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
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
Brown made many violent attacks through his long attempt to end slavery. One of Brown's rather horrific attacks was the murder of five pro-slavery settlers in the Pottawatomie Creek. It was once stated that brown did this act of violence out of rage, and it
“John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was a radical abolitionist from the United States, who advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery for good. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas and made his name in the unsuccessful raid at Harpers Ferry in 1859. He was tried and executed for treason against the
When John Brown was young, he witnessed an attack on a young slave boy, who was beaten with a shovel. The boy died, and Brown
John Brown was taught by his father that while slavery did have an upside as to the invention of the cotton gin, it was still a sin in the eyes of god (4). Being told this by his father growing up, put this idea that slavery is bad and has a slight jump in his journey into becoming an abolitionist because constantly being told something will make you only see things one way, leading to him wanting to put an end to slavery. Owen and his son John Brown, stayed with a landlord when Owen won a contract to provide beef for the man. During the night John witnessed a young slave around his age get beat with a shovel right in front of his eyes traumatizing him (4). This is when he claimed to be transformed into “a most determined Abolitionist” and declared “eternal war” with slavery (4). Brown
One particular situation that occurred in Kansas was the sacking of the city of Lawrence. Pro slavery advocates of the city of LeCompton, Kansas set up a group or a posse that went to the anti-slavery city of Lawrence, Kansas, ransacked, burned and literally destroyed the city. In response to this attack by the Southerners the Northerners took revenge. John Brown, a radical abolitionist, decided to do a similar thing to the Southerners. He planned an attack on LeCompton, Kansas. Enroute to LeCompton he encountered about five pro slavery supporters, and without remorse, hacked them to death at Potawattamie Creek in Kansas. The entire country was slowly being divided into two parts and even
Although Brown spent most of his life far from the notorious deep south, the horrific conditions and legal abuse that slaves endured were not lost on him. Beaten, abused, separated from his family, and forced to do things he would never choose to do, Brown went on to become a free man, an author, historian, and an abolitionist, and his writings on the life of a slave provide an insight into the darker side of what many Americans consider to be a happy period in American
Around the time of the early 1800's, our nation was having a battle amongst ourselves over a prevelant issue. This issue was slavery. Southern regions featured slaves taking on prominent roles in relation to the cultivation of crops such as tobacco and cotton. While there were many who were obviously pro-slavery, there were those who were against it. These abolishionists battled the institution of slavery head on and sought to destroy the system, one way or another. One of these people decided to take action by raiding a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, a small Virginia town. The person's name was John Brown. His aim was to aid escaped slaves by equipping them with weapons, thus create an army of anti-slavery rebels that would destroy the opressive system of slavery for good. While Brown's goal was an admirable one, his venture would prove to be disappointing.
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
John Brown would hang and kill others just to end slavery. John Brown and his band of abolitionist settlers killed five settlers north of Pottawatomie. Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry was to
His views on cruelly ending slaving with violence and bloodshed only prove is madness. “Several of his colleagues also petitioned that the courts should look at Brown’s questionable mental state when it came to his actions.” With all the “violence” John Brown tried to create with his radical actions to end slavery, his actions did very little to end slavery. On the contrary, slave owners in the south treated slaves more barbaric because they started to feel threatened as his actions. Many thought his rebellion was going to succeed so many treated the slaves as the target. Many believe that his actions help stir up the civil war. In conclusion, John Brown tried to terminate slavery in savage ways many times and each time revealed his level of
Lincoln held firm to the idea that the United States’ defining quality was its uniquely democratic government. The Constitution was cherished by Lincoln, and it was for the preservation of this document that Lincoln was willing to carry out whatever task necessary. However, Lincoln’s interpretation of the Constitution legitimized the ownership of slaves, and he was not willing to sidestep the constitution unless it became absolutely necessary to do so (as a war measure). Only after the United States had been immutably split and hundreds of thousands of lives had been lost did Lincoln finally take decisive action.
Author and Historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, in her illustration of President Abraham Lincoln, “The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” gives clarification on Lincolns political career, life, and character. Goodwin paints a canvas of the lives of Lincoln’s rival companions to bring into focus the life and misfortunes of Abraham Lincoln and his presidential term. According to Goodwin, Lincoln being known as the “one-term congressman and a backwoods lawyer” was victorious over his three known ambitious rivals in the 1860 Presidential nominations (49). Goodwin briefly touches on how Lincoln’s rivals, who were role-modeled by thousands, were appalled at the victorious win by Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln is by far our most revered president in the history of the United States. He had a strong moral vision of where his country must go to preserve and enlarge the rights of all her people, but he was also a good man with a strong sense of character and a great discipline in the art of law; and he sought to continue the great and mighty legacy of the Constitution. He believed that the Founding Fathers had drawn up the Constitution without the mention of slavery because they felt that it would later die of a natural death. He would soon learn that that would not be the case.