Initially John Brown was viewed as an irrational for his actions in Pottawatomie, Kansas. It was in Pottawatomie where Brown and a few colleagues took violent measures of vengeance against five pro-slavery southerners in Response to the Bleeding Kansas crisis. The northern view of Brown changed however after his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The northern people did not immediately view him as a hero however. Many northerners viewed his raid as “utterly mistaken and, in its direct consequences, pernicious”. (Doc A) Southern people viewed Brown’s raid as a commotion and an appeal to rebellion. The previous Bleeding Kansas crisis also pushed the south more towards succession. “It was by delegates chosen by the several states… that the Constitution of the United States was framed in 1787 and submitted to the several states for ratification… that of a compact between independent states.” (Doc H) President Lincoln responded “Having never been States, either in substance, or in name, outside of the Union, whence this magical omnipotence of ‘States Rights’, asserting a claim of power to lawfully destroy the Union itself?” (Doc I). Both of these statements were made in 1861, and clearly represent the division that sent our nation to…
Hero or criminal? John Brown was a radical abolitionist who was born on May 9, 1800, in Torrington, Connecticut. He was one of the so-called worst and the greatest abolitionists of his time. Brown believed that violence was the one and only way to bring an end to slavery. He provoked the slaves to revolt against their owners by giving them guns and support. Also in 1859, Brown and his 21 men army seized the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in the hope of gaining guns and supplies for the slaves. The attack was not a success because he was captured and both of his sons got killed during the fight. After a speedy trial, he was convicted to death, which in this case was not even such a huge surprise according to all the blood that he shed in the…
By the end of his year long stay he had far too much invested in his cause to back out. He had devoted a considerable portion of his life helping slaves as his father did. When the news of Kansas and its undeclared slave status reached Ohio it tempted him to migrate there, but prior obligations held him back. Brown changed his mind after John Junior, one of his five sons in Kansas, wrote him a letter that stated there were rising threats from proslave activists. With his family in danger, Brown gathered his belongings and set off for Kansas.…
Between the years 1859 and 1863 John Brown’s rain on the Federal Armory at Harpers Ferry made him a hero in the North and a villain in the South. Brown’s raid was over in about 2 days. He wanted to start an armed slave revolt by seizing the Federal Armory. John Brown was hung for treason because of his actions. Brown’s plan was not to conduct a sudden raid and then escape to the mountains. Rather, his plan was to use those rifles and pikes he captured at the arsenal, in addition to those he brought along, to arm rebellious slaves with the aim of striking terror to the slaveholders in Virginia.…
After “Bleeding Kansas” Brown and others went to Pottawatomie Creek “armed with razor-sharp broadswords” and “split the skulls and hacked the body of five men” (397). Brown went down there in search of pro-slavery people and came home with blood on his hands along with the nickname Pottawatomie Brown. That was not the only occurrence of Brown acting in internecine warfare. Internecine warfare is basically brother against brother in a country. His role is in Harper’s Ferry is what he is most known for.…
John brown has been looked upon by many as a hero, but was he really a hero? Let’s look at the thing’s he’s done for abolition and think to ourselves as we read, “is this really what a ‘hero’ would do?” I’ll go into more detail later through out this of course, but for now, let’s review the gist of what he has “done for abolition.” From the third document, it states that he led only 21 men into the military arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. That was basically suicide for them. Yes, it was very brave of him, but he should have realized 21 men wouldn’t be enough for how many men that military had. He planned to give the weapons from the arsenal to slaves and start a chain reaction of revolts throughout the Southeast. All I have to ask is really? Did he really think that it would be that easy to take from the arsenal? Not only that, but in document two it also states that in 1856, Brown and six of his followers got revenge for the violence in Lawrence by killing five settlers in the pro-slavery camps along the Pottawatomie Creek. He also fled to Kansas, like a coward, to escape prosecution. This should be enough information for you, but let’s go into further detail.…
John Brown was an American born abolitionist who actively fought Slavery through the use of violence. His ultimate goal was to overthrow the entire system of Slavery in the south, and he went about doing so through armed attacks, including his infamous raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. John Brown’s armed attack on Harper’s Ferry caused a major dispute between the nation’s separate slavery movements, and had substantial effects in the social and political ideologies of the American people. His antics ultimately played a key role in the swaying of opinions towards slavery leading into the upcoming presidential election of 1860, and as a result, should be considered America’s first true hero. Despite his poorly thought out, and short lasting raid…
“The crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood (John Brown)”. John Brown used violence and killed many people. Not only that, but the death of two of his sons was not enough to stop him from moving on. Brown was so determined that he believed it was God’s wish that he abolishes slavery. He thought he was made for this job only. John Brown reckoned violence is the solution to achieve his goal and be successful. He led a raid on Harper’s Ferry with several men. The motive behind this was to start up a slave insurrection. But the first man killed during the raid was a black.Though Brown’s intentions were noble, the way he acted upon them were not. Therefore, John Brown is guilty of trespassing, treason, and murder.…
Abraham Lincoln called John Brown a misguided fanatic! John Brown was not a misguided fanatic. John Brown tried his best to save the slaves from all the hard work and bring them to freedom, he just wanted slavery to end. Brown took a vow to end slavery when he found out that an abolitionist newspaperman was killed. He didn’t want anyone to harm the slaves, so he had a plan to save the slaves, he had a meeting with Frederick Douglass about the plan to save the slaves, so things wouldn't get out of hand, but Douglass opposed to his plan, Brown’s plan was to take over Harper’s Ferry, because Douglass knew that his plan would have failed and have also led to many black deaths, he thought that Brown would’ve hurt the abolition movement by causing…
Students of history and those merely interested in casual inquiry will often explore a topic, find a legitimate opinion, accept it at face value, and move on. Too often with young or inexperienced historians this is the case. It does, in a way, make sense. Many topics an individual will study have been researched and written on countless times. It is easy to accept an opinion as is and forget about it. John Brown is one of these subjects. Merrill D. Peterson’s John Brown explores the complicated nature of the legacy of this militant abolitionist. Brown has been, in the time since his departure, construed as a hero, a villain, an antihero, a well-meaning lunatic, and so on. The nature of his actions and the divisive context they are found in gives way to many different opinions. Peterson’s book explores these many definitions of John Brown. The opinions of historians, students, politicians, and the like are weighed against the validity of their status as historical interpreters, their knowledge of the subject, their biases, and Peterson’s own interpretations. John Brown’s legacy is an ambiguous and complicated one and Peterson’s book explores the warring opinions of observers on whether John Brown is hero, villain, or both.…
John Brown had no reason to break the laws of the United States. Not only did he murder people but he attacked a federal facility. Which was completely useless because it didn’t help abolitionists at all. It made it worse because he gave abolitionist a bad name. John brown is a terrorist who had no need to murder people or attack a federal facility.…
It was about freeing slaves and making all states free states for slaves. It was a Civil War because the South was fighting The North because they wanted too free states and other people wanted to keep slaves because they didn't have to pay them. John Brown was a crazy man basically he had a whole different idea of how to free the slaves. He was a man of action he had a way of dealing with things. He wanted too free slavery and end it.…
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.…
William (Willie) Lynch was a British slave owner from the West Indies. He came to Virginia in the year of 1712. His reasons were to teach slave owners his methods of how to control their slaves, and on the banks of the James River, he did so. He taught them a method of keeping the body and taking the mind. He told the slave owners that they were to cause the young men, old men, and females to distrust each other. However, they were to make the slaves trust and depend on them (the owners) and their families.…
Brown was completely insane I mean this guys a nut job. He had multiple family members inside insane asylum including three aunts, two uncles, his only sister, her daughter, and six first cousins., Now this is ultimately the case with John brown here as you can see not a shining image of mental health. John Brown also thought he was following Gods will when he raided and killed and pillaged. When it came time to go to court for John Brown he and his defense attorneys had decided that the only way to save him is that he needed to plead medically insane which I belive he is.…