John Brown: A Social Raid

John Brown single-handedly created the sparks that led to the southern secession. John Brown was a religious man who believed in “an eye for an eye”. He was willing to use as much violence as necessary for his cause even if it was extreme. In 1864, John Brown lead a group of men to kill five pro-slavery men because of a rumor he heard about the murder of anti-slavery men. This tradesy is known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. Document B shows that Brown had “torn, hacked and disfigured” men at Pottawatomie. This brutal massacre proves that Brown’s actions were unheroic and ended up upsetting many men. When other pro-slavery men heard about his incident they were enraged. The murders of the men led to a series of violent events between the proslavery

“Every villain is a hero in his own mind,” quoted Tom Hiddleston, an English actor best known for playing Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From this quote it is understood that every person perceives “right” and “wrong” differently and will act according to their perception. People consider a person as either a hero or villain by looking at their actions. John Brown, was a white American abolitionist who believed that armed rebellion was the only way to overthrow slavery in the United States. With the evidence provided with different resources, such as the article John Brown: Villain or Hero? by Steven Mintz, it can be seen that John Brown is a villain.

John Brown was very similar to Nat Turner they both believed that they were chosen by god to lead slaves into freedom and if that required a fight then that was what they had to do. John Brown had a goal and that was to abolish slavery throughout the united states. The trouble in Kansas began when the Nebraska Act was signed by President Pierce, this act engaged that people make a determination on whether Kansas territory should be free or slave. In hopes that Kansas would become free of slaves, the opposing side which was named Border Ruffians invaded their territory and forced the pro-slavery election. After John heard about the fear of Kansas becoming a slave state and after also hearing that the Border Ruffians ransacked the town of Lawrence

John Brown was a man who lived in the mid eighteen-hundreds and who fought against the evil of slavery. He had a very strong belief that slavery was unjust, and this is true, but he thought that in order to abolish slavery, violence would be the best method. That’s where he went wrong. John Brown led two attacks on slave owners and those who supported slavery, the first at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas on May 24th, 1856, and the second at Harper Ferry, Virginia on October 16th, 1859. At Pottawatomie Creek, joined by seven others, Brown brutally hacked to death five men with sabers. These men supported slavery but weren’t even slave owners themselves. On October 16th, 1859, Brown led 21 men on another raid on Harpers Ferry attempting to

Throughout history John Brown has been described as a terrorist, mentally ill, and a failure among other things. Because he stood strongly for what he believed in, and his goal was eventually achieved he can be seen for the most part as a hero. Brown was described as “an American who gave his life that millions of other Americans be free” (Chowder,6). Brown was a headstrong abolitionist who claimed that he was told by God to end slavery causing him to see himself as “a latter-day Moses” (Chowder, 6). With this, he stopped at nothing to fulfill these expectations. Brown’s heroism is displayed through how he was recounted by others during and after his lifetime, the actions though drastic he took when fighting for what he believed in, and

John Brown was a misguided fanatic. He was admired by many abolitionists for standing up for the rights. However, was seen outrageous in the eyes of many Southerners. He has went far beyond outrageous and carried out a killing spree in order to prove slavery was wrong. He had a plan, however stirred in a lot of problems along with it gained him the name a “misguided fanatic”.

John Brown’s beliefs about slavery and activities to destroy it hardly represented the mainstream of northern society in the years leading up to the Civil War. This rather unique man, however, took a leading role in propelling the nation toward secession and conflict. Many events influenced Brown’s views on slavery from an early age. When he was older, his strong anti-slavery feelings had grown, and he became an extreme abolitionist. His raid on Harpers Ferry was one of the first monumental events leading up to the civil war.

Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry affected American culture more than can ever be understood. Tension between the North and South was building in the 1850's. Slavery among many other things was dividing the country into two sections. Brown was executed on December 2, 1859 for his murderous out-lash on society. Was his mind so twisted and demented that he would commit cold-blooded murder? The answer is no. John Brown was a man with a goal and a purpose. When he said that abolition could not be achieved without blood he was right. It is one of histories great ironies; John Brown's struggle preceded the Civil War by only 17 months. Thousands of people were killed in the Civil War, yet John Brown

The Trail of Tears and the Indian Removal Act was just a couple of examples of racist intentions brought about during not only Jacksons presidency but the actions of others that would follow. Slaves began to fight for their freedom and abolonistinists began to make a name for themselves. Frederick Douglass and John Brown two prominent abolonistists from ether end of the colored spectrum - Douglass, a black man and Brown a white man - lead the fight and are most infamous amongst many. Frederick Douglass escaped enslavement at a young and fleed to the North. There he learned to read and write and became a writer detailing his experiences and voicing his stance publicly against slavery. He eventually became an advisor of sorts to Lincoln and helped the President change his mind on the future of slavery. John Brown however apporached things in a different manner. He and his African American supporters took arms to rebel against slavery because he knew that such atrocity would never die on its own. He later found himself at the gallows being hung by the State of Virigna with the go-ahead from the Federal Government. Freedom for slaves was one of many, many social activist issues at the

In the mid to late 1800s, a great moral reform movement swept the nation of America. Men, Women, Slaves, people who had never been admitted to influence the religious sector of the Nation were now standing up, and making their voices heard. A patriots History says, “There were transformations of attitudes about social relationships, health, prisons, education, and the status of women and African American slaves…. [This] grew into a substantial Jacksonian reform movement.” This moral reform movement was driven by three main beliefs, or Isms. These were Communal-ism, Feminism, and Abolitionism, all leading us up directly to the Civil War Without the dissent caused by these new movements, it is quite possible that the Civil War would have

Thesis: John Brown was a man full of honor and passion when it came to the abolishment of slavery. Not only that, but he was a man who believed that his actions were justified by his beliefs and social standpoint. Even though, he was a strong willed man; capable of standing up for his philosophies on life, he was a man who acted upon his emotions, and killed, interrogated, and terrorized towns and people. Your beliefs and morality do not justify the amount of terror that you cause, and it does not justify the amount of blood you spill; John Brown was a terrorist.

John Brown’s beliefs about slavery and activities to destroy it hardly represented the mainstream of northern society in the years leading up to the Civil War. This rather unique man, however, has become central to an understanding and in some cases misunderstandings about the origins of the Civil War. The importance of Brown’s mission against slavery was colossal to accelerating the civil war between the North and the South. His raid on Harpers Ferry in1859 divided the United States like nothing else before, and could have been the main event leading to the Civil War.

Also, the people in the free states grieved when they heard he was executed. John Brown thought that slavery wouldn’t end without violence, so he took a stand and made an attempt to stop

John Brown was an African American slave abolitionist who caused much conflict with his radical views to overthrow slavery. One of his many defeats where he tried to defeat slavery with violence was the armed slave rebellion on Harper’s Ferry. “In a speech to the court before his sentencing, Brown stated his actions to be just and God-sanctioned.” Brown lived a life full of dispute; yet it was not until after Harper Ferry where his madness was confirmed. “Brown soon became a hero in the eyes of Northern extremists and was quick to capitalize on his growing reputation.” Brown’s radical abolitionist movements and wicked violent actions on slavery promoted his reputation in the north and were the cherry on the sundae to validate his insanity.

Throughout TGLB John Brown was always an interesting and somewhat-hated character while reading the book. I wanted to know if my feelings were well formed. Curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to learn more about this mysterious yet passionate man. The first essay that I read was, “John Brown’s ‘Madness’” by Charles J.G. Griffin. This essay revealed a lot about John Brown and the different theories of those who have studied him which made this a really interesting. After reading and rereading this essay the main claim that I determined must have been meant for this essay is the claim to prove to his reader that John Brown was indeed ‘mad.’ In any way you use the word, John Brown was that. The author made a point to make several different