John Brown's Heroic Actions During The Civil War

What was considered radical actions throughout the Civil War is now known to be heroic actions that lead to America coming together once again. John Brown, a white American abolitionist during the Civil War, is a good example of someone who fought for black people’s rights. Abolitionists were outraged by one of the provisions of The Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, which permitted slaveowners to pursue and retrieve escaped slaves from Northern states, even though slavery was illegal there. A few years later, Brown went to the East, where he made plans for a new effort to end slavery. Throughout American history people have had different opinions about Brown. After Brown’s raid on Harper's Ferry he was perceived by the South as a villain and the North as martyr. Even more controversy arose between the two sides of the country because of Brown’s radicalistic approach to end slavery. Many have claimed that although he failed to attack Harper’s Ferry, he had a spark in him and had righteous cause. In the South, Brown was viewed as a dangerous criminal, and his actions increased the fear of a slave uprising. His capture and execution demonstrated an outraged approach, one that looked towards other targets for punishment as well.
Brown’s execution increased the resolve of abolitionists. Given the increasing antagonism between North and South, the raid on Harpers Ferry served as a major catalyst for the American Civil War (“John Brown.”). To the South, he was a murderer who wanted to deprive them of their property. The South viewed that the North "has sanctioned and applauded theft, murder, and treason”, originally stated by a Virginia newspaper after the raid (Snowden). The different thoughts on the different sides of the country allowed for a lot of debate and anger to be opened up, that is later revealed once the Civil War