King’s last Apocalyptic Sermon: I see the promised Land in John Brown’s Body song
By Andre Austin
Never in the day of my life would I have thought I could match Dr. Martin Luther King’s last, and most apocalyptic sermon (I see the Promised Land) delivered April 3, 1968 with a song dedicated to white revolutionary John Brown. Brown was a national hero to blacks trying to form a national insurrection on December 2nd of 1859. The litmus test for Malcolm X to have any brotherhood of Allies with whites was based on their opinion of John Brown (Malcolm X on Afro-American History p.78 Pathfinder Press). Because in reality blacks get freedom by the ballot or the bullet=Justice Or Else. In the 1960’s the black Muslims said “Land Or Else”
W. E.B. Dubois (1868-1963), preeminent black scholar of his times wrote a classic Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880. Dubois wrote in 1935:
“As the Abolition-democracy gained in prestige and in power, they appeared as prophets, and let by Statesmen, they began to guide the nation out of the morass into which it had fallen…while marching millions sang the noblest war-song of the ages to the tune of “John Brown’s Body”:
“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on!”
This poem was at the end of chapter 4 and part of poetry was used to title Chapter 5 “The coming of the Lord. Don’t confuse song with When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again (circa 1860)
Why did King decide to use Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
As his last sentence in his last speech from a person attempting to overthrow the government by violent means?
If these connections come out to be a true bill then King’s promise Land is clearly linked with Land/Justice Or Else theological concept. King believed in reparation and redistribution of wealth for blacks to have “Promised Land”. Racism & slavery has produced a cancer upon the USA. We all inherited the problem, guilty or not we must remove the cancer with Justice. If a fire is burning the city for 400 years we don’t care who started it just put it out with Justice.
By Andre Austin
Never in the day of my life would I have thought I could match Dr. Martin Luther King’s last, and most apocalyptic sermon (I see the Promised Land) delivered April 3, 1968 with a song dedicated to white revolutionary John Brown. Brown was a national hero to blacks trying to form a national insurrection on December 2nd of 1859. The litmus test for Malcolm X to have any brotherhood of Allies with whites was based on their opinion of John Brown (Malcolm X on Afro-American History p.78 Pathfinder Press). Because in reality blacks get freedom by the ballot or the bullet=Justice Or Else. In the 1960’s the black Muslims said “Land Or Else”
W. E.B. Dubois (1868-1963), preeminent black scholar of his times wrote a classic Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880. Dubois wrote in 1935:
“As the Abolition-democracy gained in prestige and in power, they appeared as prophets, and let by Statesmen, they began to guide the nation out of the morass into which it had fallen…while marching millions sang the noblest war-song of the ages to the tune of “John Brown’s Body”:
“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on!”
This poem was at the end of chapter 4 and part of poetry was used to title Chapter 5 “The coming of the Lord. Don’t confuse song with When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again (circa 1860)
Why did King decide to use Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
As his last sentence in his last speech from a person attempting to overthrow the government by violent means?
If these connections come out to be a true bill then King’s promise Land is clearly linked with Land/Justice Or Else theological concept. King believed in reparation and redistribution of wealth for blacks to have “Promised Land”. Racism & slavery has produced a cancer upon the USA. We all inherited the problem, guilty or not we must remove the cancer with Justice. If a fire is burning the city for 400 years we don’t care who started it just put it out with Justice.