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John Brown Hero Or Terrorist Essay

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John Brown: Hero or Terrorist?

On October 18th, 1859 John Brown, along with a group of white slavery abolitionists and free Black-Americans, raided a government arsenal located in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown planned to gather weapons and distribute them to slaves in the Southern states to inspire anti-slavery uprisings. Quickly, Brown’s raid failed and he was tried for treason, and later executed. When one thinks of the words “hero” and “terrorist”, one’s mind reaches for extremes. In reality, the line between a hero and a terrorist is slightly blurred, and very thin. A hero is described as “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” A terrorist is described as “a person who uses violence and intimidation in the pursuit of …show more content…

Is John Brown a hero or a terrorist? If both definitions seem to apply, how can one differentiate between the two? This comes down to a fundamental question; under what circumstances is violence justified? A terrorist would not fight for a cause that does not seem to affect him or herself, as John Brown did, selflessly. A terrorist should have motives that are beneficial to him or herself, which John Brown did not. A hero fights for a cause to benefit many people – especially people with lower social standings that may not be able to stand up to their oppressors on their own – whether or not it will benefit him or herself, which John Brown did. This is when violence is justified; when it is attempting benefit the people who are being wronged, or treated in an inhumane way, which is who John Brown was fighting for. One cannot erase the past; John Brown did use violence as a political weapon. But, he also was justified in his attempt to right the wrongdoings of the time, to help free the enslaved Black-Americans in 1859 despite how he executed these actions. When John Brown’s motives and actions are taken into account, it is clear he cannot be categorized as a

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