Laurence Fishburne reads a former slave's incredible letter to his old master
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- čas přidán 8. 11. 2023
- In 1864, Jourdon Anderson and his wife escaped a life of slavery and moved to Ohio. A year later, he received a desperate letter from the man who used to own him, in which he was asked to return to work on his now ailing plantation. Jourdon's magnificent reply, performed here by none other than Laurence Fishburne at Letters Live at The Town Hall in New York back in 2018, was dictated by Jourdon and reprinted in numerous newspapers.
Jourdon Anderson never returned to Big Spring, Tennessee. He passed away in 1907, aged 81, and is buried alongside his wife and eleven children. - Zábava
Nothing makes me believe in cosmic justice more than reading that Jordan Anderson died at 81 and his wife Mandy lived until 87 while his enslaver? Died broke and angry at 44. He talks about the wish of his children getting an education and one of his sons achieved a doctorate and coauthored the Dayton, Ohio's first black newspaper.
This wasn't the typical outcome of freed slaves lol. Crime and violence was rife among them, as it is among blacks today.
That feels like justice. 😊
@MigotoOokami no really the letter was published years after the intotial sending so more than likely he adlibbed a lot that most likely wasn't in there to begin with
Sounds to me that Mr. Jourdan Anderson was merely looking for the legitimate reparations due from the man who actually owed that to him and his wife. If the Colonel were actually sincere about making amends with Jourdan and Mandy for their decades of loyal indentured service, then he would have paid the sum and then some to bring their talents that he needed back to his business. Instead, he continued to be an arrogant prick. He died broke, while Jourdan and Mandy went on to live a relatively nice life. Sounds like ultimately karma got served on the Colonel.
@@capnjackgallows3204So?
I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when the colonel received the letter. Well said and read.
Me too!
He was probably spitting and stomping and throwing things. Tough!
I was imagining it too, his fury, his face getting redder and redder! 😂.
Oh yes! I imagined an apoplectic fit, where he's so outraged he can't get proper words to come out, just grunts & spit.
What makes this SO interesting is that I really believe that he would have never read through till the end of this letter. Which makes the retelling so much more than the initial event. We can really hear that this educated and insightful man is not, by FREE will, going to willingly subject himself or his loved ones, to anything that would jeopardise their wellbeing and/or future. Having said that. I would still like to have seen/heard the initial letter that elicited this response, and tried to understand just what would be the point of a past slave owner seeking a return of someone he had tried to kill (twice?) in the past.
That was the most eloquent, most polite way to say the biggest F you I’ve ever heard. Amazing. I salute you sir.
And yours is the most eloquent response! Love it! Made my day!
This is so dumb… It’s such obvious modernly written propaganda. They couldn’t write like that.
I see you’re easily impressed by modern written propaganda. The supposed author wasn’t educated enough to write at such.
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 And do you have any proof of such claims or that the "Supposed Author" could not have dictated said letter to someone who could have written down what was dictated and then kept a copy or perhaps it was found in the papers of the former master.
It's the classiest thing i've ever heard
The quietly suppressed rage just under the humor/sarcasm is brilliant. This man is amazing.
I figured I should revisit this again since I walked away from my last job with no explanation or heads-up. Point being is because the police told me if a woman ever comes at me aggressively again, and I'm paraphrasing, n*gga ya gots to go.
Yep! BTW... for those who are wondering, the estimated value of their pay in current dollars is as follows:
*⁕* $25 per month in 1865 equals ~ $1,698.20 per month, or ~ $20, 378.40 per year.
*⁕* $2 per week in 1865 equals ~ $135.86 per week, or ~ $7,064.72 per year.
*⁕* $11,600.80 in 1865 equals ~ $789,216 without interest, & ~ $2,023,377.05 with interest.
They say mockery and scorn are the best way to address the devil.
@@onyxsolo1 indeed. And quite apt, in this case.
The best outlet for rage is often a well honed and acerbic wit
"Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the labourer of his hire." Fishburne's delivery of this line is perfect
Let that line be recommended daily reading for the likes of the Trumps, the Waltons, the Musks, Bezos and many others like them.
@@mcbain1969
Do you know of people who can go do entry level work on their own, without the overhead or risk, in order to keep all the so-called profitnof their labor?
@@joshuakarr-BibleManNo.
Just like Gates, Buffett or any of the other Billionaires that did agree with Mr McBain were Not mentioned.
If Wealth is evil, than all wealthy people are evil, not just ones you don't like
@@joshuakarr-BibleMan you sure must be talking about the overhead of risk to get sick
@@joshuakarr-BibleManEvery single adult person can do that without issue. No one should ever work as an unpaid slave.
What an incredible writer. Formal yet conversational, hilarious yet restrained, a respectful tone yet absolutely scathing.
Truly!
Right! What a guy 😂
The letter wasn't written by Jourdon Anderson. It was dictated and I'm sure some frilles and dressings were added into it's construction from the abolitionist lawyer who drafted it.
I guarantee he didn't write that. 99% of slaves couldn't read or write. This is a heavily modified if not made up story.
I find the part where he laughs and says that the folks call Mandy Mrs. Anderson to be especially scathing because that must be what they used to have to call the masters wife.
Perfect example of how the “ slave” reveals to the “ master” his class, grace and dignity . Three cheers to him.
Too bad more people today do not have such class, grace, and dignity. They deride such virtues as "acting white".
I'm sure that pen did more emotional damage to the "master" than a bullet ever could
The perfect example to your ignorance... If he was a "slave," how did he have the education he has, simply months after the Civil War ended? LMFFFAAAOOO you people that simply listen to what your being told is the 21st century definition of ignorance.
I don't know how they kept going.
To be able to show his former "Master", after 32yrs of enslavement, his value, was invaluable. Beautifully worded example of his patience and tolerance, of a profoundly personal human injustice.
Definitely was invaluable! 👍🏽👏🏽
The irony is that in the UK, after the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, came the Slave Compensation Act of 1837, in which the slave owners were compensated with such a huge amount of money (40% of the Treasury's annual income at the time) that the UK taxpayers were still paying it off until 2015! 40,000 slave owners received this compensation. The 800,000 slaves that were freed received absolutely nothing.
@@rachelsnee8926 If that is true then how disgraceful of the British empire. Compensation should have been the other way round.
I love how, even amidst all his sarcasm and justice, down the years we can still hear how very proud he was of his children. Here’s hoping they led great lives together.
What sarcasm?
@@MusikCassetteyou thought he was genuine about going back?
@@MusikCassetteare you saying you can’t hear the sarcasm dripping from this letter?
@@MusikCassette”thank him for taking the pistol when you was shooting at me”
Yeah I don’t think he’s planning on going back somehow
@@philbydee genuine yes, thinking, that he would actually do that no.
What is left unsaid about Mathilda and Catherine leaves me with chills.
i dont follow..
@@noahmay7708 well, he first talks about his daughters, and how beautiful they are. Then he points out he doesn't want them to suffer a similar fate to that of Mathilda and Catherine, referring to "violence and shame at the hands of their young masters." It's not said outright, but I can only imagine Mathilda and Catherine went through some pretty bad stuff.
He can’t speak it.
@@sblumenstein6688 Man, you said it. *I* can barely speak it.
Exactly
I love so much how this letter is simultaneously a masterpiece of sarcastic tone, and yet at the same time completely genuine in the given requests that would be necessary for the man to go back.
maybe its fake
@@slowmotionradio73 wat
You misunderstood. The writer knows full well the requests were not possible.
(edited for typonese)
Even if the dude had sent the money, there would have been a reply like "Thank you so kindly for remitting our justly due wages for the yearrs you held us in captivity and exploited our labor. We are convinced of your sincerity, and are most pleased to regard you as an honest man. We will be willing to conduct business via correspondance, if such suits our mutual benefits. However, due to the nature of your most unsavory history, I must ask that, should you visit Ohio, you will not be troubled call upon us, as being seen socializng with a former slaveholder could tarnish our reputation" But of course, it would have been worded way awesomely.
“To meet in the better world, if not in this” I love that
They call her Mrs. Anderson. That made my heart smile.
A while ago I clicked over to the Letters Live site and read this. It is my absolute favourite. Anderson is a wonderful deadpan wit who frames his argument devastatingly well. He was cheated of his calling as a writer in my view. I'm glad to know he lived to 81 years and had 11 children. We can hope his legacy lives on.
"Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me."
Even as a former slave, Jourdon Anderson has greater intellect, dignity and presence than all the Ron DeSantises of this current time! No, slavery was never "good" for anyone; but it was profitable for slavers, plantation owners, and oppressors.
@AuthorValdaDedieu I'm sure Anderson would have learned how to read and write in the Stone Age village he came from. I am certain he also would have invented the paper to write his letter on and the ink he wrote it with. It's almost like he would have still been living in a stick hut without the evil white man...
@@machinebeard1639
Anderson was born in Tennessee in 1825. Not exactly the Stone Age. Though slave quarters were often basic in the extreme.
All the same, he was obliged to dictate his letter. It seems that in 32 years his "Master" never got around to teaching him to read and write.
@@realhorrorshow8547 The year he was born is irrelevant. If he hadn't been born in the U.S. he wouldn't have even known what a wheel was.
@@machinebeard1639 If he had been born in Africa in 1825, his chances of avoiding slavery would have been pretty good, depending on location. In Tennessee they were nil. He probably wouldn't have had anyone shooting guns at him either.
The man spent 32 years as a slave before getting the chance to become a second class citizen. What did you do?
Mr. Laurence Fishburne has a firm soothing distinguished voice, I could listen to him lecture for hours
The WRITER had a massive dose of GRACE! 😂❤
Amen! A perfect example of how to forgive, but not forget. He obviously moved on from his old captor's abuse and lived a more graceful life in spite of him.
or maybe narrative
@slowmotionradio73 the
narrative is DEATH to WHITE NATIONALISM
Mindblowing! I'm wondering if Mr Anderson had the sleightest idea that his penstrokes would be read in front of a lecture hall 160 years later to a cheering audience 🫡
Actually they weren’t his “pen strokes”….the letter was written by an attorney named valentine wintters.
No matter, it's what's in the heart that counts. If it had been printed in wood block, it would've had a similar, deep impact. ✌️
@@therinchilnsford777and dictated by Jordan Anderson
Were you there????@@stephaniechebet3496
@@therinchilnsford777he still came up with the burns and roasts. His lawyer couldn’t know those inside jokes.
I googled his name to see if there ever was a reply or to see how the letter survived - as you would expect the recipient to have destroyed it in anger. An article says "historian Raymond Winbush tracked down some of the Colonel’s descendants still living in Big Spring. Colonel Anderson, it seems, was forced to sell the land after his plea to Jordan failed, and he died not long after at age 44. (Jordan Anderson died in 1907 at age 81.) What’s amazing, says Winbush, “is that the current living relatives of Colonel Anderson are still angry at Jordan for not coming back.”
Why am I not surprised?
The living relatives are still angry for him not coming back! Wow.
I guess its a very old study? Seems hard to imagine someone holding a grudge against a slave today for the decision of not being re-enslaved 150 years ago
>"the current living relatives of Colonel Anderson are still angry at Jordan for not coming back"
Least entitled slavery apologists
What doesn't make sense is the very existence of this letter. If it was actually mailed, it would likely not exist to be read. This is likely a recent dramatization; not an authentic, sent document.
This man’s voice, his tone, his resonance and powerful presence made this letter an entire movie in my ears. Well done!
Laurence Fishburne has one of the all-time greatest voices, up there with James Earl Jones for me.
The beautiful simplicity of "You lose".
For a man (and his loved ones) to be so aggrieved for so long and to retain their sense of humor in dealing with their tormentor amazes me. Sounds like a great man.
We could all learn a thing or two. This, is how you embrace trauma
Never lose your sense of humor ❤
Sounds like black twitter today tbh 🤣
Black people have been “turning the other cheek” since we’ve been in this country. We just don’t have amnesia.
@@lifed3ath honestly. truly.
Lawrence Fishburn is the perfect choice to read this. He sounds like everyone’s favourite uncle. The wise and firm family leader
My uncle is white...
@@marquisgt he said "sounds like", not "looks like."
@@Centermass762 My Uncle also sounds white.
And what exactly has changed because of all the hot air he used?
@@marquisgtMy uncle is white but sounds like this since he was raised in the deep South. Not really a race thing.
This letter is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. And Mr. Fishburne's reading was just as expected; stellar.
I am a 75 yo w f who was raised in the Deep South during time before integration. While I laughed at some of the letter as it ended I broke into deep sobs that continued for awhile. As a child and young teen we didn’t question enough or in my case at all. Everything was accepted as the way it was, separate bathrooms, water fountains, dr waiting rooms and ordering food from back doors of restaurants. The food though payed same amount for as whites had to be eaten somewhere else, off the premises. One day as I walked with my Uncle Alfred, my dad’s brother, we met on the sidewalk 2 elderly black ladies and a elderly black man I stepped off the sidewalk into a parking space. My Uncle grabbed my arm and slapped me right across the face saying “Girl, don’t you ever step aside for a n--r. On my face & cheek his hand was visible in red and blue bruises, I had never been struck before, my mother had miscarried 3 times and other unfortunate pregnancies that resulted in stillborn. I was the only child to survive and was adored, I saw my father fight his brother that day, how horrible. But my experience was one day, not the life sentence the Blacks had to endure.
You're the only other person I've ever heard mention this. My mother told similar stories of growing up in Alabama in the 1950's. She said that 'Negroes' (or coloreds) were forced to use separate water fountains, facilities and to always ride in the back of buses. Signs designating what "coloreds" could do and not do were everywhere. She told a story of walking to church one day, hand in hand with her mother and two sisters. Mother pulled both of them into the street to allow a white man, his wife and two boys to pass. This was expected with severe punishment for non-compliance. However, the 10 year old boy still found it delightful to yell back at my grandmother and her children "how many nickels in a n!gg@r?"
And now we have the inverse.
@@Dakotako Hmph....not even remotely. You haven't begun to make up for the centuries of cruelty you inflicted on others.
@@Dakotako your sick white mind wished that was true so that you can finally feel like the victim after being the villain for so long.
@@DakotakoHow so? Slave farming? Why do many disgruntled Americans have to talk in exaggerations and divide their own nation. Crazy and laughable from the outside.....know some humility when you hear about a wrong.
Absolutely brilliant. This letter is savage. Never heard such eloquent sarcasm in my life. I can't believe the gall of a slave owner to attempt to "hire" one of his former slaves. Jourdon must have been 1 in a million. I hope his descendants found peace and prosperity.
☆ "Eloquent sarcasm " ☆
Perfect!
Such a beautifully crafted letter. So many lines resonate. “If you fail to pay us for our faithful labours in the past, we can have little faith in your promises of the future”.
Imagine if these families had been given the wealth they had earned while enslaved, so they could have passed it on to their following generations. How much generational poverty and inequality could have been wiped out?
150 years later this statement is chilling. And prophetic.
@@Styphonit's not just the loss of wages then, but after the emancipation, black Americans were still denied any social mobility. In the 1920s there was a rich black community in Tulsa, but white Americans attacked the town and burnt it down.
@@britishnerd3919 That being only one of dozens. Central Park in NYC was a Black neighborhood with thriving residents and businesses. Then a race riot occurred. This freed the land up to become the park some time later.
@Styphon none. Just look at the descendants of black slave owners now.
so amazing to hear someone who lived his whole life in slavery speak with no hate in his heart at all, what a wonderful man
Just because you can be polite and eloquent, does not mean you have no hate and anger in your heart. You can be eloquent and well spoken, take the time to compose an amazing letter, and still be mad enough to chew iron and spit nails. To think that someone who had been enslaved for his entire adult life, beaten and shot at, could have no "hate" in his heart towards the man who did it to him is laughable to the point of insult and serves as a means to shame people now who are fighting the continuation of the same fight that Jourdan himself was a part of. It serves to help racists today hide behind "politeness" because if someone can be polite that must mean they don't hate someone! I will impolitely say, bullshit.
How often do your words match your heart?
Did you not listen to the letter? It is seething with rage, but with art comes a just filter that doubles the profundity of the blow.
@@mcupidphillips it’s a sad existence when they dont
@@will-ellington yeah I found the laughter of the audience a bit naive
Laughing through tears while listening to this. It’s astounding how horrific some people can be to others while others can show such unimaginable grace and kindness. I’m glad this letter still exists and that the man who wrote it expressed such abominable conditions with such poetry and sarcasm. If you enjoyed hearing this letter, make sure to use your privilege of voting to vote against those who are trying to erase our history and are actively removing even the option to learn about these things in schools and colleges…
The letter by itself is amazing. Fishburne just completely elevated it with this reading.
Jame Earl Jones, Maya Angelou, Roscoe Lee Browne and Morgan Freeman say hold my beer lol
He's my most favorite actor; hearing him read this, is such a treat!
@@catwrangler7907 Nope, they would most likely say, "well done brother".
most likely wrote by a lawyer as told by the man. it was a common practice to write letters at that time for others that could not write or read. my great grandfather was one of only two in his platoon who could read and write in the civil war. so he wrote lots of letters to families for fellow soldiers. thats how he got to know my great grandmother because she was the only literate member of a fellow soldier's family. after the war he went home with him and married grandma who was only 15 while he was 32. my grandfather was the youngest of their 12 kids. irony was grandpa never learned to read or write. oh what twisted paths we walk as we go through life.
@@catwrangler7907 I think you meant to say all those people would have done an equally amazing job at reading this letter. I personally would have given good money to hear the legendary Bernie Mac read this letter, but alas he isn't with us anymore. Mr. Fishburne did a fantastic job however.
Bless the spirit of Jourdon Anderson and his wife, and may their grandchildren's grandchildren still be alive and well, continuing to live with the same spirit.
I hope his descendants got some of the wages or land that were never paid to him that’s still overdue! My parents were forgiving also, even though they went through major racism and badly cheated financially from the 1930’s thru 1970’s in TX!
The fact that this man and his family settled in Dayton, OH, where I was born and raised, has me in awe. The letter was the best response to evilness. It was well thought out and written with a purpose to silence, shame, humiliate, and destroy in a positive way! Loved every minute of it!❤
Yes, it's truly amazing that 2 people can reside in the same city! I agree! What cosmic interconnectivity! 🙄🙄
You do know this letter is fake, right? Did it even cross your mind once how a slave with no education at all could speak and write so eloquently?
What an amazing letter and delivery
Imagine the balls of that man, the entitlement to write to a person he victimized and tell them to come back. It's shocking!
Some people actually fell for it though.
He considered them property and less than human. Not surprising.
Not shocking to me. You have to have that sense of entitlement to justify being a slave-owner in the first place.
How is it shocking? Don't you realise he thinks he was right in owning them? Those were notions that were hardly challenged by hearing the perspective of the slave as he got from the letter. I'm sure he didn't now the slave could have such depth of understanding.
@@broadcasttttable You do realize that slavery was normal for thousands of years all over the planet in all cultures. There was no entitlement involved.
Lawrence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Keith David, Morgan Freeman - I never get tired of hearing these men's voices.
James Earl Jones' voice always reminded me of a river. It could be slow, and wide, and soothing. It could rumble joyfully as it ruffled and tumbled and smoothed small stones. It could be deep and loud when it encountered stubborn, large, obstinate impediments. And it could thunder and roar when a dramatic fall was required. It was an instrument, and could draw you in and along for the journey.
Morgan Freeman has a voice made for stories. Doesn't matter what era, what setting, what story. It's a familiar voice for everyman.
I have to add Denzel Washington to the list. I hadn't paid attention to his voice or the timber of it in his earlier movies, but as the prince in Much Ado About Nothing???? The scene where he asks Beatrice to marry him, I would have said yes in a new York minute if he would promise to keep talking. And I've paid attention to how much he uses his voice to convey so much about his character. Incredible.
@@ohmightywez Funny you mention Denzel in that movie. Honestly, I didn't pay too much attention to his voice, but the scene of him riding that horse was mmm mmm good. I was so happy that those boring Shakespeare lessons in high school had finally paid off.
Don’t forget Mr. Dennis Haysbert ♥️🖤♥️🖤♥️🖤♥️🖤♥️
Wendell Pierce too. 😊
Morgan Freemans idea on how to end racism today is brought to mind.
“Living well is the best revenge," George Herbert.
Incredible. The man was a slave, deprived of education, and yet he writes better than most modern-day academics and has a better grasp of sarcasm and irony than most modern-day comedians.
I love the way Laurence Fishburne read this.
This man's voice is gold.
We teach this letter in high school American History and African American History classes. Thank you for reading this. Students will love to hear it in Laurence Fishburne’s voice. ❤
That’s awesome. We need more curriculum that’ll show this portion of American history. While I graduated in 2017 I do not recall ever going over this portion of history and if so it was only for a blip.
Everyone must vote blue across the board or hearing these history gems in school will never be an option. Hats off to your school for teaching this descriptive, first-person account of one man’s strength in a time that some are trying to erase from our collective minds and books.
@@richied10i agree I never had heard this letter
I read this letter in school. In 🇨🇦. Beautiful.
I wish this was taught in my history class
Honesty, graciousness, and unexpected learnedness.......incredible person Mr. Anderson.
I had the opportunity to read Jordan Anderson's letter in an article some years ago,but Laurence Fishburne brought it to glorious life.That may be the greatest F.U. I've heard of,to date.
The part about his daughters was beautiful and heart breaking. The recognition that the women were the most susceptible to the worst of slavery 💔
@Marimar132 Part of stripping a man’s dignity is to degrade their women. When I was traveling in South America I was surprised how many families that put their daughters on birth control in anticipation for rape.
Nobody talks about this as deeply and its very upsetting.
How were they they most susceptible? If you're thinking about grape, they did that to the men also. The word buckbreaking came from it.
@@txcavi Wow, way to be so in your own feelings...it IS worse for the women because men aren't going to have babies. Can you work out the rest by yourself?
@@txcavibuckbreaking is largely a myth. Read more about it.
The passive-aggressiveness in this letter is just beautiful 😁
Brilliant...
It really drives home the fact that Jordan Anderson is a former slave writing to a man who held the literal power of life and death over him and his wife for decades. A man who, in fact, tried to kill him in the past and, it is implied, forced young women to have sex with him.
A man who knows where his former slaves' family lives.
There's still an element of Jordan holding back to stay within the line in this letter.
It's the politest FU I've ever heard
I would not call that passive-aggressive. It is quite state of fact. This could have been a letter written by a lawer.
@@MusikCassette agreed... but a little tongue-in-cheek though...
This needs to be taught in every high school. The absolute brilliance is remarkable. Thanks so much for posting ❤
A man with an ever-positive attitude is just about impossible to defeat. God bless him.
What I find nice is that Jourdon was more literate than many people today. His words are so elequent and pronounced. He spent time writing that letter contemplating it's meaning as a big FU to his former master. Literacy and reading is fundamental to overcome anything.
So a landowner... sorry plantation owner, needed this one slave to work the fields otherwise the former owners estate could be in jeopardy? so to surmise a wealthy White (racist) plantation owner cannot be successful without the diligent work of his strong, dignified and pious Black man (slave that's been cared for since birth by white men). Tell how many White landowners of the time would beg a slave to return to his plantation (to presumably pick cotton) in a letter to an illiterate slave thousands of miles away, (did the slave tell the master where he was moving? and why would he do that) in a time of carrier pigeons and wired telegrams (that cost money) how would the slave master be able to keep track of his former slaves movements without written correspondence. THINK ABOUT IT.
@@azza_88-jl1rpbecause that white man had an insane amount of white privilege? He literally used to own people.. what can’t he do?
You think about that cause it’s real. White people tracked past enslaved people a lot, your the one who’s not thinking. Who’s gunna do that field? That white man had never even touched the ground to do farm work
Honey I don’t know why Azza was trying to tell you off or sum but don’t worry
@@azza_88-jl1rpSome enslaved grew/maintained/picked cotton. They also dyed it. Some were blacksmiths/midwives/tailors/cooks/butchers/furniture makers/masons; every type of skilled labour.
How was he found 2 receive offer 2 return? Could b giving speeches (much like Frederick Douglass) & had picture in paper. Business class did travel, and the powerful circle is small perhaps one of his friends who were travelling noticed picture and pass it on to him. Or paid bounty hunter to locate him but bounty Hunter refused capture once located since enslavement was over?
@@azza_88-jl1rp Actually some good points ngl. I imagine a letter like this to be theoretically possible but statistically very unlikely to even exist. Still makes for an interesting read
I remember reading this letter online a few years ago!
Ohhhhhh it was amazing!
A 3rd degree BURN delivered with elegance, wit, sarcasm, and done so smoothly….without profanity.
Glad I found this letter again!
Amazed it survived, and glad it did.
Phenomenal letter, and a phenomenal presenter!
A very articulate letter ….. amazing that a correspondence of this type would occur!
Can you imagine how good it felt, how cathartic, to write and send that letter?
Probably not as good as opening the one saying he was hung for his crimes.
Too bad.
@@TonyMarselle I don't think so.
I greatly admire people who know what they want to say & do it concisely. He managed to thoroughly cover several points in a relatively short letter. Through his eloquence, he was able to bring up the disgraceful behaviour of the young masters very pointedly, but in a non-aggressive manner. He was not about to allow their transgressions to be ignored or forgotten. This man must have been truly full of grace. I'm sure he was a great father to his eleven kids & grandpa to who knows how many grandbabies. I'm so pleased to see he lived to 81 years old. I truly hope he & all his family managed to live the happily ever after i imagined for them.
It shames me to the bone that we have been cheated of more of this man's wit and wisdom.
We haven't been cheated. We weren't entitled to it in the first place. That wisdom went to Mr. Anderson's 11 kids and who know how many grandbabies exactly as it was supposed to.
We should thank the stars that we get even this one letter.
@@Grizabeebles ...you may be right.
And then a college professor would read it and say "prattled on, mentioned things irrelevant to the main point, awful." Because God forbid anyone do anything but say exactly what they mean in the shortest way with the smallest words.
@@GrizabeeblesI have to disagree. When you cheat someone of their potential, you also cheat the larger community in which they dwell and the generations that come after in that community, as they were not able to contribute in their best form. We're all interconnected and an injustice done unto one of us is done unto all of us, even if it becomes more indirect the further away from that point you get.
What a beautiful letter.
Commendable and justly presented.
"You know how it was with poor Mathilda and Catherine." Heartbreaking. Absolutely crushing, how lightly he phrases this, how polite, but the underlying truth, the cruelty and brutality to which he refers, is clear.
How did this man have such a gift for expression? He was a slave for decades. When did he gain the education for this?
Oral education in the slave living spaces, probably. They did what they could with what they had and remembered.
@TheMisterGuy That comment sounds like something who uses the words "educated" and "uneducated" the way a racist would but ok lol. The eloquence taught by professors had to be discovered by the professors themselves. You think a vegetable like Stephen Hawking just learned how to be smart, no he had to think himself that way. You mad that the witey couldn't keep him dumb, keeping school away from him, but miss out on a crucial piece of understanding, a public education isn't the only way for intelligence to grow in the human brain; and some of them owners got that, some of them didn't. Your comment was basically "how on earth could a runaway slave speak so fluently, that's what I call smarts, who let this guy learn?" But before you get defensive, I'm letting you know that I'm not picking an argument, just pointing my observation at your word choice, which looks convincing as a boomer comment, a troll comment, or a racist comment. You do know the guy in the ted talk was in the matrix don't you?
It's called talent. Talent isn't the result of education.
@@lysanamcmillan7972 seems more likely that he was literate, perhaps a slave serving in more administrative tasks.
@@heathergrahame9647 "It's called talent. Talent isn't the result of education."
Yeah, that's not really how that works. People generally aren't just good at things they haven't been taught or practiced.
This definitely was one of the classiest "clap backs " ever 👏🏽 🤣 😂 👌🏾
It wasnt a "Clap back" whitey. It was real and not motivated by just getting any sort of revenge. This is the problem with you and your ancestors. Everyone does not think like you. And no matter how hard you try to make them, it will only add fuel to the fire of the resentment people have for you, and therefore your demise.
A man of honesty, character, integrity and grace. He was set free and believed in himself to persue a good life for his family.
What a beautiful and well written letter. Given what he has obviously been through, even today, there would be few people who would be able to express that with such grace.
These are the words from a truly beautiful soul. How a man could suffer that kind of injustice for so long and still converse in a respectful tone is beyond me. I'm as confident as I can be that Jourdan is living a life of glory, peace, joy and comfort in the "better world" as we speak. I cannot say the same for his master. God bless all of those who suffered from this unbelievable and protracted injustice
Yet Africans(Afo-Americans) were and still being painted as savages. All evidence points to Africans being way more welcoming, loving and docile and that is prob the reason they were enslaved en masse. We know who the savages in this scenarios were.
Words from an attorney Anderson was working for….he did not pen the letter.
@Drewdreiling8823, No doubt the sentiments of the letter came from him!! And it shows that Blacks have never been taught to hate Whites! The hate never came from us, even today! The only thing he asked, was to be paid for all his hard labor, an inheritance owed to him because of slavery. And as he quoted the Bible, he wanted to leave his money as an inheritance for his children, and that’s what they all attempted to do, just like the dominant race did their land. It reminded me of all the racism I grew up with, and I’m no where near 81. But his inheritance is still overdue to his descendants!!
Their is a very subtle message here.
@@therinchilnsford777dictated. Do you know what that means?
I love how well he wrote for someone that had been denied education for most of his life.
I disagree. He writes BETTER than most educated people TODAY
He may have had someone write it, and dictated it instead either way , very articulate
Black people were not illiterate just because it was illegal. They learned to read and write anyway. Even white people didn't read as well as the literate Black people because they weren't as motivated to as it didn't pay well. Black people used literacy to pass secrets.@@nerodiamante9441
how do you know he was denied education
This was the same time period that such literary giants were born and lived among us, like Charles Dickens, Joseph Conrad, Hermann Melville, Mark Twain . . . the high level of literary talent that was in the general reading public, means that even if one didn't immediately get formal rules of spelling and grammar, one still listened in, heard, was read to, and conversed in very highly cultured and rich resources among the public.
Thank you Mr. Fishburne, and all the best from the Caribbean! 🌴
That was absolute fucking POETRY. Mr Anderson, you're the absolute GOAT. Eloquence, class, a wicked wit, plust courage for miles to stand up to someone who used to torture you and tell him you know you're worth more (intrinsically, not literally). I know it was 160+ years ago but I'm rooting that your family and their descendents lived and are living life to the fullest.
Superbly delivered and would’ve been even more hilarious if it wasn’t such a serious injustice. Slavery is a grotesque thing to do to any human being.
I agree, those African men that SOLD the slaves to the white man are horrible.
Just as Nike using child labor to make YOUR AIR JORDANS, or Apaches making slaves of other tribes. Slavery still exist around the world. I know this will disappoint you but it isn't about just BLACK & WHITE, sorry. Doesn't mean you can't still hate "whitey" Cheers
Yes.
And some say that there are more slaves now (in sweatshops) than there were in the past.
That makes my blood run cold.
Yes is for a country that prides itself on being so great. The flag has no meaning for me I only stand for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are still hated to this day for the color of our skin.
A big injustice yes but i think that adds so much to the letter, a justifiable smug now-free man having some fun at the expense of his former owner
I 100% found it hilarious what a guy😂
It is. But people were very used to it. Imagine if it were legal today? How many people would practice it? Quite a few. And remember, all races practiced it in the US.
I loved the power, sarcasm, and facts of the disrespect and atrocities of his "Master" made against him and his family during slavery. An awesome "good riddance letter" to let a pure evil person know I can forgive, but I will NEVER forget!
Loved the letter. Loved Laurence Fishburn's reading.❤
3:46 I couldn't help but to yell & cheer! This was the best thing in my day, thank you kindly Sir Fishburne...
After all that injustice, he still writes his enemy in a spirit of humility and respect.
This letter is clearly mocking him though
@@Cha4kIt's only mocking because he knows the person he is mocking will not pay out the wages.
Certainly that made it hurt all the more.
So a landowner... sorry plantation owner, needed this one slave to work the fields otherwise the former owners estate could be in jeopardy? so to surmise a wealthy White (racist) plantation owner cannot be successful without the diligent work of his strong, dignified and pious Black man (slave that's been cared for since birth by white men). Tell how many White landowners of the time would beg a slave to return to his plantation (to presumably pick cotton) in a letter to an illiterate slave thousands of miles away, (did the slave tell the master where he was moving? and why would he do that) in a time of carrier pigeons and wired telegrams (that cost money) how would the slave master be able to keep track of his former slaves movements without written correspondence. THINK ABOUT IT.
It's self-respect and dignity; something our generation doesn't seem to grasp. When you are foul to another, you befoul yourself.
Notice too he said he was once proud to belong to the master. That says there still was a measure of decency in the owner.
What I don't get is the laughter of the audience. Nothing is sacred these days.
"And the folks call her, Mrs. Anderson."
That was a beautiful letter. The greatest sense of common dignity and better hope said by Black man ever before during post slavery era !
Genius. Imagine, if the writer had been encouraged and let loose upon this work early im his life.
This brought a tear and a smile to my face 🥹! For a formerly enslaved black man to have the last laugh! And for this to be read by Lawrence Fishburn, one of the most incredible actors of the 20th century! I can see the parallels between Mr. Fishburn’s early career and the Free man! Mr. Fishburn had to play less than favorable roles early on, pimp, gangster! Now, executive producer on every nearly every project! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Thank you for the read!
Hear, hear!
But he wanted his descendants to get some of what was owed to him, otherwise he didn’t get anything for his labor! Most or all of the Slaver’s land should have gone to him, because he worked and make it profitable for over 30 years, in addition to the 20 years from the other family member! A total of over 50 years hard labor!! Then he tried killing him twice, which is attempted murder. So, a small measure of justice would be his getting some of the land, otherwise he didn’t get the last laugh!❤
Reminds me of the political strategies of South Africa's liberation movements against colonial and apartheid oppresion of the black people. @@marjorjorietillman856
The smile will dissipate once you realize that most youth today couldn't even read what this "uneducated" man wrote, because they are now the uneducated and don't even care if they can read.
Letter was proven to be fake. It was written by his SON, Valentine Winters Anderson and his friend, an Author named Paul Laurence Dunbar who also created a character named Jeremiah Anderson...who is asked by his former master to return to the plantation after being freed in the story "The Wisdom of Silence".
Everyone should have picked up on the articulate way it was written and how a field slave could not have learned that much in just a year...and also working at a hospital without an education...
This man was brilliant. I don’t know many men today that would acquit themselves so well.
It would just be a string of emoji
@@daniellepatrioticexpat1022 That hurts! 🤑🤩😋😔🤕😃🤣🤪😱😤🖐🦴🤓
Lawrence Fishburne is a national treasure and he needs his flowers. ! Protect this talented brother at all cost.
the fact that the former slave addressed the former master as simply you shows how much self respect the freedman had. he was already a free man, he was no longer enslaved.
I have read that letter several times, but to hear it truly brings it to life. Excellent reading by Mr. Fishburne, and I wonder how Mr. Anderson's descendants are doing today.
Jordan Anderson was lobbying for his reparations in this letter in 1865!!!
Astonishing, but also ground breaking!!!😳
Wow, just WOW! I just happened upon this video tonight and I am smiling from ear to ear after listening to Jourdan Anderson's letter. Just wow.
That was incredible! Such a powerful letter Jourdon Anderson wrote. I would not have been nearly as respectful in my letter.
Thank you for sharing this story, I never heard of it throughout all of my schooling!
I wish everyone were told off in such a witty, sarcastic, yet civil and dignified way. This letter is brilliant.
Why does it have to be civil when he literally owned him . I think it’s weird that people are so focused on how polite he was, like “that’s how you do it” kinda mindset. Almost like people trying to say something without saying it 👀
@@t-rik4583because it shows you're above certain behaviors and not going to be dragged into bitter negativity
@@marielfalk4537 good on him for how he responded but I don’t think being polite is the point.
@@t-rik4583 the former slave would be right to be angry, but actually rose above anger, which is a sign of a higher emotional maturity. The education to write and compose such a witty letter is a victory over slavery.
@@marielfalk4537 so if his letter was angry and not as witty it would be a sign of emotional immaturity, I doubt it.
My goodness, I don't think I have ever heard a more polite "Up Yours" in my life. Well written, Mr Anderson.
I really dig Laurence Fishburne's performance as actor and besides that I could listen to this men, for hours, his voice is as like a rich, velvety symphony that adds depth and resonance to every character he portrays. It's a captivating blend of strength and smoothness that elevates the impact of his on-screen presence.
I like Jourdon Anderson. He was a very intelligent, good man. He seemed to be a very caring father and husband. Lawrence Fishburne read that excellently.
As an American, I felt equal parts pride and shame listening to the reading of this letter... a quintessential piece of the story that is America.
@@Catastrophe9726 Of course Jacob is not responsible. You can recognize and acknowledge that shameful deeds were done by your nation in the past, and use the resulting grief to work to make this one a better world. There is still plenty of systemic discrimination to eliminate in this world. You are not responsible for the mistakes of the past, but you can right the wrongs of the present to make an even better future.
@@Catastrophe9726 Exactly!
@@Westernwilson Slavery was not something uniquely American, and was something that had been practiced for thousands of years. It's not nearly as "shameful" as you'd like to think it is. Especially not when you buy products made using slave labor to this very day.
@@bud389 Good grief. slavery is shameful no matter how many practice it, no matter how slave labour is performed or sold, and no matter if unwitting consumers end up inadvertently supporting it. Slavery is grotesque, full stop. I am glad that most of us are moving away from the idea that slavery is in any way justifiable.
@@Catastrophe9726 Great. What that has to do with slavery is beyond me. You can be proud of your country, even if it has at times gone astray. In fact, the highest act of citizenry is to work toward course-correcting your nation when it loses its way!
What a WONDERFUL letter. The author's gentle and reasonable arguments are witty and intelligent. I wish we knew what his old master's response was, especially in light of the remarks about being shot at!
Well I did the math and considering that when adjusted for inflation Mr. Anderson was demanding $585,813.79 (minus clothing and doctor's visits) in back-pay for himself and his wife before he would even considered the offer to go back...
...I imagine if Colonel Anderson were so inclined to do the rest of the math, he'd discover he had quite a financial problem right there at home.
@@Grizabeebles Well he could give them land.
It was probably screaming racial slurs at an empty room in impotent rage.
@@gurusmurf5921 Which is why the letter apparently survived well over a century instead of being burned or torn to shreds?
@@MusikCassette So if someone saves your life because they want you to do something for them would you also expect another reward?
This is a beautifully written letter.
Jesus Christ I am 1 minute in and I’m already welling up. Laurence Fishburne is GENIUS at his craft.
That was simply brilliant. Mr. Anderson (the writer) was a true Southern gentleman who understood the art of passive aggressiveness.
I bet the Colonel died from all the third degree burns in the letter! It’s beautifully written and read; I hope his family lives on 😊
Nope 😅
yup... it sizzled
He died 2 years later, after having to sell the farm. His descendants are upset till today, because brother Jourdon did not return knowing that the farm was in disarray.
@@osvaldodanett8674 I thought you were joking, but I looked it up just the same. Colonel PH Anderson really did die two years later, after having to sell the farm. Wouldn't surprise me if the Colonel's descendants still blame the former slave, who their ancestor tried to kill after enslaving his whole family for decades. Obviously the Colonel mistreated them all horribly, I find it especially heartbreaking to hear what was done to the women.
@@Mybpeterson why would i lie? This whole thing shows how the enslaved were invaluable to the economic development, yet couldnt be treated as human beings. This letter is a good case for reparations.
I have listened to this so many times. Heartbreaking, hopeful, and humorous.
What a wonderful read. Masterful.
Great letter ! Makes me wonder how many other stories like this never made to light . Long Live our ancestors at home and abroad.
I doubt this one was real. 99% of slaves couldn't read or write.
@@Crazson34 Even if 1% could read & write ( educated & conscious ) , i suppose given their circumstances at that time period when Most White People were against Black people getting ANY RIGHTS , you are not satisfied or think they cannot express their feelings? Is it possible that a good samaritan may have help? Stop man !
@@Crazson34 You that figure from where? The letter has been authenticated by the relatives of the slave owner. Most of the, carpenters, architects, blacksmiths and others had blacks who did much of the actual work.
Wonder if any of the slaves ever wrote a letter like this to the black people in Africa? They were the ones that captured them and sold them into slavery?
Not true. Slaves secretly taught eachother how to read and write.
Oh, that's BRILLIANT. First time I've ever wanted to literally applaud a CZcams video. One of the best pieces of writing I've ever heard, his tone was absolute perfection. ❤
You do know this letter is fake, right? Did it even cross your mind once how a slave with no education at all could speak and write so eloquently?
Dang. That is a powerful letter.
Excellent. I draw great joy from the strength from our people who suffered more that we will ever understand.
Extremely powerful. I love the way he read it as well. Plain as fact with some comedic timing. Whomever the man is who wrote this letter had more patience and kindness in his heart than I could understand. I wouldn't have given the Colonel the time of day to even respond -if I did it would not have read that way!
Reparations ADOS
You do know this letter is fake, right? Did it even cross your mind once how a slave with no education at all could speak and write so eloquently?
As a white anglo, I also would like reparations for the enslavement of my ancestors under the Danelaw.@@user-vo1ft9vn2n
Just goes to show that being a slave isn't a barrier to a good mind. This man had grace, humour and intelligence that many of us in the modern world can only aspire to.
Well said ☺
🤔🤔🤔🤔that's the silver lining you found in this letter/situation 🧐
@@keenankong8537
I swear these Yakubians and their ignorance .🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
Why in the world would being a slave ever be a barrier to a good mind?? I’m sure you meant well, but…duh!
DUH! If slaves were only stupid people, no one would care! That's the whole point of being AGAINST slavery ...
What a great letter! Wow!!
Rest in Peace Jordan and Mandy Anderson.
Mr. Anderson was probably never afforded a formal education and still wrote with eloquence that escapes even our greatest leaders in these times. Just goes to show how enduring and unflappable the will of man can be.
In ancient times, a man could be born a slave and die an emperor. Mr. Anderson, I would call a King.
👊
Indeed. He may have dictated the letter. Whatever the case, it was an eloquent message.
@@marthangafor6414 I was going to say the same thing. We recently saw some hospital records here in Germany where some patients would write letters on behalf of others (I think it was 1700s).
@@cocobunitacobuni8738thank you. This was a common practice in Africa during colonial times and shortly after as many couldn't read or write. Villages would have a designated letter writer(s) to help rural folk communicate with their relatives in the city.
This is so sad. It hurts my heart to know what our ancestors went through. Yes, it's an incredible letter but thinking about all of the actions that led up to him writing that letter is so hard to even imagine and we can't lose sight of that. This man was an actual slave, as well as his wife and children. Hurts my heart, yes it does.
I saw a white only sign for the first time in the south in 75. I will never forget seeing that.
I am white, and it hurts me to know there were so many people that were cruel to other humans, just because of the color of their skin. I hope we never repeat this ugly scar in history ever again.
And never, NEVER let anyone tell you to "Forget it or let it go". Pass this History to the next Generation. They did Medical and Physiological Studies for well over a decade of the CHILDREN of Holocaust Survivors and found these kids were Traumatized, and had a laundry list of Psychological and Emotional issues...even those born after 1945 or whose Parents refused to discuss what they lived through. These issues are still showing up in their Descendants till this day. When your Ancestors endure great Inhumanity & Trauma, like we who are Descendants of Enslaved Africans, in stays in your Bloodline bc you want Justice for them. 😡 You can see what Injustices have done to Native Americans. I pray every year a Native American will run for President and win. 💪🏽
Wow. Just wow @@deniseeugene1852
It happens everyday. Not being slaves but trust me when I tell you, people are cruel as hell to black ppl STILL @@paanne1013
Beautifully letter and Oscar worthy delivery ❤😊
...that was phenomenal!