BLEEDING KANSAS
MEDIA / VIDEOS
This 90-minute PBS documentary chronicles the turbulent life and times of Connecticut-born, Calvinist-raised abolitionist John Brown. His fervent hatred of slavery led Brown down the road of fanaticism after passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed settlers of the Western territories to determine for themselves whether or not they would establish slave or free states. In response to the pro-slave "Border Ruffians" who descended upon Kansas, Brown and his sons conducted a campaign of terror and retribution throughout the territory, culminating in the infamous Pottawatamie Massacre. Brown's mission came to a bloody but not ignominious end at Harper's Ferry in 1859. Rather than taking an editorial stand, John Brown's Holy War permits the viewer to determine whether Brown was a madman or martyr.
Friday, August 21, 1863 dawned clear and bright in the sleepy abolitionist town of Lawrence, Kansas. Its citizens awoke that morning unaware that the feared Missouri raider William Quantrill and more than 400 of his followers were bearing down on them intent on retribution, bloodshed, and destruction. A few hours later, nearly 200 men and boys lay dead, the ruins of buildings and homes smoldered, and raiders raced for the safety of the Missouri border. It was the worst act of terrorism committed against civilians during the Civil War. Survivors would rebuild and later recount their tales and this video tells their story.
Valhalla is a term that was often used in Norse mythology, initially as the hall of the slain or the slain warrior - a warrior's heaven. In this third full-length documentary by Lone Chimney Films, "The Road to Valhalla" concludes the story of the Kansas-Missouri Border war, exploring the War in the West, Order No. 11, the Guerilla war, Price's Raid, Veterans organizations, and Kansas' role, both politically and militarily. “Road to Valhalla” will conclude the story of the Kansas-Missouri Border War and Kansas’ role in it.
With the eyes of the nation watching, the thorny issue of slavery ignited the border between Missouri and Kansas Territory. The years 1854 to 1860 saw fraud, treason, and terror leading all the way up to (and into) the Civil War. Filmed in high definition, the story is brought to life in this 90-minute documentary by more than 150 actors. Bonus material includes historical interviews and behind the scenes footage. This is a unique story because it shows both sides of the issue.
CITATIONS
Goodrich, T., Spurgeon, K., Goering, J., Fein, J., Taylor, B., Lowrey, D., Miller, N. K. (2009). Bloody dawn: The Lawrence massacre. Wichita, Kansas:
Lone Chimney Productions.
Public Broadcasting Service, Kenner, R., Chowder, K., Morton, J., Adler, (2005). John Brown's holy war. United States: WGBH Educational
Foundation, PBS Home Video.
Spurgeon, K., Schwartz, T., Marum, J., Taylor, B., Rues, T., Shapland, K., Leahy, T. (2013). The road to Valhalla. Wichita, Kansas: Lone Chimney
Films.
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Reichart, P., Simmons, A. (2007). Bad blood: the border war that triggered the Civil War. KCTP & Wide Awake Films.
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