America Repeats the Same Crisis Every 80 Years. Here's How We Overcome It - Bob Crawford
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What crisis does America face every 80 years?
Every 80 years, we get dunked. The revolution happens. 80 years later, we get dunked with the Great Civil War. We can't solve the stain of slavery diplomatically or politically. We do it through war. 80 years later, we have the Great Depression. And then that leads to the Second World War. And we eventually resolve that. But we're now 80 years out from the Second World War. And so the same things that Adams is struggling with, we're struggling with.
Adams writes in his diary in 1820, will the state of Missouri come into the nation as a free state or a slave state? And he says, the only way slavery is going to end is through a civil or servile war. South will never give up its slaves. It could only come by war. And here we are seeing the end of the Voting Rights Act. So you have the Civil War. You have 100 years until the Voting Rights Act is passed. You have freedom in name only for 100 years after slavery. And so we've only had the closest thing to equality that we've had since 1865, which hasn't been complete true equality. And so now what happens next? I don't think we go back to slavery, but you have one group saying we are going to maintain our dominance no matter how, democracy be damned.
Welcome to Open Book. I am your host, Anthony Scaramucci. Joining us today, Bob Crawford. He is an author, of course, but he's also a musician.
How did John Quincy Adams view the issue of slavery?
He plays the bass for the Avid Brothers. But he's got a new book out. First book, right, Bob? It's your first book, right? Yeah, it's my first book. All right. So this is a great book, by the way. So congratulations on your first book, and I'm sure there'll be many others. America's Founding Son. John Quincy Adams from President to Political Maverick. Listen, it's great to have you on here, but let's talk about the Avett Brothers, if you don't mind. How'd you get your passion going for music and American history?
Yeah, South Jersey, born and raised. And so the boss played a big part in my upbringing there and wanted to learn how to play guitar. When I was like in eighth grade, I wanted to learn how to play Springsteen songs. And that started me on the path to music. Long, long road there. Interned for WPVI in Philadelphia. They had a South Jersey bureau. I wanted to be a... News photographer, 1996, the Olympics were in Atlanta. I didn't get the intern, the part-time position for the summer at WPVI in Philly. And the reporter I worked for said drive south, knock on doors, hand out resumes. I wind up in North Carolina. And that starts me on the road with the Ava brothers. And I worked in the film business for a while there, but history started even before the love of music.
I just, for some reason, Anthony, you know, there's these subjects that we just kind of are attracted to, or we just kind of know. I think I owe it to growing up in the 70s when there were three channels, not 300, not 3,000. And my old man would come home from work and sit on the couch and he'd watch the local news and then the national news, Walter Cronkite probably. And then if there was a convention on, you had to watch the convention. If there was a debate on, you had to watch the debate. You were kind of a prisoner to it. And my parents would hymn and haul about it. But I loved it. I was fascinated with it. So I think that's kind of where it all starts for me.
Well, listen, I mean, it's a fascinating, you got a fascinating career. I mean, you're in literally one of the most beloved bands in the country, at least in the last 25 years. You're writing about the sixth president who is the first son of a president to become president, right? Of course, we have George W. Bush did that in our lifetimes, but. It's an amazing family, the Adams family. Am I right? Tell us about the Adams family and tell us about John's father and his mother and how he is groomed literally to be this maverick that he becomes.
Not easy to be the son of John and Abigail Adams. John Adams writes to young John Quincy at one point, if you do not rise not only to the head of your profession, but of your country, it owes only to your own laziness.
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