John Brown: America's First Terrorists

A life in which an equal was treated like a worthless being is what many called a “standard home”. Unfortunately, Brown and many others were exposed to this atrocious mindset. Despite these influences, John Brown became a warrior in the battle for freedom of African Americans. Brown had been born into the 1800’s on May 9 within Connecticut before the Brown family moved to Ohio. Because of Brown’s religious upbringing, slavery was an unacceptable norm John wished to fight against. As the use of enslaved African Americans expanded, so did John’s hatred for the popular institution of slavery, resulting in him planning attacks with volunteers. He committed himself to creating these attacks and successfully carried out 2 before being captured- the Pottawatomie Creek attack and Harpers Ferry raid. Many could argue why John Brown qualifies for being a terrorist, yet he undoubtedly created a pathway for
The author of John Brown: America’s First Terrorist? writes, “Brown and his men entered three cabins, interrogated a number of men, and eventually killed five of them..” (Finkelman 2). Storming through countless houses and murdering potentially innocent men deepened the guilt of the raid party’s unjust acts. John Brown created unneeded violence that could’ve been effortlessly avoided. Although Brown has reasons to shame, many of his actions have led to significant outcomes. Mintz writes within John Brown: Villain or Hero, “..he responded to the Fugitive Slave Law by organizing, in Springfield, Massachusetts, “The League of Gileadites”, a group formed to resist slave catchers and assist runaways to escape to Canada.” The Gileadites league was designed to grant African Americans with the aid they needed in order to escape. Many slaves made it to freedom in Canada without being captured, and because of this, Brown gained the trust of those he