Peter S. Canellos — The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America's Judicial Hero
When:
Thursday, Jul 08, 2021 6:00p -
7:00p
Thursday, Jul 08, 2021 6:00p -
7:00p
Where:
Online event
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
History, Lectures & Conferences, Social Good, Virtual & Streaming
Event website:
https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/events/60b7f61e1da34d3700b89e19
Join the Boston Public Library in partnership with American Ancestors/NEHGS and the GBH Forum Network for an online talk with Peter S. Canellos, author of The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America's Judicial Hero. This program, which is part of our Repairing America Series, will be moderated by Carlo Rotella, Professor of English, American Studies and journalism, Boston College. It's also part of the American Stories, Inspiration Today series by American Ancestors.
This program will happen over Zoom webinar. To register, please visit this link to the GBH registration page: https://wgbh.zoom.us/webinar/register/8816220393093/WN_iaY_BbPoQDWEnU-7aZsh2Q.
About The Great Dissenter
The definitive, sweeping biography of an American hero who stood against all the forces of Gilded Age America to fight for civil rights and economic freedom: Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan.
They say that history is written by the victors. But not in the case of the most famous dissenter on the Supreme Court, Justice John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911). The circumstance of his upbringing in Kentucky, alongside an enslaved man his father raised as his own son, and his persistent vision of American equality propelled Harlan to be one of our nation’s greatest defender of civil rights. His dissents were widely read and a source of hope for decades. Thurgood Marshall regarded Harlan’s 1896 dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson as his “Bible” and legal roadmap to overturning segregation. As a celebration of our country—home of the free, home of the brave—don’t miss learning about Harlan’s life and times, and his work that began the legal revolutions of the New Deal and Civil Rights era.
"What a spectacular achievement! Canellos has single handedly resurrected the memory of a largely forgotten American hero. Far ahead of his time, Justice Harlan denounced corporate power and passionately defended the rights of labor, immigrants and African Americans. On the Supreme Court he was a bold and lonely dissenter, but as this book shows, history vindicates him and awards him a place of high honor in the pantheon of American freedom fighters." —Stephen Kinzer, bestselling author of The Brothers and The True Flag
Copies of The Great Dissenter may be purchased from Porter Square Books, one of our local independent community bookstore partners, by visiting this link to their website: https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9781501188206. Use the code AMINSP20 for free shipping!
Peter S. Canellos is Managing Editor of Politico, former Editorial Page Editor of The Boston Globe and an award-winning writer. He is the editor of the New York Times bestseller, Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy.
Carlo Rotella is Professor of English, American Studies, and journalism at Boston College. He is the author of several books, and his writing appears regularly in the New York Times Magazine and the Washington Post Magazine.
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The Repairing America Initiative is the Boston Public Library's pledge to focus its 2021 programming and services on bridging the gaps that divide America. By prioritizing economic recovery, civic engagement, COVID-19 recovery, racial equity, workforce development, and youth engagement, the BPL is working to help Americans rise above the challenges they face.
