Extremist Abolitionist John Brown Essay

John Brown's raid on the federal aresenal at Harper's Ferry, VA was an attempt by the white abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave revolt in 1859 by seizing a United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown's raid, accompanied by 20 men in his party, was defeated by a detachment of U.S. Marines led by Col. Robert E. Lee. John Brown had originally asked Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, both of whom he had met in his formative years as an abolitionist in Springfield, Massachusetts, to join him in his raid, but Tubman was prevented by illness, and Douglass declined, as he believed Brown's plan would fail.

On October 16th, 1859, John Brown led a group of twenty-one men in an attack on the Harpers Ferry Arsenal. His idea was to go from town to town arming black slaves hoping to spark a rebellion. The uprising was

John Brown felt particularly strongly that this organized insurrection was one of the only options to overthrow slavery once and for all. He had originally hoped that slaves would ban together to join him and his small army, he even included Fredrick Douglas and Harriet Tubman in his plotting, however no slaves joined for fear of failure. The raid party stayed at Kennedy Farmhouse located four miles away from Harpers Ferry in preparation for the attack. With many weapons in hand the attackers situated themselves indoors in order to keep suspicions to a minimum. Approximately five men were killed and hostages were taken. Seeing as the raiders were obviously outnumbered they were caught by Robert E. Lee, leader of the U.S. Marines, and convicted of treason against the commonwealth of Virginia. John brown was hung on December 2, 1859, and the others involved were executed on December 16, 1859.

Henry Box Brown was an African-American slave in the 1800’s. When he was young, his original slave owner had passed, and Henry was sent to work for his old slave owner’s son. As he got older he met another slave named Nancy while on an errand for his owner. Brown and Nancy wanted to get married and start a family. Later on, Brown and Nancy had three children. “Unfortunately, in 1848 Nancy and their three children were sold to a slave trader who sent them to North Carolina,” (Simkin). Brown was bemused and mournful because his owner promised to not sell his family. Questions were raised on if he should attempt an escape, and this paper will explain the benefits on why Henry Box Brown made the right decision to escape.

To understand Henry “Box” Brown, it is important to understand the importance of slavery and its impact on them and their families. Helping young students understand oppression and discrimination of African Americans is particularly challenging, but without addressing this, the students’ worldview of other people cultures and values may be limited. If teachers disregard specific information in there lesson, the learning experience wouldn’t be as sensation-rich and memorable for the students. Thus, for example, engaging the students with bodily-kinesthetic, visual-spatial, and musical hooks throughout the year allows the learner to be “fully involved” in the learning process and outcome. At the same time, it helps the teachers to fully understand

Brown had a great faith in God. Success had eluded him up to this point. He had sired 20 children and had gone through two wives, but he still felt unfulfilled. In 1846, Brown was working as a wool merchant but nothing ever came of it. Before 1855, Brown had gone through a series of lawsuits and bankruptcies that halted his success. Gerrit Smith, a philanthropist friend of Brown's, was persuaded into giving a portion of the 120,000 acres of land he owned in upstate New York to Brown. This land would be open to refugee negroes. Brown lived on this land as a farmer for some time before realizing that people were just taking advantage of him.

In 1859 he led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (in modern-day West Virginia). During the raid, he seized the armory; seven people were killed, and ten or more were injured. He intended to arm slaves with weapons from the arsenal, but the attack failed. Within 36 hours, Brown's men had fled or been killed or captured by local farmers, militiamen, and U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Brown's subsequent capture by federal forces, his trial for treason by the state of Virginia, and his execution by hanging in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia) were an important part of the origins of the American Civil War, which followed sixteen months later. When Brown was hanged after his attempt to start a slave rebellion in 1859, church bells rang, minute guns were fired, large memorial meetings took place throughout the North, and famous writers such as Emerson and Thoreau joined many Northerners in praising Brown. Historians agree John Brown played a major role in starting the Civil War. His role and actions prior to the Civil War as an abolitionist, and the tactics he chose, still make him a controversial figure today. He is sometimes memorialized as a heroic martyr and a visionary and sometimes vilified as a madman and a terrorist. Some writers, such as Bruce Olds, describe him as a

John Brown who led the Raid on Harpers Ferry, was also a part of the Pottawatomie Massacre that occurred in 1856 in Kansas which led to the death of five men who were pro-slavery. On January 16, 1859 John Brown along with eighteen other people captured the arsenal of Harpers Ferry and pushed out to get the slaves to rise up, but the rising of slaves didn’t happen. Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee and J.E.B Stuart and soldiers arrived the next day to surround the place, which left Brown and his men cornered. Brown was asked to give up and just surrender, which he didn’t. So, when Brown refused to do so and the standoff went on, in the end some of Browns men ended up dead and a soldier was killed. In two days Browns raid was over, the same raid that Fredrick Douglass said was not going to go well and should be left alone. Abraham Lincoln spoke on the raid after, expressing his opinion of it as being ridiculous. Northerners at first disapproved of John Brown actions, but then they began to respect what John Brown did and started to see him as hero. John Brown was set on trial and was hung. The South was angered when others say Brown as an hero, and the Baltimore Sun published saying the South, “could not live under a government, the majority of whose subjects or citizens regard John Brown as a martyr and a Christian hero, rather than a murderer and a robber” (“Political Origins of The Civil War”) John Brown raid helped bring the South to seceding, but it was not the major fact that pushed the States, even though it did play a role. “The straw that broke the camel’s back,” so to speak, was the election of President Abraham Lincoln. (“Unit IV: Crumbling Loyalties and Dividing the

John Brown was an abolitionist who attempted to free slaves. He had a strong hatred for slavery. Many abolitionists moved to Kansas since the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which gave states the right to decide if they would allow slavery. They wanted to make Kansas a non-slave state. In 1855 Brown and his family moved to Osawatomie Kansas, he bought land and had a farm. In 1856 the town of Lawrence which was near where they lived was fiercely attacked and burned by men who were proslavery. Only a few short days later John Brown led his men he gathered up to Pottawatomie Creek, where they killed five proslavery settlers. On October 16. 1859, Brown along with sixteen white men and five black men led a raid on the U.S. arsenal at Harper’s Ferry

Brown does not want his family and friends to feel bad for him, which is clear in the tone of his letters. His letters are upbeat, and he mentions how happy he is often. He is protective of his family’s feelings. In letters to others, he mentions his impending hanging, but when he writes to his wife, he calls death “my great change” (John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, pg. 98), as though death is honorable. Brown works hard in his letters to be sure that his family, especially his wife, cannot visit him. This may be

October, 1859 John Brown went after the federal arsenal at the Harper’s Ferry in Northwestern of Virginia. Brown was fighting against slavery and he gathers a group to help with the riot. Brown seized the army, he killed and injured many. He attempted to make the slaves involved and give them guns to protect them. They were afraid because they thought Brown would not successful aid them. John Brown riot provoked violence and played

Who is Frederick Douglass and what is he known for? The Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass was born into slavery sometime around 1818 in Talbot country, Maryland. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time, by writing several biographies describing his experience in slavery. Douglass symbolizes the militant outlook of modern African American leaders. Frederick Douglass positively influenced the United States by engaging in the abolitionist movement, inspiring other slaves and slave writers, and social reforms.

obedient to the whites. He said if the slaves tried ever to revolt or try to escape they would burn in

John Brown broke many laws. In 1856 Brown and his men tortured and killed five pro-slavery civilians on their doorstep. In 1859 Brown and about 24 men attacked Harpers Ferry, they murdered seven people and captured multiple people. The acts of murder and treason were carried out in an attempt to free the slaves. The most unlawful act he committed was treason. He was tried for treason by the Common Wealth of Virginia and found guilty after the raid on Harpers ferry.

Abolitionists were pivotal to the end of slavery within the United States of America. Some were simply outraged and appalled by the continued institution of slavery, and others were former slaves themselves that had wished to end the evil practice of slavery. One such Abolitionist, who is considered in my opinion and the opinion of many others, was Frederick Douglass. This famous former slave had managed to both mentally and physically escape slavery, while also managing to help many others become free by shedding more light on the subject. From his famous autobiographies and Abolitionist work, to his conflict with the segregational Jim Crow laws, Frederick Douglass truly was one of, if not the most important figure in the Abolitionist movement.