The People Speak: Watch it and thank me later

I don't often get giddy over anything I watch on television. Typically I only watch news shows and the policy wonk type of stuff you only get on PBS.

That being said, I'm going to throw the full weight of TOKM behind The People Speak on The History Channel.

It's an awesome look at U.S. history through the eyes of those who stood to lose the most and gain the least, no matter the outcome of our country's watershed events.

It's narrated by one of my favorite authors, the infamous Howard Zinn. He's more of a patriot than I'll ever be, but he's hated just the same by the sheepish "my country, right or wrong" crowd.

I'm sure most of you have read "The People's History of the United States," but Zinn has also written several other books on a range of topics that are good reads.

I won't give much away, but my favorites parts are as follows:

1.) The rendition of a speech given by John Brown after his siege on Harper's Ferry. Brown's is a great story and worth reading. He got put to death for what hundreds of thousands ostensibly died for just a few years later: the abolition of slavery. I recently drove to Harper's Ferry (which is now in West Virginia) to be near the setting for the signal event of the Civil War.

A side note: One of my favorite poems is by Herman Melville and about the hanging of Brown. I put this baby to memory years ago, but it's fading.

THE PORTENT

by: Herman Melville (1819-1891)

Hanging from the beam,
Slowing swaying (such the law),
Gaunt the shadow on your green,
Shenandoah!
The cut is on the crown
(Lo, John Brown),
And the stabs shall heal no more.

Hidden in the cap
Is the anguish none can draw;
So your future veils its face,
Shenandoah!
But the streaming beard is shown
(Weird John Brown),
The meteor of the war.


2.) John Legend performs "No More Auction Block."

So, set your DVRs or do whatever you have to do to see this.