0:00:00 > 0:00:00- *
0:00:00 > 0:00:04- Adventurous Welsh people have - explored the world for centuries.
0:00:04 > 0:00:09- Many have chronicled their stories - in words, pictures and maps.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14- I'm researching their testimony - and following in their footsteps...
0:00:15 > 0:00:17- ..to the world's - most interesting places.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20- They explored remote areas...
0:00:20 > 0:00:24- ..not knowing - who or what they'd encounter.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28- This week, an early reporter - who ventured to America...
0:00:28 > 0:00:32- ..to witness events that changed - the history of the world.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49- It was in London that a man - named John Griffith shot to fame.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52- He earned the pseudonym, - Y Gohebydd (The Reporter).
0:00:52 > 0:00:55- He was - the first Welsh-speaking reporter.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59- Shortly after - Mr Gladstone's budget...
0:00:59 > 0:01:02- ..the Tories - convened at Mr Disraeli's home.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06- A council of war was held, - plans of attack were agreed.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11- Poor Diz! I can't recall him - ever suffering such a trouncing!
0:01:11 > 0:01:14- He wrote in the days - of Disraeli and Gladstone...
0:01:15 > 0:01:17- ..reporting on events - in Westminster.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23- Praise is largely attributed - to John Griffith...
0:01:23 > 0:01:26- ..for teaching the Welsh - about politics...
0:01:26 > 0:01:30- ..in an era when ordinary folk - began to take a stand.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35- In workhouses and shops...
0:01:35 > 0:01:39- ..people congregated to hear Y - Gohebydd's letter being read aloud.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42- It was written - in colourful, clear Welsh.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46- It threw new light - on important matters of the day.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48- From war to taxes.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52- He was the first - professional full-time reporter.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55- He was - the first political correspondent.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00- He succeeded in keeping - the general readership of Y Faner...
0:02:00 > 0:02:03- ..abreast of events - in the House of Commons.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08- He was a short man with a big head, - a soft voice, a nasty cough...
0:02:08 > 0:02:10- ..and a sharp, astute mind.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12- Though born in Barmouth in 1821...
0:02:13 > 0:02:16- ..his mother's family - hailed from Llanbrynmair.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21- His uncle - Samuel Roberts, SR, was - a very prominent man at the time.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26- He began writing for another uncle, - John Roberts, in Y Cronicl...
0:02:26 > 0:02:29- ..before moving on - to Baner ac Amserau Cymru.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34- For 20 years, he was the voice - of this leading newspaper.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38- Newspapers were the driving force - of the political world.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42- At the helm was Thomas Gee, - the radical owner of Y Faner.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45- John Griffith was the stoker.
0:02:45 > 0:02:51- No meeting was complete without the - sound of Y Gohebydd's hacking cough.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53- He was a poor public speaker.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- He'd stand up, - struggle to find the words...
0:02:56 > 0:02:59- ..and sit back down - without uttering a word.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- But on paper, - no-one was more eloquent.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- Y Gohebydd not only - brought the news to the public...
0:03:06 > 0:03:08- ..he went in search of news.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11- He travelled everywhere by rail...
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- ..and earned the nickname, - Pob Man (Everywhere).
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- He was one of the founding members - of the University of Wales.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23- He travelled around Wales - during the 1868 General Election...
0:03:23 > 0:03:27- ..and observed - the revolt against Tory landlords.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- He set up a fund - to aid the tenants of Ceredigion...
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- ..who had been - evicted from their farms.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- How important was he to Y Faner?
0:03:36 > 0:03:38- He was essential to Y Faner...
0:03:38 > 0:03:43- ..and one of the most influential - people in Wales during the 19thC.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48- I say that because in the world - of newspaper journalism...
0:03:48 > 0:03:53- ..he earned the pseudonym, - Y Gohebydd (The Reporter)...
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- ..as if he were - the only reporter in the world!
0:03:56 > 0:04:00- To be that famous says a lot.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- But he's also an important man...
0:04:03 > 0:04:08- ..in terms of forming this - Nonconformist, Liberal stance...
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- ..which was so powerful in Wales - during the second half of the 19thC.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17- To a large extent, - religion was politics.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- Liberals and Nonconformists - on one side...
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- ..Tories and churchgoers - on the other.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29- They fought over paying the tithe - and the regulation of schools.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- John Griffith came from - a family of devout Independents.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- He went to London as a grocer, - but his political spirit...
0:04:38 > 0:04:42- ..led to him becoming a reporter, - and not solely in London.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46- His enthusiasm, his interest - in people and his writing ability...
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- ..took him to America...
0:04:49 > 0:04:53- ..at a time - when the country was in turmoil.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58- Between 1861-1865, the American - Civil War divided the country.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- People in Wales - had been avidly following the story.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- Thousands of Welsh people - were embroiled in the conflict.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- During the time of the Civil War...
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- ..Y Gohebydd's interest - in the fighting grows...
0:05:16 > 0:05:21- ..and he dreams of going to America, - once the war is over...
0:05:21 > 0:05:26- ..to visit some of the battlegrounds - and witness the aftermath.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32- That's Y Gohebydd's - most important trait as a reporter.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- He wants to go there, see - for himself and speak to the people.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40- Like many - of America's Welsh contingent...
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- ..Y Gohebydd sailed from Liverpool.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- He was heading to an Independents' - conference in Boston.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- A public send-off - was held in Liverpool.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- John Griffith, however, - wanted to do more than that.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- He wanted to explore.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- The voyage - was part of the epic adventure.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- The ship rolled along, as if - it had colic, as if it were drunk.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- All I could do - was cling to my bed...
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- ..to stop me - from rolling over the side.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17- But now the ship has sobered up.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- The sea has stopped frowning.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- The City Of London reached New York - at 10.00am on Monday.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- Everyone on board - was alive and well.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- John Griffith - spent two years travelling America.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- He wanted to visit the Welsh...
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- ..and witness - the effects of the Civil War.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- He arrived - within weeks of the war ending...
0:06:53 > 0:06:58- ..and two months after President - Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- I'm here to follow - in Y Gohebydd's footsteps...
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- ..and visit the places he once - visited to compare our experiences.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- In the sweltering heat - of June 1865...
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- ..John Griffith, Y Gohebydd, - landed in New York...
0:07:20 > 0:07:24- ..a city which was - rapidly growing in size and wealth.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26- It was almost as busy - as it is today.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30- He wanted to see how the Welsh - made it in the New World.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- And it was indeed a new world.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- Hundreds of thousands of incomers - landed in New York each year.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45- During John Griffith's time, - most came from Ireland, Germany...
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- ..and the British Isles, - but from all over Europe as well.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- It's hard to gauge the exact figure - of Welsh immigrants in the US...
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- ..but John Griffith's friend, - Iorthyn Gwynedd...
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- ..estimated there were - 300,000 Welsh immigrants...
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- ..with more than - 100,000 Welsh speakers.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- Some were searching for - political and religious freedom...
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- ..but most - were searching for a better life.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14- Gwalia's version - of the American Dream.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19- Along with these intrepid immigrants - came new resources.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23- Oil, coal, iron - and countless acres of farmland.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28- Following the Civil War, America - became an international superpower.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- During the mid-19th century, - America was so vast...
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- ..and abundant in resources...
0:08:35 > 0:08:39- ..that it had an advantage - over other countries...
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- ..because it was - all happening for the first time.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- It was a new world, - to all intents and purposes.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- It evolved - following the American Civil War.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- The era was full of turmoil.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54- The country was unified.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- Many areas - were emerging for the first time.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06- John Griffith tried to create - a clear picture for people at home.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10- Manhattan Island - was New York City at the time.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- He said it resembled Liverpool.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- Brooklyn resembled Birkenhead.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- If you knew Liverpool...
0:09:18 > 0:09:22- ..then you were familiar with - sailing boats and fishing boats...
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- ..but you never would've seen - the monster steamers...
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- ..the new, enormous - luxurious sailing vessels...
0:09:30 > 0:09:33- ..that sailed in and out - of this remarkable port.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54- This is the kind of weather - John Griffith would've encountered.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59- He would've lived here, on Chatham - Street, which is now Park Row.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04- Before Brooklyn Bridge was built, a - hotel called The Cambria stood here.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08- It was an alcohol-free hotel - and a brand spanking new structure.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11- Eleazar Jones was its owner.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15- One of the guests in 1865 - was John Griffith, Y Gohebydd.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23- John Griffith was interested - in the small things in life.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- He observed people's way of life.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29- He marvelled - at new agricultural machinery...
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- ..a cheese factory or an oil field.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36- He adored new, fashionable hotels, - like Eleazar Jones'...
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- ..and all kinds of other fashions.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- By now it was teatime...
0:10:42 > 0:10:46- ..or dinner time, - in terms of the day's mealtimes.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- Breakfast, lunch - and dinner at six o'clock.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53- Tomatoes.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56- These tomatoes - are totally foreign to us in Wales.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01- But for the past six weeks, - I can't remember eating one meal...
0:11:01 > 0:11:05- ..be it breakfast, lunch or dinner, - that hasn't included tomato.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- I can't truly say - that I like them...
0:11:10 > 0:11:12- ..but I've yet to meet a person...
0:11:12 > 0:11:18- ..who's lived in the country for two - years and who doesn't like tomatoes.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- John Griffith spoke to everybody.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- He observed how the Welsh - came to the big city twice a year...
0:11:25 > 0:11:29- ..to buy clothes and food - for the coming months.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36- He heard from some of the Welsh who - had suffered during the Civil War.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41- Y Gohebydd saw his first - dramatic scene here on Broadway.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44- One of the armies of the North - was returning from war.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- He walked with the soldiers - and spoke to them.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54- Seeing the old, ragged flag waving - in the wind in front of the army...
0:11:55 > 0:11:59- ..and the burnt yellow faces of men - carrying guns on their shoulders...
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- ..and knapsacks on their backs...
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- ..containing their worldly - possessions on the battlefield.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- This scene - was enough to bring a man to tears.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- This was the real American army...
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- ..on their homeward march from war.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17- Pity for them.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25- He described the ragged banner - and the yellow faces.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29- He thought about the families - who were awaiting them...
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- ..not knowing - if they were alive or dead.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- Each one of these men - has a mother somewhere.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- And a father, sister and brothers.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- They must have shed many tears - since their departure...
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- ..and endured many sleepless nights.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51- What a joy it will be to see their - yellow faces on their safe return.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53- Their victorious return...
0:12:54 > 0:12:56- ..having done their duty.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04- .
0:13:05 > 0:13:05- Subtitles
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:13:08 > 0:13:13- John Griffith, Y Gohebydd, - was a restless soul.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- He travelled - the length and breadth of Wales...
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- ..before venturing to America.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24- That's why he became a reporter, - having been enchanted...
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- ..by this new industry.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30- His family remember him as - a nine-year-old staying up late...
0:13:31 > 0:13:36- ..to meet the wagon which delivered - the latest copy of Y Dysgedydd.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41- That romance and enthusiasm - comes across in his articles.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46- He wrote on the move, - in hotel rooms and train carriages.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- He had two definite aims - on his travels.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52- To witness - the aftermath of the war...
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- ..and visit his uncle, - Samuel Roberts Llanbrynmair...
0:13:56 > 0:14:01- ..who had moved to Tennessee to - establish a liberated Welsh colony.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- With this in mind, - I've set myself a task.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08- There may be nothing left - of the Brynffynnon colony today...
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- ..but I aim - to discover its location.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16- John Griffith capitalized on - his era's new invention - the train.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- Several new inventions - were introduced in the 1860s...
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- ..but the train must've been - one of the most important.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29- By the end of the 1860s, for - the first time it was possible...
0:14:29 > 0:14:34- ..to travel safely, - within the timeframe of a day...
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- ..from one area of Wales to another.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- It was revolutionary at the time.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- If you look - at countries like America...
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- ..where distances - between states are so vast...
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- ..the train made a major impact.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- People felt that the pace - of their lives had quickened.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06- The train was a symbol - of what was happening.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- It changed the nature of commerce.
0:15:08 > 0:15:14- It changed the way people traded - and communicated with one another.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- Public trains - were few and far between...
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- ..although John Griffith - travelled everywhere by train.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- It gave him a chance - to engage with people...
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- ..and write about them.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- The train also opened up the West...
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- ..and allowed white people, for - better or worse, to occupy new land.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47- It was nightfall - when I left Jersey City.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- But it was insufferably humid.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55- It was impossible to move a hand - or foot without perspiring heavily.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- We perspired while walking - and perspired while sitting.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09- Though the US is perfect for a fast, - reliable and green rail service...
0:16:09 > 0:16:14- ..cars and aeroplanes - always take precedence.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- But John Griffith took the train - to the southern states...
0:16:18 > 0:16:22- ..notorious for - cotton plantations and slavery.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- The South had been defeated - in the Civil War.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- He made more than one journey there.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35- Once to see what had happened to the - cotton plantations and the slaves...
0:16:36 > 0:16:40- ..but the first time, - he went to visit the battlefields...
0:16:40 > 0:16:42- ..a journey of 3,500 miles.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46- The railways opened up America.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51- They also dictated where exactly - John Griffith would go.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- When he came to the southern states - for the first time...
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- ..the railways had recently reopened - after the Civil War.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02- The stations were in a worse state - than they are today.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08- While journeying to Corinth, one of - the most important battlefields...
0:17:08 > 0:17:13- ..he travelled on one of the first - railways to reopen after the war.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17- Everyone was happy to see - the iron horse resume its duties.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21- Despite the ragged appearance - of our carriage...
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- ..and the speed at which - we travelled, a mere 12mph...
0:17:25 > 0:17:29- ..there were - no complaints from anyone.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37- If the railways were in a poor - state, the villages were much worse.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41- He describes some villages - with only one building standing.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- Readers of Y Faner had - frequent updates on the Civil War.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- They were familiar - with the names and characters.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- John Griffith - transported them there.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59- He adeptly created the scene - and made these places come alive.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- He spoke to Welsh immigrants...
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- ..to discover how the war - had directly affected them.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- He knew - it would strike a chord at home.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13- No other nation was as loyal - to the government as the Welsh.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18- I was told - by one of the Union generals...
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- ..that no other nation of people, - in terms of size...
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- ..had excelled themselves more - during the war...
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- ..and been promoted up the ranks - than the Welsh contingent.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36- He talks of one battle in which - many young men had fought...
0:18:37 > 0:18:38- ..but few returned.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- He mentions a Montgomeryshire man - who'd lost two brothers...
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- ..and a Welsh father - who'd travelled 2,000 miles...
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- ..to collect his son's body.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53- Each personal account tugged at the - heart strings of readers in Wales.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- On that first journey, - the wounds were fresh.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09- Remnants of war were visible in - areas that are familiar to us now...
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- ..for completely different reasons - - Nashville, Tennessee, for example.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- It was here that Y Gohebydd - met up with his uncle, SR.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20- He was a man - caught up in the conflict.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25- In SR's words, "The lamentable - effects of war are everywhere.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- "Not only on the roads, - the fields and abodes...
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- "..but also etched on the spirit - of the residents."
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- Then Y Gohebydd - begins his description.
0:19:36 > 0:19:37- The place is in ruins.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42- And massacre, the likes of which - the world has never seen before.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47- It will take a long time and - a great deal of effort and money...
0:19:47 > 0:19:52- ..to rebuild the cities, villages - and abodes that were destroyed...
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- ..during the war.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- In Corinth, - two black men took Y Gohebydd...
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- ..to one of - the most famous battlefields.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09- They picked up shrapnel, - a few shells and countless bullets.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- They saw large cemeteries - and individual graves...
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- ..where soldiers - had been buried in haste.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- I was struck by a feeling - I'm unable to describe on paper...
0:20:21 > 0:20:25- ..whilst walking across - the Corinth battlefield.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- Fields - where rivers of blood had flowed.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- This is the war cemetery.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- Everything is neat, - tidy and nice here today.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- But it was very different - when John Griffith was here.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- The remnants of war were evident.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- The memory - and the graves were fresh.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- Suddenly, he came across a headstone - inscribed with a Welsh name.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- He thought about - the grieving family back home...
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- ..and remembered the son who - was killed thousands of miles away.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01- I saw - an individual soldier's grave...
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- ..flanked by - two others in front of it...
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- ..with a Welsh name - painted on a plank of wood.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- "SD Humphreys, Company B...
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- "..47 Illinois.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- "Killed, 3 October 1862."
0:21:17 > 0:21:21- There are certainly friends - somewhere grieving...
0:21:21 > 0:21:25- ..and no doubt a mother and father, - brothers and sisters in Wales.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- Who knows?
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- Thousands are buried in the valley - beneath the verdant fields...
0:21:32 > 0:21:37- ..with not as much as a plank - of beech to denote where they lie.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44- You can imagine the effect - that description would've had...
0:21:44 > 0:21:46- ..on people back home in Wales...
0:21:47 > 0:21:49- ..and those listening open mouthed.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- It highlighted the futility of war.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- The Civil War lasted four years.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- Four million men - fought in the conflict.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04- It's estimated - that 600,000 of them were killed.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07- Large swathes - of central and southern America...
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- ..were embroiled in the conflict.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- The southern states were defeated - and slavery was abolished.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- The outcome had a huge impact - on the world's history.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- When John Griffith - travelled these parts...
0:22:23 > 0:22:25- ..the remnants of war were evident.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- It's hard to imagine - in today's tranquillity.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- Large areas of this land - had never been farmed.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- It was waiting to be cultivated.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- Though he had met SR - during his travels...
0:22:38 > 0:22:41- ..John Griffith's main aim - was to visit Brynffynnon...
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- ..the Welsh colony that SR - had tried to establish in Tennessee.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- He wasn't the first to dream - of acquiring land for the Welsh.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- He and others from Llanbrynmair - had purchased land...
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- ..to create a free, - Welsh Nonconformist paradise.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03- He wasn't the first to buy land - and notice there was a difference...
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- ..between quantity and quality.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- The reality - didn't live up to the dream.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14- Documents about the venture - exist to this day...
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- ..at Knoxville University's library.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19- Legal letters and documents.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- Documents - that show how things went awry...
0:23:23 > 0:23:27- ..and a prospectus that demonstrates - how SR and comrades...
0:23:27 > 0:23:31- ..had invested large sums of money - to attract more Welsh to the area.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- They were beset by legal problems.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40- Years later, SR's descendants - sill fought for justice.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45- But this was new territory. - It was hard to prove ownership.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52- There's nothing like touching - the actual documents themselves...
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- ..and seeing Samuel Roberts' - signature from 150 years ago.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01- Where exactly was the location - of his home in Brynffynnon...
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- ..where John Griffith spent - several weeks helping on the farm?
0:24:06 > 0:24:10- My main goal is to - try and find Brynffynnon today.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- Apparently, it no longer exists.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21- There's a gap in the articles during - Y Gohebydd's time at Brynffynnon.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- He mentions arriving there - and not much more.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29- SR's journals mention his - conversations and work on the farm.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- A few entries in SR's journal...
0:24:32 > 0:24:36- ..refer to life's hardships - in all kinds of ways.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40- He reveals that he and Y Gohebydd - suffered with diarrhoea.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45- In another, he refers to - the arduous journey to collect corn.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- Even today, as it was - for John Griffith on horseback...
0:24:49 > 0:24:54- ..the sheer size of the United - States is enough to stun a Welshman.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00- Brynffynnon, - letter dated 27 July 1866.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- Here I am at last, - at Uncle Sam's table...
0:25:04 > 0:25:08- ..in Brynffynnon, in - the Cumberland hills, Tennessee.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17- I think it was here, or at least - within a few hundreds yards...
0:25:18 > 0:25:21- ..that Brynffynnon, SR's home, - was situated.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25- It would've been a mammoth task - to chop down the trees...
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- ..build a house - and experiment with crops.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33- SR's problem was that far fewer - Welsh people than expected...
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- ..had purchased land.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- On top of that, some used - legal ruses to steal land.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- Tennessee was - also caught up in the fighting...
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- ..on the border between - the southern and northern states.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50- The fighting ebbed and flowed - through the area like the tide.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53- By the time John Griffith arrived...
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- ..it was clear - the venture was about to fail.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- The adventure - only lasted a few years...
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- ..and the Brynffynnon community - vanished.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07- It is only by studying old maps...
0:26:08 > 0:26:12- ..comparing them to today's maps - and following land and river...
0:26:12 > 0:26:17- ..that it is possible to be - fairly certain of SR's whereabouts.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- By the time John Griffith arrived, - the end was nigh.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28- Brynffynnon - is overgrown with trees once again.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31- Finding Brynffynnon - was my first challenge.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36- The next step was to trace John - Griffith's journey to the South...
0:26:36 > 0:26:41- ..to see where he was when he wrote - his most dramatic descriptions.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44- Excerpts - that are still as poignant today.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- It would take me to the heart - of the cotton industry...
0:26:48 > 0:26:53- ..and to the centre of slavery, - where an entire race was persecuted.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55- .
0:26:56 > 0:26:56- Subtitles
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- When John Griffith, Y Gohebydd, - reached the South, it was in ruins.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10- Remnants of the Civil War were - everywhere in Alabama, Tennessee.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- This was where - slavery lasted the longest.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- Today, some are still reactionary - and quite right wing.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- John Griffith stayed - with a Welshman from Ceredigion.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- He was a Union army captain - who had acquired land in the South.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33- These were the cotton plantations.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37- Wealthy estates that grew cotton - crops to clothe most of the world.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- Hundreds of thousands of slaves - toiled in the fields...
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- ..and were treated like dirt.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50- Cotton farms still exist today but - their methods are very different.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53- Jared farms 100-acre fields.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55- Like sheep farming in Wales...
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- ..it's much more than a business.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02- Although international competition - undermines the industry...
0:28:02 > 0:28:04- ..many still persevere.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09- I guess there's an emotional, - kind of a romantic connection...
0:28:09 > 0:28:11- ..part of our culture.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15- We don't wear corn hats, - or have corn tags on our truck...
0:28:15 > 0:28:17- ..we wear cotton hats.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- People at church don't ask me, - "How's the wheat?"
0:28:20 > 0:28:22- They ask me, "How's the cotton?"
0:28:22 > 0:28:27- From since I was a small child, - it's what the farm was founded on.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29- It got us to where we're at.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33- It's a part of our culture, - whether we even realize it or not.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39- Giant machinery - replaces slave labour nowadays.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44- This machine is worth 500,000 - and uses satellite technology...
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- ..to follow the cotton rows.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52- After that, we saw - two or three cotton gins at work.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57- It's a machine that resembles - the wool factory's 'devil'.
0:28:58 > 0:29:03- The ears of corn are beaten - to a pulp to extract the seed...
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- ..which falls to a chamber below...
0:29:06 > 0:29:10- ..leaving large, clean - cotton rolls at the other end.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16- The cotton gins were new devices - in John Griffith's day...
0:29:16 > 0:29:19- ..used to treat the cotton.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22- The basic technology - remains the same.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27- The parts are carefully cleaned - in preparation for another harvest.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38- It's the abject topic of slavery...
0:29:38 > 0:29:41- ..which weighs heavily on my mind.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44- Y Gohebydd - lived through those times.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- My knowledge - is gleaned from museums.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03- I can only pore over the written - records of the slave trade...
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- ..whereas John Griffith - was privy to it.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10- He came to America to find out - what had happened to the Welsh...
0:30:10 > 0:30:15- ..and also to witness what was - happening to the black population.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17- He'd written - a great deal about them.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22- He'd been in protest meetings - against slavery in Liverpool.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26- He, along with many other Welsh - radical Nonconformist Liberals...
0:30:27 > 0:30:29- ..were greatly affected by it.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34- By the time Y Gohebydd reached the - deep South, the slaves were free.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38- He'd talked to many of them - about their experiences.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41- Collecting cotton was hard labour.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44- It took its toll - on the body and hands.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48- It was the slaves who led - the oxen and the wagons to market.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53- "The slave and the ox belonged to - the same master" said John Griffith.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57- There was - little difference between them.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00- John Griffith uses the word nigger, - as was used back then.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04- He has deep sympathy - for the black population.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07- He empathises with them as people.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15- In front of me is a list of slaves - belonging to one particular estate.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19- It's a completely stark - business record.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23- In a strange way, it goes to show - the barbarity of slavery.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27- It's a list of first names only.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31- Names of the slaves, - their age, colour...
0:31:31 > 0:31:34- ..and condition of their health...
0:31:34 > 0:31:37- ..along with a suggestion - of what they were good for...
0:31:37 > 0:31:41- ..just like a farmer - would make a list of his stock.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47- What turned John Griffith's stomach - the most were the slave farms.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51- Landowners who reared slaves...
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- ..in order to sell them - to other masters.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00- Slaves raised in the states - of Virginia and Kentucky...
0:32:00 > 0:32:06- ..were reared in the same way as - bullocks, donkeys, pigs and sheep.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10- They were sent to market - to profit from them.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15- To the south of Washington, - in the old town of Alexandria...
0:32:15 > 0:32:18- ..he witnessed something - that greatly affected him.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23- An auction house owned by Price, - Birch & Company Dealers In Slaves.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27- He recreated the scene in a letter - to enlighten the Welsh back home.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34- Farmers from neighbouring areas - would send their slaves to market.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38- From here - they would herd them down river...
0:32:38 > 0:32:40- ..like they were - herding cattle to market.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43- One day I went there to observe.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47- I saw where the slaves were fed...
0:32:47 > 0:32:52- ..and the underground cells in - which they were locked up at night.
0:32:52 > 0:32:57- My memories of that building, - with its bolts and iron doors...
0:32:58 > 0:33:03- ..are enough, even in this heat, - to make a man's blood run cold.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10- John Griffith talks about slavery...
0:33:11 > 0:33:15- ..to which he was vehemently - opposed, and its abolition.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20- How typical was his reaction? Was - it the typical opinion of the Welsh?
0:33:20 > 0:33:26- Many people in Wales itself, and - the Welsh contingent in America...
0:33:27 > 0:33:29- ..were against slavery.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34- The majority of those fought for - the Union armies in the Civil War.
0:33:36 > 0:33:41- In that sense, Y Gohebydd - reflects the sentiment of the time.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45- John Griffith - was opposed to slavery...
0:33:45 > 0:33:48- ..and in favour - of liberating black slaves.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- The highlight of his trip was - being at the senate in Washington...
0:33:53 > 0:33:57- ..when a law was passed, securing - civil rights for black people.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05- Y Gohebydd said, even if he'd lived - to Methuselah's age...
0:34:05 > 0:34:09- ..he'd never forget - those scenes in Washington.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12- Even during the most - exciting events in Westminster...
0:34:13 > 0:34:16- ..he'd never seen such emotion - as when the law was passed.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19- As he said himself...
0:34:19 > 0:34:23- ..the rights of three million people - depended on that vote.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28- The following day, he came across - a black man in Washington...
0:34:28 > 0:34:33- ..and described his reaction when - the civil rights bill was passed.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36- "Is that so?" said Mac.
0:34:36 > 0:34:41- "It is so. It was carried last night - over the head of the president."
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- Tears welled up - in his large yellow eyes.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- The tears - streamed down his black cheeks.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52- He said, with both hands together...
0:34:52 > 0:34:54- .."Bless de Lord God Almighty.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57- "Bless de Lord.
0:34:57 > 0:35:03- "De Lord will bring everything right - about bye and bye. Bless de Lord."
0:35:07 > 0:35:11- The slaves were freed, - which meant no-one farmed the land.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15- Large swathes of the South's crops - were running wild.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21- He came to Decatur, - an area where cotton was king.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- But the king was on his knees.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27- It's impossible - to travel anywhere...
0:35:28 > 0:35:33- ..without coming across reminders of - what this country has been through.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35- A house in ruins on one side...
0:35:36 > 0:35:39- ..and nothing left but bare walls - of another house opposite.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- Two chimneys, - a wooden house reduced to ashes.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50- He meets a young black man - and asks him...
0:35:50 > 0:35:53- ..why so much of the farmland - has been left untended...
0:35:54 > 0:35:56- ..and in such dire condition.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01- "Well," he said, - "I'll explain exactly why.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05- "The farmers of this country, - planters as they're called...
0:36:05 > 0:36:08- "..have never worked before.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12- "They can't farm their own land. - The slaves did all the work.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14- "They've now lost their niggers.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- "They're too full of anger - at everything and everyone...
0:36:19 > 0:36:24- "..to employ us, the black people, - to work their land for a wage.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27- "We won't work for free. - Why should we?"
0:36:31 > 0:36:36- This article contains Y Gohebydd's - most dramatic descriptions...
0:36:36 > 0:36:39- ..of the cotton plantations' ruin.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41- He claims it is God's judgement.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45- He references Belshazzar's Feast - in the Bible...
0:36:45 > 0:36:50- ..in which the writing was on - the wall for the demise of Babylon.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54- "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin!"
0:36:55 > 0:36:59- Mene - God numbered the days of - your reign and brought it to an end.
0:37:00 > 0:37:05- Tekel - You have been weighed - on the scales and found wanting.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10- Now the prophesy - has been fulfilled with haste.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15- The majestic buildings previously - referred to, and others besides...
0:37:16 > 0:37:19- ..have today - been reduced to rack and ruin.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28- But the destruction was superficial.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32- The laws might have changed but - people's attitude stayed the same.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37- The oppression of the black - population was far from over.
0:37:40 > 0:37:41- .
0:37:43 > 0:37:43- Subtitles
0:37:43 > 0:37:45- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:37:48 > 0:37:51- Decatur in Alabama - is neat and tidy nowadays...
0:37:51 > 0:37:55- ..showing no remnants of war - and the abolition of slavery.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57- I want to know what happened next.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01- The best place to look - is in the archives.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- Local historians - explained that the end of the war...
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- ..didn't secure complete freedom.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11- When the Union troops - were withdrawn, for many blacks...
0:38:11 > 0:38:16- ..it's, 'How do we negotiate - freedom? How do we survive?'
0:38:16 > 0:38:19- The plan was to give every - former slave 40 acres of land...
0:38:20 > 0:38:22- ..and a mule in order to help them.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24- But every state had different rules.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28- In Alabama, it was - the white landowners who ruled.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32- Many black people - ended up back on the cotton farms...
0:38:32 > 0:38:36- ..working for a pittance - with no chance of escaping.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40- In some instances, - it was slavery by another name.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43- One idea was to share crops.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47- Landowners had no money - and slaves had very little land.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52- The outcome was something resembling - the feudal system in medieval Wales.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56- A former slave cultivated the crops, - retained some of the produce...
0:38:57 > 0:38:59- ..and a portion of farmland.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03- But it also resembled the truck shop - system of the collieries.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07- Workers had to buy produce - in the landowners' shops...
0:39:07 > 0:39:11- ..which resulted in debt - and another form of servitude.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18- On the flip side of the coin...
0:39:18 > 0:39:21- ..many of the soldiers...
0:39:21 > 0:39:25- ..the African-American soldiers - received pensions...
0:39:26 > 0:39:28- ..and they did very well.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30- Some received bounties...
0:39:30 > 0:39:33- ..so after the war, - many purchased land...
0:39:33 > 0:39:36- ..they had previously fought on.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40- Some of the local historians - and community leaders...
0:39:40 > 0:39:44- ..are very interested - in John Griffith's articles.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47- Although he doesn't - fully name people and places...
0:39:47 > 0:39:51- ..the first letter of each - is enough of an indication.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56- They recognise some of the people - Y Gohebydd described 150 years ago.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- White Downtown Trinity.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- It is now - Trinity United Methodist Church.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06- It's still sanding - on the same property.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10- I had to search for Trinity Church.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- Following - the Rev Ragland's directions...
0:40:13 > 0:40:17- ..I was going somewhere - I knew John Griffith had visited.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20- It's still standing.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32- Wherever he went in America, John - Griffith took every opportunity...
0:40:32 > 0:40:36- ..to attend chapel cymanfaoedd, like - a tourist searching for attractions.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40- These are associated - with Welsh chapels, as a rule...
0:40:40 > 0:40:44- ..but here in the land of cotton, - while he was living nearby...
0:40:45 > 0:40:48- ..he came to - a chapel service on this site...
0:40:48 > 0:40:51- ..and gave a vivid description - of the congregation.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55- Wealthy people - who had lost everything...
0:40:55 > 0:40:58- ..including the preacher, - who, prior to the war...
0:40:59 > 0:41:03- ..had 20 or more niggers working - for him in his beautiful mansion...
0:41:03 > 0:41:08- ..filled with ornate furniture and - surrounded by gardens and orchards.
0:41:08 > 0:41:14- But the Yankee army destroyed the - plantation, the house and the site.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22- When peace was later restored, - all he had left was his farm...
0:41:23 > 0:41:26- ..which had run wild - during the four-year war.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32- He had no money to buy a mule, let - alone a store pig and a few hens.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41- It was typical of Y Gohebydd to have - a deep sense of sympathy for others.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44- He paid as much attention - to a former slave...
0:41:44 > 0:41:47- ..as he did the American president.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- He described both the mansions - and the shacks of the poor.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55- If he returned to the area today...
0:41:55 > 0:41:58- ..he'd want to know - about its citizens...
0:41:59 > 0:42:01- ..and the slaves' descendants.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06- I asked Rev Ragland about the lives - of Alabama's black population today.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10- In America, in Alabama, - race is always going to be present.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13- It will never go away. Never.
0:42:15 > 0:42:21- No, the story John Griffith - was writing isn't over yet.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26- Some of the old feelings were - still lingering under the surface.
0:42:28 > 0:42:33- Strangely enough, I wasn't - as hopeful as John Griffith...
0:42:33 > 0:42:36- ..when I left the area - on my return journey.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- John Griffith returned to Wales - after two years...
0:42:41 > 0:42:45- ..but he took - a part of America home with him.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- When it came to - describing the hardships...
0:42:48 > 0:42:53- ..of Ceredigion families when they - were evicted from their farms...
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- ..for voting against - Tory landlords...
0:42:56 > 0:42:58- ..he used this experience...
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- ..to compare them - to the black people of Tennessee.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05- America had changed, the world - had changed, as had John Griffith.
0:43:08 > 0:43:14- Back in Wales, he became involved - in another battle for rights.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29- Each year, John Griffith - spent time in Aberystwyth...
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- ..in part for the sea air, no doubt.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- He would stay over there, - in 10 Heol Y Bont...
0:43:37 > 0:43:41- ..with Thomas and Margaret Samuel, - owners of a leather business.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51- Aberystwyth - was important to John Griffith.
0:43:51 > 0:43:56- He had worked and campaigned to - establish the University of Wales...
0:43:56 > 0:43:59- ..here in a former hotel by the sea.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02- Shortly after - he returned from America...
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- ..the area - became even more important...
0:44:06 > 0:44:08- ..after the 1868 General Election.
0:44:08 > 0:44:13- It was an important election for a - new generation of radical Liberals.
0:44:13 > 0:44:17- Many tenants were evicted - from their farms in Ceredigion...
0:44:18 > 0:44:21- ..for daring to vote - against the Tory landlords.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24- John Griffith came to Aberystwyth...
0:44:24 > 0:44:28- ..and went on one of his travels - to the south of the county...
0:44:28 > 0:44:31- ..to see - what had happened to the tenants.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36- The churchgoing landlords - had already evicted the tenants...
0:44:36 > 0:44:39- ..and continued their persecution...
0:44:39 > 0:44:42- ..which was inexcusable - in John Griffith's eyes.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47- Oh, my beloved and enlightened - Wales, how we despair...
0:44:47 > 0:44:51- ..that your so-called gentlemen...
0:44:51 > 0:44:55- ..do not possess - that old stuff called chivalry.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58- It is almost unfeasible - to think of anything...
0:44:59 > 0:45:03- ..that is more opposed to chivalry - and is so mean and cowardly.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08- They are cowards, - the meanest of the mean.
0:45:10 > 0:45:15- John Griffith wrote one of - his best articles about this place.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18- What a sight to behold!
0:45:18 > 0:45:22- The closest thing to it - is something I witnessed...
0:45:22 > 0:45:24- ..in a negro's shack...
0:45:25 > 0:45:28- ..while I was - staying in Corinth, Mississippi.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32- He'd heard that two families - had been taken in by a widow...
0:45:33 > 0:45:36- ..in the Pentregat area - near Llangrannog.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40- Studying his description, - along with maps and the census...
0:45:41 > 0:45:44- ..it appears that - this would've been the exact place.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49- At the time, there would've been - a farmhouse and outbuildings.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52- He met Mathew Pugh's family - in the farmhouse.
0:45:52 > 0:45:57- He then went to the barn, where - he met a more impoverished family.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01- Here they are.
0:46:01 > 0:46:06- They were evicted, with no home - in God's creation to go to.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09- They've had to languish here...
0:46:09 > 0:46:13- ..on the cold earth floor - of a widow's barn.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19- A father, mother - and eight children...
0:46:19 > 0:46:22- ..one of whom was a month old, - had to live in the barn.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26- There was no light, - apart from the light from the fire.
0:46:26 > 0:46:31- The place was full of smoke and - the earth floor smelled of slurry.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34- Y Gohebydd - painted a vivid picture...
0:46:34 > 0:46:36- ..comparing them - with those he'd seen...
0:46:37 > 0:46:40- ..in Tennessee and Alabama - three years earlier.
0:46:40 > 0:46:45- What struck me was that this - was a family who had been squeezed.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48- They had been broken.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50- They were afraid - to look you in the face.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54- They feared - strangers' footsteps approaching...
0:46:54 > 0:46:58- ..in case they had been sent to - collect money since they had none.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03- It is in this description that - you see John Griffith at his best...
0:47:03 > 0:47:08- ..in his ability to write, describe - and select the right details.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11- You sense - his humanitarianism and radicalism.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14- By uniting - the paupers of Ceredigion...
0:47:14 > 0:47:17- ..with the battle - of America's slaves...
0:47:17 > 0:47:22- ..he was widening people's horizons - as well as their minds.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:47:50 > 0:47:51- .