Terrible Swift Sword

"Through the prisms of history, literature, psychology, criminal justice, oral history, African American studies, political science, film studies, and anthropology, Terrible Swift Sword offers insights not only into John Brown's character and motives but also into the nature of a troubled society before, during, and after the Civil War. The contributors discuss reasons why some of Brown's contemporaries supported him, analyze Brown's behavior and his depiction in literature, and examine the iconography and mythology surrounding him from a post-9/11 perspective."--Jacket.