Been working my way through the eternity that is Marx Madness' podcast readthrough of Black Reconstruction in America, which has been going weekly for 13 months and counting.
I forget how many chapters this book is, but just listening without the focus for reading it myself is teaching me more than any required history class. Key themes include:
- the northern states were classically liberal, in the sense of "we here in the 1870s still see slaves as purely an economic issue but we also do it concern trollingly™️"
- abraham [bumblefuck] lincoln was one of those liberals, only making moves after capital concerns were flying back and forth for long enough, but still pushing for deportation of freed slaves to avoid reparations
- racism has always stifled the US labor movement(s)
- "They're taking our jerbbbbs!" is a diversion that's old as hell
- W.E.B. DuBois was rightfully petty in an 19th century way -- and surprise! Also a socialist. He's up there with the most intentionally misread black figures in US history, maybe 2nd only to MLK.
Marx Madness is on google podcast and idk wherever else. Episode 1 of the Black Reconstruction series is on March 11, 2020 if you’re going for a scroll.
