words by Charles Brooks
Book Discussion: “The Capital of Slavery: Washington D.C. 1800-1865”.
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What hidden truths are uncovered in his newest work?
There are organized formations having political discussions, engaging in political work and activities in neighborhoods and communities all across the country extending beyond the cursory critique of Trump or excitement around the NYC Mayoral campaign. These discussions spotlight the political contradictions while organizing Black folk around particular issues affecting their material and political conditions.
In NYC, the December 12th Movement is one of those organized formations with a long history in the fight for liberation for Black people. For nearly forty years, they’ve been active on all political fronts, from the local and national to international political struggles.
In Brooklyn, New York there’s Sista’s Place, where over the years they've hosted many political events, report backs, meetings, community forums, and film screenings. “...Over its 30 years, Sistas’ Place has fulfilled that vision – as a jazz unicorn, a coffee shop, a community center, a cultural gathering place, and a liberated zone in the People’s Republic of Brooklyn…”
As part of their ongoing work as a Pan-Africanist and human rights organization, they recently hosted a book discussion with the esteemed Dr. Gerald Horne in Brooklyn, New York, to discuss his newest book, “The Capital of Slavery: Washington D.C. 1800-1865”. The book is another installment in his body of work, highlighting the counter-narratives and contradictions dispelling strongly held myths in American history, particularly around the nation’s founding.
The current political moment can be described by state/government actions and inactions causing widespread chaos, and confusion. A moment fed by fascism morphing to its current state as American imperialism spirals in crisis.
But the current moment is also one that compels a clear analysis of history to understand the forces shaping today’s material and political conditions. Dr. Horne’s analysis, research and intellectual production bring clarity to this moment. His diverse body of work includes over 40 books as settler colonialism, racial capitalism and white supremacy became the focus of his scholarship in recent years.
He is frequently interviewed and is a recurrent guest on several radio shows and podcasts to share his observations and analysis of recent developments in national and global politics.
For over two hours, Dr. Horne framed his discussion around his long-standing thesis and analysis, critical insights from the book as well as his observations of current events in both national and geopolitics.
Book Insights
His book, "The Capital of Slavery: Washington D.C. 1800-1865”, is in direct opposition to the groundswell of literature that Dr. Horne maintains, seeks to retell a romanticized view of the founding of the United States of America.
As another Ken Burns documentary production, “American Revolution” is set to premiere, Dr. Horne points to the “cyclonic burst of propaganda” already in motion in preparation for next year's 250th anniversary of the nation's founding.
Dr. Horne explains, “...It's already begun…with regard to some of the attempted distortions of the history of this country up to and including circumscribing the Smithsonian Museum, action our history of Washington DC, to it including trying to remove photographs of beaten Africans with scars on their back because it doesn't comport with the historic narrative of the founding of the United States…”
Dr. Horne describing Raoul Peck’s 2021 documentary, “Exterminate All the Brutes” as a “sweeping castigation of settler colonialism”, allowed him to segue to his long-standing critique on the setter colonialism and class collaboration question where he calls out the white left.
He commented, “...Interestingly enough, this is rather disheartening that the term settler colonialism is increasingly being used to describe historic Palestine but I'm sure the Israel expatriates and the Israeli lobby in this country are prime to accuse those who used that descripture for historic Palestine, don’t use it for America. They start to shout anti Semitism, in terms of using it for Israel but not the United States of America…”
Dr. Horne extended his analysis to talk about the connection he typically makes between anti-Black racism and what has happened in the Israeli West Bank settlements. “…I would likely think that the proliferating movement into this country, in solidarity with the Palestinians has to do with the parallelism between these two movements…”, he asserted.
In addition to Peck’s work, Prof. Horne recommended similar works of counter-narratives such as, Tyler Stovall’s, “White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea", Ishmael Reed’s, "The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda", Belle, the 2013 movie depiction of Dido Elizabeth Belle, and “The Book of Negroes”.
In sharing details from the book, he tells an intriguing story of the War of 1812 fought on two fronts, one from the British, the red coats. and the other, from Black people, the unpaid and free. He dissects what he describes as the “ticking time bomb” - a series of events leading up to eventual collapse of the nations' capital in August 1814.
Dr. Horne outlined the deep significance of the Haitian revolution evidenced in slave revolts worldwide such as the story of Osborne Anderson, and his role in the Harpers Ferry Raid.
He highlighted yet another contradiction - one grounded in fear, such as in the post office where there was a “real nervousness” of Black postal workers using the postal system to send, abolitionist literature, anti-slavery literature, and seditious literature, “...and as I point out in the book, there was a real fear of this population that the enslavers were depended upon. so that obviously a toxic combination when you're fearing those who were propelling your economy. On the one hand, you want to exploit them to their last breath, on the other hand, you want to get rid of them….”
Dr. Horne also outlined several of the ugly realities of slavery - the exploitation and treatment of black women, the afterlife of slavery, that includes rape culture, sex slaves, house of prostitution and breeding. To underline his analysis, Dr. Horne points to Amrita Chakrabarti Myers' book, "The Vice President’s Black wife; The Untold Life of Julia Chinn” a study on the life of Julia Chinn, the Black enslaved wife of Richard M. Johnson, who served as vice president under President Martin Van Buren.
Recent Developments
He went on to discuss the precedent set with reparations being paid to owners of the enslaved to England’s colonies like Jamaica and Barbados while highlighting the connection of uncompensated expropriation of private property, to the rise of Klan terrorism. He also amplifies the parallels between the collaboration enabling anti-communism and the Red Scares of the past to today’s iteration that now includes a "Blue" Scare.
This is where Dr. Horne transitioned from discussing his book to sharing his acute observations and analysis of the recent developments on both the national and global stage.
He outlined what he described as the “graphic of crisis” - a montage of threats that paints a picture of American imperialism in crisis, seemingly centered on the rise of China.
Listening to Dr. Horne analysis this October evening is both an example and a critical reminder of the analysis needed to inform our political life. His analysis compels a different discussion that leads to drawing new and different conclusions about American history, American imperialism, racial capitalism and fascism.
Dr. Horne's work also reminds us that understanding our history is a weapon in the fight against fascism.
Additional Reading
Notes from Around the Horne, weekly updated list of articles reviewed by Dr. Horne for his weekly show.
Around the Horne, You-Tube channel from the Activist News Network
Gerald Horne's interviews, De Facto Podcast
