Why Is John Brown A Terrorist

While there are many types of terrorism there is still no assigned definition of it. Many people believe terrorism to be large open acts of violence that could hurt many people. A freedom fighter is a person or group that takes part in a violent act to achieve a political idea, especially in order to take control of their government. There is no very ideal definition of terrorism and doubt there ever will be. After learning these differences between these two I have decided to call John Brown a terrorist for many reasons.

The second reason John Brown is a terrorist is because he had a raid at the Pottawatomie Creek in Kansas. He killed pro slave people clearly because he did not agree with their views on slavery, but is that a truly a justifiable reason to take another mans life? John Brown had the right mind to abolish slavery, but there could have been a better way, like protesting to the point not even the government can refuse since the people are a, “Great beast”, as said by Alexander Hamilton.

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 question of was John Brown a terrorist or a hero is more of a question asking for an opinion than a question asking for a clear, definitive answer. To a great deal (almost all) of the Southern slave owners, John Brown was definitely thought of as a terrorist because he was a white man who was willing to stand up and die for what he believed in, which was that the enslavement of blacks (negroes) was wrong morally and he did not care if he was killed because of it. John Brown was seen as a terrorist to some because of the fact that he was the man who had orchestrated a raid in which he ended up killing five men in Kentucky and had he captured the armory at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (now Harpers Ferry, West Virginia), he probably would have gone on a killing rampage of more Southern white slave- owners and in turn caused more fear and hatred from the slave-owners onto himself.

Yes, John Brown was willing to die for his cause however, so are terrorists. Islamic terrorists are also willing to die for their cause, yet no one but the radical Muslims see them as heroes. No matter what times you’re living in or how hard they get, an act of violence that is not in self-defense but rather revenge, can never be justified. John Brown was courageous, but courage alone does not make a hero. Yes, he was courageous in the fact that he spoke out against the evil of slavery which was against the norms of society in his time. The definition of a hero is someone who is courageous, brave and honorable. As pointed out before Brown was courageous and brave but certainly not honorable. There is no honor in brutally murdering people who disagree with your views, even if their own views are wrong. Murdering those people only put you in the wrong.

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”.

Have you ever hear of John Brown? You probably know him as a murderer who slaughtered white men. But what you might not know is that the reasons for all the things he did are much bigger than this one event, even though “Bleeding Kansas” was a major event. It was all part of a much bigger purpose that affected the world greatly when it came to slavery. These are some of the things he did to play his part as an abolitionist.

Despite Brown’s attempt to establish political and social equality for blacks, him and other abolitionists, such as Nat Turner and Elijah Lovejoy, were all counteracted by violent actions taken by proslavery Southerners. In retaliation, Brown and the secret six, killed elitist who were falsified embodiments of the constitution, and the raid at Harper’s Ferry was executed. Although some may say that Brown’s violent actions reflect the motives of a terrorist, labeling him as such would be immoral and demonstrate the convoluted basis of the nation’s republic. John Brown fought for political equality, expressed complete sympathy towards those who had nothing to do with this war, and exposed the hypocrisy and bias the government had towards southerners whose main concern was maintain superiority above

"Why John Brown Still Scares Us." ["American History"]. American History, vol. 46, no. 5, Dec. 2011, pp. 38-45. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=66520584&site=hrc-live. Accessed 08 March, 2017

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

John Brown’s son was actually the one to convince him to acquire weapons and start up a militia. He left behind his wife, his twentieth child, and all of his lawsuits to join his son in Kansas. The Browns traveled to Lawrence on December 7, 1855 in order to meet with another militia and discuss their plans. This group in Lawrence was attacked after Brown left, and he wanted to take revenge. John Brown quickly became a wanted man and continued to evade the law for quite some time. More than fifty people died in 1856,

Timothy McVeigh committed the most deadly act of domestic terrorism in United States history. His actions resulted in both outrage and fascination, and lead to significant inquiry into why he did what he did. Many at the time, already scared by the rising trends of Jihadist terrorism felt that McVeigh’s actions were in large part something new, something atypical to the American experience. However, such was not the case. Terrorism has been prevalent throughout American history and tied to various trends and movements, including abolitionism. Ultimately John Brown and Timothy McVeigh have striking similarities, such as the presence of their action outside of the more established and organized groups of their respective movements and the media

Most of Brown’s reputation was based off of the Pottawatomie Massacre. It was an event led by John Brown that is usually described as “cold

In most of his letters from jail, John Brown is attempting to comfort his family and friends and assure them that he has no regrets. He constantly mentions how happy he is, saying he fought for what he believed in. In a letter to E.B. of R.I., he says, “I do not feel conscious of guilt in taking up arms” (John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, pg. 91). Then, in a letter to Rev. H L Vaill, he says, “I am not as yet in the main at all disappointed. I have been a good deal disappointed as it regards myself in not keeping up to my own plans; but I now feel entirely reconciled to that even: for Gods plan, was Infinitely better” (John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, pg. 94). It is clear that Brown feels justified in his actions because he believes they were for the good of the country and enslaved people.

one kind is that of patriot at war. Another kind is that of murderers .He further stated that terrorism is