John Brown The Sword and the Word Essay examples

While giving details about his life as a slave, he simultaneously builds a strong case against slavery. His argument is made clear through

Brown only appeals to emotion throughout his speech. There is little to none evidence of the appeal of credibility and reason. Brown tries to connect with the listener and make them feel sorry for him because he did what he did to free innocent people. In this upcoming quote John says some of his last words; “Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice...mingle my blood… with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust

It teaches me further, to "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them." I endeavored to act up to that instruction.” Brown goes on the say the he is still too young to fully understand if God has any respecter for persons. With that, he believes that interfering on behalf of God’s poor he has not done wrong, but right. Brown also says “If it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life, for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions in this Slave country, whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments,--I say, let it be done.” In a way, he sees himself as the slave’s savior.

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 cold-blooded killer. Although John was trying to abolish slavery, violence was not the way to go. According to Robert E. Lee according to Robert E. Lee., John killed a lot of men. He killed 10 raiders, and captured 7. Although they were people who were for slavery, she should have never killed them. Martin Luther King didn't like slavery either but he found another way to stop it and that was by his protesting not killing. According to Fredrick Douglas, John's plan to abolish slavery was not that appealing. I don't think John was looking at both sides of things. I think all John was thinking was kill people who are for slavery but he didn't think about he could abolish slavery with his words and not his swords. According to

Similarly to the heroes of today in the military where they kill bad people for the rights of others, John Brown and his group killed slave owners in order for slaves to gain their natural and human rights. John Brown was obsessed about the issue dealing with the brutality of slavery and how wrong slavery is. Since slavery was the only thing that went though his mind, he quickly came up with the plan to free as many slaves as possible. John’s method included violence because he thought it was the only way. This plan included taking the federal arsenal, killing slave owners and arming the slaves to fight for other slave’s freedoms.

The ethical stance one has as an adult is more often than not the result of the cultural conditioning that one received as a child; however, as one grows to adulthood it is necessary for One to examine One’s own ethical stances . A way that people can be made to re-examine their values is by reading thought provoking texts such as Steven B. Oats’ “Fires of Jubilee.”The book reviews historical accounts of the life of Nate Turner, who lead a rebellion against the slave owners of South Hampton County Virginia. The text shows how trauma and disillusion can hinder even the most intelligent while forcing One to ask Oneself the ethical questions of the not only One’s complicity in slavery but also when if ever is it justifiable to take the life of another?

In “A Behavioral Analysis of John Brown: Martyr or Terrorist,” James N. Gilbert effectively argues that John Brown’s inhumane actions clearly conform to a modern definition of a domestic terrorist. Gilbert argues that Brown justified his inhumane actions by proclaiming adherence to high political and moral values. Gilbert is a professor and former chair of the department of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska-Kearney who specializes in criminal investigative theory. In fact, Gilbert authored Criminal Investigation, which is now it its eighth edition, as well as numerous journal articles. According to Gilbert, Brown lived during a time when both the political process and democratic values had been destroyed by slavery. Gilbert offers insight throughout his argument regarding Brown’s controversial actions as Brown was unalterably opposed to slavery. Overall, in his analysis, Gilbert successfully proves that Brown’s inhumane actions relate to a modern definition of a terrorist as Brown believed that terror and violence were the only ways to abolish slavery.

During the 1840s, America saw increasingly attractive settlements forming between the North and the South. The government tried to keep the industrial north and the agricultural south happy, but eventually the issue of slavery became too big to handle, no matter how many treaties or compromises were formed. Slavery was a huge issue that unraveled throughout many years of American history and was one of the biggest contributors leading up to the Civil War (notes, Fall 2015). Many books have been written over the years about slavery and the brutality of the life that many people endured. In “A Slave No More”, David Blight tells the story about two men, John M. Washington (1838-1918) and Wallace Turnage (1846-1916), struggling during American slavery. Their escape to freedom happened during America’s bloodiest war among many political conflicts, which had been splitting the country apart for many decades. As Blight (2007) describes, “Throughout the Civil War, in thousands of different circumstances, under changing policies and redefinitions of their status, and in the face of social chaos…four million slaves helped to decide what time it would be in American History” (p. 5). Whether it was freedom from a master or overseer, freedom from living as both property and the object of another person’s will, or even freedom to make their own decisions and control their own life, slaves wanted a sense of independence. According to Blight (2007), “The war and the presence of Union armies

He was a firm believer in the abolition of the slave trade, which he thought would eventually lead to the failure of slavery. Ever since writing The Declaration of Independence, until his death, he pushed for the plan of “gradual emancipation”: The plan was to start by ending the transatlantic slave trade. Then over time improve slave conditions mainly their living situations, and lessening physical punishment. Then eventually any slave born after a certain date would be free. Lastly complete abolition. Unfortunately after his death the plan died with him, and all it really accomplished was slave owners treating their slaves better. This plan was not just a plan to end slavery, but to humanize slaves, and make them into free men. He undoubtedly practiced what he preached, and would probably have found it insulting if one made the argument that owning slaves invalidates everything he fought

Like John Brown said in his Last Prophecy, “... quite certain that the crimes of this guilty, land: will never be purged away; but with Blood. In making this comment, John Brown argues that the problems will never go away unless you fight with blood, meaning people will be killed until a side wins or if theres a compromise. If two people strongly believe in things, both sides will do anything they are capable of doing in order to win. During his interview with Senator James Mason, he mentions “I pity the poor in bondage that have none to help them.” John Brown likes to help those who can not defend themselves. No one cared about slaves let alone care about what they had to say. John Brown on the other hand was white, more people would follow in his footsteps. Racism was huge during this time, it made a big difference when a white person would decide to fight against it. According to Stephen B. Oates, To Purge this Land With Blood: A biography of John Brown, “ He thought himself an instrument in the hands of God.” Basically John Brown believed he could help God get rid of evil, evil in this case being slavery. John wanted slavery to end, he helped those who could not help themselves. Slavery was evil, African Americans were considered property of the Americans. They did not have a say in what they wanted to do, they were helpless. It was not wrong or inhuman what John Brown

In it he spoke of the wrongness of slavery and of many thoughts on government. But if there was anything that occupied him the most, it was the opposing of slavery and its effect on society and people. He could oppose it because he knew how to write about it and read about it. His desire to learn served him well in this.

John Brown is an abolitionist who is opposed to the slavery abuses from the plantations owners in their settlements. However, in an attempt to change the violence that released the white people against their slaves, Brown decides to become a murderer of every proslavery band that might opposes to this slavery rebellion. Therefore, he believed that "slavery must be overthrown by force" .

John Brown should be considered a martyr for his courageous attempt to free the slaves and abolish slavery at any cost necessary. Brown was a determined man that felt it was God’s will to put an end to the treacherous reign of slavery. He did not want to use violence. However, John Brown knew he needed to take action and end slavery once and for all. It gives me the pleasure to address any doubt to the American Morality Society that John Brown was a martyr and a vigilante; rather than a terrorist. His actions were bold, courageous, and revolutionary at a time when it was difficult to stand for the abolishment of slavery. My goal is to prove that John Brown’s brutal actions were necessary to gain the attention of a rising crisis in the nation. John Brown was a martyr because he knew he was doing God’s work for a

John Brown was not a misguided fanatic because he had people supporting him and he had a reason to end slavery. For example, in document C, a supporter send him a letter when he was in jail. Meaning, that even though he was in jail people were still supporting him. For instance, L. Maria Child was one of the supporters of John brown, she showed him that he was not alone and that he had people out there supporting him. Also, in Document A it provided us with more evidence of why john brown was not a misguided fanatic person.