On the night of October 16, 1859, he and his followers, five of whom were African-American, attacked the lightly guarded supply depot, in Harper’s Ferry Virginia, where the supplies and weapons he wanted were being stored. The arsenal was easily taken. Then, Brown’s men moved to some nearby plantations. They freed about 30 slaves, who were brought back to the arsenal. The alarm went out and the United States troops arrived at the scene the next day. Ten of Brown’s men were killed. Brown and some of his followers were captured. Brown and six of his men were brought to trial for treason. They were all found guilty and were hanged. But was John Brown a hero or a criminal? The northerners saw John Brown as a hero but the southerners saw him as
I think John Brown was a hero, because he tried to find ways to free slaves. Even though he killed people or got people killed in the process, he still was trying his best to help free slaves. Supplying the slaves with weapons was a good idea, but did not turn out they way he wanted. Everyone messes up, but he still had this plan to try and help free slaves.
Looking at what he has fought for, it’s no doubt that he fought for a noble cause which is the freedom of slavery. John Brown shouldn’t be known as hero or terrorists because of want he has done applies to both sides. John Brown shouldn’t be known as a terrorist or a national hero because of his violent attack and raids. After, September 11, 2001 John Brown has been called a terrorist which has caused controversy about Brown’s legacy and reputation. Furthermore, in the article, The 9/11 of 1859 says, “He led 21 men all but two in their 20s, and many of them radicalized by guerilla fighting in Bleeding Kansas, the abolitionists’ Afghanistan”(Horowitz).
In the South, he was seen as a terrorist, an evil enemy comes from the North. In the North, at first, they saw Brown attacked Harpers Ferry as dumb and naive. But popular northerners like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau have a different view, they call him a hero who have die to fight against slavery. When the Union finally starts a war with Confederate States Army, along with the operation is the song that troops sing about Brown’s legendary: "John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave, / But his soul goes marching
In October 1859, the U.S. military arsenal at Harpers Ferry was the target of an assault by an armed band of abolitionists led by John Brown (1800-59). (Originally part of Virginia, Harpers Ferry is located in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia near the convergence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.) The raid was intended to be the first stage in an elaborate plan to establish an independent stronghold of freed slaves in the mountains of Maryland and Virginia. Brown was captured during the raid and later convicted of treason and hanged, but
His father, Owen Brown, who was “a committed pacifist”, was passionately opposed to slavery, which heavily influenced John Brown to become an abolitionist (Horwitz, 2011, p.19). John Brown is described as “a warrior at heart”, who was focused on the task to “undermine slavery (Horwitz, 2011, p.19, 31). This obsession to terminate slavery was his inspiration throughout all the skirmishes he fought in and slaves he helped free. The most infamous battle was his raid on Harper’s Ferry, where he was captured, trialed, and later hung. This battle is believed to be a major
John Brown was either a terrorist or a freedom fighter. He was a freedom fighter and there are many facts to prove it. Brown did anything he could to stop slavery. John Brown left a good impact on slavery. Even though he committed crimes he believed he was doing right.
A Hero in Disguise John Brown, some say that he is a cold blooded killer. Others say he is a hero to the nation. And he is a hero to the nation John Brown was a man who believed in his own personal beliefs. His beliefs were that every man is equal. And that slavery was wrong and he felt like he was meant to be the one to stop slavery in its tracks.
Today some people would say that John Brown is a terrorist, and some people would might say he isn’t. The dictionary’s definition of a terrorist is, “A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims”. An example of this would be if a man shot about 20 to 35 children because culturally diverse kids were all in the same school together, versus the shooting at Las Vegas. That man was shooting people just to shoot people. Which is why I would say John Brown isn’t a terrorist because, he only killed the slave owners.
Many people either think John Brown was a terrorist or a freedom fighter. There are many facts to show both. I believe Brown was a freedom fighter. Evidence Brown was a freedom fighter and not a terrorist. John Brown wanted to fight against slave owners.
On page 4 of John Brown: Villain or Hero?, the article states that “Brown achieved a degree of intimacy with the African-Americans that was extraordinarily rare for his era.” This is great that he went upon the social norm and helped others to get freedom. Even though many see John Brown as a hero, it is clear that he was truly a villain. On page 5 of John Brown: America’s First Terrorist?, the article states that John Brown was a “lunatic and a threat to the Union.” Many people agree with this statement and he even was a sort of embarrassment for the union because he was a face of the Union.
13) Brown had unrealistically high expectations for others and for his own plans. According to Robert McGlone, (2009), Brown was obsessed with slavery and the wrongs of the proslavery forces; and Robert McGlone is an author and who wrote the book “John Brown’s War Against Slavery”, and in his online article, “The ‘Madness’ of John Brown”, it is stated that John Brown was only obsessed, as summarized here: It seems that John Brown was not mentally ill, but committed to his cause. He was egotistical, but he was not insane. (McGlone, 2009) Brown knew exactly what he did, both in Pottawatomie, Kansas, and in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.
John Brown grew up in a deeply religious family. He was a abolitionist who's hatred of slavery led him to seize the U.S arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Brown had committed multiple crimes including murder, treason and starting a slave rebellion. He was later hanged in front of a crowd of people. Brown deserved to be hanged and
Through this belief, he led an attack in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in the hopes of sieging the federal arsenal and sparking a revolt amongst the southern slaves (Zinn 168). Even though his attempts were futile, mainly due to small numbers and improper execution, Brown remained noble to his beliefs. This was proven in his refusal to surrender when his team was defeated (Zinn 168) and again right before his execution. Before Brown’s hanging, he reiterated his belief in the pursuit of blood shed to end slavery by writing “the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood” (Zinn 169).
The day for the execution came, it was time for brown to be hanged on the southeast edge of Charles Town. The town had Thomas Jackson there to guard the place with his cadets. Robert E. Lee stood with his soldiers as the bridges and along the river. The place was surrounded. There was no way Brown could escape.
George Fitzhugh claimed that "The Negro slaves of the South are the happiest the freest people in the world." (Document H). John Brown a major person in the fight to end slavery "led a band of 18 men into Virginia to seize the federal arsenal there, distribute the captured arms to slaves in the area, and create a general slave uprising." (Document I).John Brown was executed and the aftermath of his death made tensions rise betwwen the North and South. "