190 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 1: just universally disliked? They hey, didn't give anybody. He didn't 191 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 1: give anybody a shot at the throne, they said, according 192 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: to the committee, they're they're finding was that both candidates 193 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:46,079 Speaker 1: were quote lacking in qualification. And James A. Garfield, who 194 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: went on to of course become the President, was at 195 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,560 Speaker 1: the time a member of that Congress, and he made 196 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 1: a very pointed motion saying, quote it was too early 197 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 1: to admit a negro to the U. S. Congress, and 198 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 1: that the seat b dec laired vacant and the salary 199 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: of five thousand dollars saved. I wonder whose pocket that 200 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: goes back into. Well that's the weird part too, because yes, 201 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: absolutely the seat is left vacant for the rest of 202 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 1: the congressional term. But in the next election someone does 203 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: occupy the seat. A fellow named Joseph Rainey. Joseph Rainey 204 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 1: is also an African American and Minard, at least according 205 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: to the sources I could find, Minards still got paid 206 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: as though he won the seat. So whatever Garfield is 207 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: saying isn't really true. Well maybe it was true at 208 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 1: the beginning, but somehow Minard ended up with money. Really Yeah, interesting, 209 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,800 Speaker 1: And obviously, you know, to Garfield's point or or counter 210 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:48,959 Speaker 1: to his point, wasn't that much longer before it felt 211 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: like the right time to admit a black man to 212 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: to one of those seats? So what was Do you 213 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 1: think it was really just they thought it was too soon? 214 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: Do you think, I mean, it was obviously a debate. 215 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:02,079 Speaker 1: Do you think it was outright racism? Obviously you can 216 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: you can pass a law that says you have to 217 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 1: treat black people the same as everybody else, but that 218 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:11,000 Speaker 1: that law doesn't change hearts and minds overnight, right right, Yeah, 219 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:13,720 Speaker 1: the letter of the law doesn't always equate to the 220 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: practice of the law. Yeah, I think, I mean, clearly, Okay, 221 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: this is just my opinion. It would be naive to 222 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: assume that racism was not a huge, or indeed the 223 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: primary factor here. You know, when we consider the context 224 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: of the time, the fragile socio political environment left in 225 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: the wake of the Civil War. Of course stuff like 226 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: this is happening even more. I don't know, it's unfair 227 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: to say more than normal, but yes it is. Of course, 228 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: Racism is a huge factor here. If anything, it's surprising 229 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:55,720 Speaker 1: that the government was able to persist in Southern states 230 00:14:55,760 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: in reconstruction, creating a rift that lasted uh for multiple generations, 231 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: and in some parts of the American South, people would 232 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:11,240 Speaker 1: argue that it still exists today absolutely. And um, you know, 233 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:15,600 Speaker 1: before Manard was elected, a man by the name of 234 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: John M. Langston had already held the position of being 235 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: one of the first black men elected to a public office, 236 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: any public office in the US. And that's according to 237 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: House history. Langston actually was elected in eighteen fifty five, 238 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: ten years before the end of the Civil War, as 239 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: a clerk of the township of Brownhelm, Ohio. UM. And 240 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 1: from eighteen sixty eight twenty two black men were elected 241 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: to Congress. So you really see with the passage of 242 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: that voting law, the change in the voting law, the 243 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: floodgates really opening up. But in the Southern states that 244 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: probably would have been a really hard pill to swallow, 245 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: and I don't imagine it went over particularly well right away. Yeah. 246 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: One thing about people is they have an infinite capare 247 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 1: city to be disappointing. I he to see it that way, 248 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: but it is true because this thing too. Right. It 249 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: was in the Southern States where that had the highest 250 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: density of black citizens, who all of a sudden were 251 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: given the franchise, and they had been persona on grata, 252 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: non humans, you know, treated by their white counterparts, and 253 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 1: now all of a sudden, these folks had to make 254 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,040 Speaker 1: peace with the fact that these people they had treated 255 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 1: as property formally, now had the ability to be elected 256 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: to political office, and they had to treat with respect. 257 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: And that would not have been something that would have 258 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: just come easily, right. Yeah, And I also consider that 259 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: this population achieved manumission in many cases only on paper. Right. 260 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: The the power structure of the American South immediately spent 261 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: a lot of blood, sweat, tears, time and energy figuring 262 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,560 Speaker 1: out ways to keep people in de facto slavery. In fact, 263 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: this reminds me in gentially related, there was an excellent 264 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 1: article on vice a while back. Uh let me see 265 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 1: by Antoinette Harold called Blacks were enslaved well into the 266 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:16,400 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties. J Jim Crow laws, share cropping, debt, slavery. 267 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Like you you are like 268 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 1: that old song company store, right, that's that stuff is real. 269 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: But Minard story doesn't end in New Orleans. Three years later, 270 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:38,119 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy one, he moves to Jacksonville, Florida, and 271 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,199 Speaker 1: two years after that, in eighteen seventy three, he is 272 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,920 Speaker 1: appointed to the House of Representatives. He fills a vacant 273 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 1: seat in the Florida House of Representatives, so not the 274 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,479 Speaker 1: Federal House, but the Florida House. And then there's another 275 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: election in seventy four, which he loses, and that was 276 00:17:55,680 --> 00:18:00,399 Speaker 1: largely credited by many newspapers to voter in tim nation 277 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:05,960 Speaker 1: at elections trying to suppress the black vote. Oh yeah, 278 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:10,640 Speaker 1: and and that makes sense because this guy's tremendously literate. 279 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:16,680 Speaker 1: He seems like a good representative. He continued public service, however. 280 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:19,679 Speaker 1: He was later elected to the position of Justice of 281 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: the Peace for Duval County, and he was re elected 282 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:27,719 Speaker 1: for that. I believe he served two full terms. This 283 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: guy was a renaissance man, absolutely so impressive. He was 284 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 1: a poet too, Yes, a civil rights poet. I mean 285 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: his poet poetry had had a message for sure. And 286 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy nine he published a book called Lays 287 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:41,440 Speaker 1: in Summer Land. And here's a here's an exertive one 288 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,159 Speaker 1: um that was quoted in that Washington Post article referenced 289 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: earlier um of what avail is life? Why sigh and 290 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: fret when manly hopes are only born to fade? Although 291 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: declared a man a vassal yet by social caste, a 292 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: crime by heaven made. That's right. And I do want 293 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:06,159 Speaker 1: to point out that Lays in Summer Lands, for anyone interested, 294 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:12,360 Speaker 1: is available on Amazon or your book buying platform of choice. 295 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:16,320 Speaker 1: It just well, I guess, in the grand scheme of things, 296 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: we can say. It recently got republished in two thousand 297 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: two editions, So do check it out if you are 298 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,879 Speaker 1: a fan of history or a fan of poetry. Also, 299 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 1: I have to say he kept at it. He founded 300 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: Key West News, the Florida News. He's a newspaperman. This 301 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 1: later becomes known as the Southern Leader, and during this 302 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: time he takes a strong position against racial segregation and 303 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:51,919 Speaker 1: becomes an advocate for oppressed people in the United States. 304 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 1: He founded a magazine, The National American. He eventually moved 305 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,359 Speaker 1: up to Washington, d C. With his wife, who we 306 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: had met around the same time he was in Belize. 307 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:06,199 Speaker 1: I believe it was in Jamaica. Yeah, his wife was Jamaican. 308 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 1: We didn't even mention he got locked up in Jamaica. Yea. Yeah, 309 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,919 Speaker 1: he was actually detained as a political prisoner and deported 310 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: to the U. S. Which is what got him his 311 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: start in New Orleans because that's where they dumped him, 312 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: right right. He participate in the eighteen sixty five Moron's 313 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,040 Speaker 1: Bay Rebellion in Jamaica. I can't believe we almost forgot that. 314 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: I know, and I know people hate we skip around, 315 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,160 Speaker 1: but I thought that was an important one to drop 316 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:33,480 Speaker 1: in there. People hate it. I don't know, Ben, I 317 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: really don't know. If you think you think we're in 318 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: good shape, we're in good standing with the peeps, well 319 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: a lot of Casey. What do you think is this 320 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 1: a relatively cogent conversation? Yeah? I think they always end 321 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,880 Speaker 1: up feeling pretty pretty cogent by the end the case. Yeah, 322 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: and Casey on the case because he is when we 323 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: say he saved the show. Uh, it's not hyperbole. He uh, 324 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 1: you don't hear a lot of a little off mike 325 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: uh fart arounds that we do kind of trying to 326 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:02,239 Speaker 1: get on track, and Casey smooths it all out like 327 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 1: butter and gives it, gives it to your ears. Although 328 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 1: I do suspect, my friend, I do strongly suspect that 329 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: you have been collecting our various auditory foibles and fumbles. Yeah, 330 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:16,640 Speaker 1: they're all destined for the anti podcasts. We've already said 331 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 1: too much. No comment Casey on the Top Secret case 332 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: I also want to just give a little shout out 333 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: to Casey. Um. Casey participated in a film production with 334 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: another one of our um beloved superproducers, Paul Decan, who 335 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:35,159 Speaker 1: works with us some stuff they don't want you to know. 336 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,600 Speaker 1: And it's having a premiere at a local cool kind 337 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,440 Speaker 1: of twin cinema theater called the Plaza. And it also 338 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:45,639 Speaker 1: stars are beloved co worker and friend Annie Reese. And 339 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 1: did you know I played the bad guy? I have. 340 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: I know nothing. I was asked to play a part 341 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: and I couldn't do it, and Ramsey took my place. 342 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: But I don't know anything about what anybody else did 343 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: I'm really excited to go check it out. And Casey 344 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,920 Speaker 1: did all the Casey did the cinematography and color color 345 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:01,440 Speaker 1: correction and all of that stuff. I mean, really, it's 346 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:06,160 Speaker 1: a it's a it's a Pegram Decondo production, you know, absolutely, 347 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:08,879 Speaker 1: and it's called Annie in the City A N N 348 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 1: E Y. So keep a lookout for that, keep a lookout. 349 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:16,399 Speaker 1: Be kind to to my cameo. I wasn't gonna say 350 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 1: anything because I'm in it, but I congratulations Casey. Yeah, 351 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: thanks guys, and uh yeah, I don't want to say 352 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 1: anything more because I don't want to spoil it before 353 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:29,200 Speaker 1: the screening. But Ben's got quite their role. Awesome. Well, 354 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: I will be there. I will be there tonight. I 355 00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: can't wait. I love seeing things that I know any 356 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: think about, especially when my friends are at So speaking 357 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: of things we knew nothing about, we have learned the 358 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:46,640 Speaker 1: story of John Maynard and he passed away on October 359 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 1: nine three. He was only fifty five years old, so 360 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: much life in such a short span of time, and 361 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 1: originally he was buried at Graceland Cemetery in d C. 362 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:01,280 Speaker 1: Graceland closed in eight four and his remains were moved 363 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: to wood Lawn cemetery where you can visit his grave 364 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 1: site today. Yeah, it's true, and he he certainly was 365 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: an important part of a legacy that had its ups 366 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,399 Speaker 1: and downs. Because you know, we talked about from eighteen 367 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: sixty eight, twenty two black men were lected to Congress, 368 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,359 Speaker 1: and that included two in the U. S. Senate. But 369 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 1: then unfortunately, because of those Jim Crow laws we talked about, 370 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:29,399 Speaker 1: that number dropped considerably. UM And when Congress got back 371 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,679 Speaker 1: in session on December five of eighteen eighty seven, it 372 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:35,200 Speaker 1: had been the first time in twenty years that almost 373 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,640 Speaker 1: no black members were seated. UM And and of course, 374 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: as we know, we've we've come a long way from that, 375 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 1: and it takes you know, one person to step up 376 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 1: and and start the process for you know, for us 377 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 1: to even get where we are today. So I think 378 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: this is a really important story, and we still have 379 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,919 Speaker 1: so far to go as a nation, as a people, 380 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:56,880 Speaker 1: as a species, you know what I mean. It's inspiring 381 00:23:56,920 --> 00:24:00,639 Speaker 1: when you think about this. We really can every single 382 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:05,119 Speaker 1: one of us affect significant change. And so we hope 383 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:08,359 Speaker 1: that you find the story of John Willis Menhard as 384 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 1: inspirational as we have. And since we are fortunate enough 385 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: to have some of Menhard's poetry available today. What do 386 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:21,479 Speaker 1: you saying? Only wanna team up for a reading a 387 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:27,160 Speaker 1: recitation of Goodbye Off for Kansas, Absolutely goodbye, bloody scenes 388 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: of long ago. Goodbye to cotton fields and hounds, from 389 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: you vile sources of my earthly woe. My freed and 390 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: leaping spirit bounds though free my work to me no 391 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: profit yields, And for my politics and mobbed no more. 392 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,600 Speaker 1: Thank God, upon these bloody fields shall I be of 393 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:52,439 Speaker 1: my labor robbed? Goodbye, Aunt Polly, Goodbye Uncle Ned. I 394 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: am off and shall not come back. This land is cursed. 395 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 1: We are in rags, half fed, bulldozed and killed by 396 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 1: yellow jack. Goodbye. I've sold my little cane and corn 397 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: and am off for the rivers banks. And when I 398 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:10,840 Speaker 1: step on board tomorrow morn, I'll sing and give the 399 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: good Lord. Thanks nice, big thanks to super producer Casey 400 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: Pegram for always putting up with us and being on 401 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 1: the case. Thanks to Alex Williams who composed our theme, 402 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: Christopher Aciotis, who has been very clutch and the pinch 403 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: hitting lately because of travel and all that super helpful. 404 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:33,400 Speaker 1: Thanks to Gabe Lousier and Ryan Barrish, our research associates. 405 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:39,159 Speaker 1: Thanks to the fantastic work from Creole Magazine, The Washington Post. 406 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 1: Thanks to you, Mr Millard, and of course Noel. Thanks, 407 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:47,439 Speaker 1: thanks for hanging out. Well, we've we've got. I have 408 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:49,880 Speaker 1: to tell you we are getting very close to our 409 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: two episode. That is a fact that this is episode one. 410 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:57,920 Speaker 1: We should bring in a cake or a cupcake or something. 411 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,680 Speaker 1: We should do something cool. Agreed, Well, let's hang out 412 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: tonight before the movie premiere and we'll talk it through. 413 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: I'll see you next time Fox. For more podcasts from 414 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, 415 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,240 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.