John Brown: Freedom Fighter Or Terrorist?

“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.

However John Brown is someone who fought for what is right in his own mind without directions from other men. He was fully capable of knowing the surroundings around his world and was aware of how he was executing his action to fight for freedom for the slaves. However as he claimed that God came down and spoke to him to be the leader to free the slaves, John Brown took actions by his own choice and not by a superiority figure. He fought for colored choice by his own choice and not the choices of others. And in today's world the fight at Harper’s Ferry should not be counted as an act of terrorism but rather of act of free will to believe what is right for the country. John Brown is someone who fought for what is right in his mind. His mental state was not ill neither religious superiority controlled him to commit his actions. John Brown fighting for the freedom of colored men was his own choice and not the choices of other. He should be considered today as a true noble abolitionist who paved the way for equality for all and a hero to

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

John Brown's actions at Pottawatomie Creek and Harper's Ferry can be seen as acts of terrorism by a person or peoples opinion, but a closer study of modern and historic violent actions show he was a freedom fighter. Certainly, this is factual because there is no actual definition of terrorism, it is simply an opinion on someone's actions. Therefore, it is almost irrelevant for one be convicted a terrorist if no one can actually have a justified reasoning behind their choices.

The Third reason why John Brown is a terrorist is because he was a murderer. The fact is he did kill a person which does make him a murderer. John Brown was a law-breaker! Yes, that may seem surprising but he was charged with treason and then was sentenced to death.

He fought long and hard for what “he believed with certitude was a sin against God.” (Bordewich, 3). Of the many words used to describe Brown, one that would come up occasionally was hero. But “it wasn't until the 1970’s that John Brown the hero re-emerged.” (Chowder, 6). Two studies done by Stephen B. Oates and Richard Owen Boyer came to a conclusion that “Brown was stubborn, monomaniacal, egotistical, self-righteous, and sometimes deceitful; yet he was, at certain times, a great man.”(Chowder,6). Also, “among African- Americans, Brown’s heroism has never been in doubt. (Chowder, 6) Many strong black figures commended Brown’s actions in various ways. “Frederick Douglass praised him in print; W. E. B. Du Bois published a four-hundred word celebration of him in 1909; Malcolm X said he wouldn't mind being with white people if they were like John Brown; Alice Walker, in a poem, even wondered if in an earlier incarnation she herself hadn’t once been John Brown.” (Chowder, 6). Harriet Tubman “thought Brown was the greatest white man who had ever lived.” (Bordewich, 5). He even “began comparing himself to Jesus Christ. And he was not alone.” (Chowder, 5). Though he was described as “crazy” for a large part of his life, the fact that he was remembered by so many in such a positive manner, makes him a hero.

"America political life was completely mindless" Frances FitzGerald observed in her survey of American history books in 1979

“Col. Robert E. Lee's Report Concerning the Attack at Harper's Ferry” Civil War Trust http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/john-brown-150/lee-report-concerning-the-attack.html. Accessed 10 March 2017

John Brown in my opinion was a freedom fighter, he worked hard for what he wanted and tried his best to succeed no matter what it took. He did do some things in life that he was not proud of but everyone makes mistakes in life, what he did cannot be replaced because we cannot replace innocent lives that were taken. John Brown as a child was against slavery and everything that involves with slavery. My personal definition of terrorism is a group of people that harm others to get something they want. Therefore I do not believe this is John Brown, here are some reasons why. As I said before as a child John was against slavery, he went through many experiences with slaves that made his think this way. As a child John had to watch a slave get beaten, he did not know what to do or think.

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.

There are many things that make people terrorists, but everything about John Brown makes him just a freedom fighter and not a terrorist.

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.

The first of the three reasons that John Brown became a violent protester to slavery are as follows. In his mind, John believed that he was fulfilling their struggle for freedom in terms of the revolutionary soldier and puritan that he had descended from (3). In other words, the fight was already in him, he was trying to do good because he already saw what the puritans had went through to achieve their freedom. It was in his blood so to speak. The second of the three reasons is that John believed that God had called him to make do this for the slaves. John Brown was a very religious man as it talks about him going to church and evening going as far as making his children write down their sins they committed in the day. (17) The third and final reason for John browns turn to violence is the fact that he did not believe that a non violent tactic would work against the pro slavery people. The massacre of Pottawatomie was a true example of what John Brown believed was the correct way to handle this problem of slavery.

First, Brown made the right decision to escape because he became a free man. During this era England