John Brown Hero

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John Brown was a man of failure, who never succeeded in his life until his last years. Through he had hardship in the financial and agricultural worlds, he realized that he would only accomplish something substantial to help his country if he fought his unlucky fortune until the very end. John Brown was a hero because he fought for people's natural rights, fought with a purpose and his actions, and lead the country to freedom. The United States was built on the principles of freedom and natural rights. As stated in the essay, Obedience and Disobedience, “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the ends” (Zinn). Any group that denies people these rights has the legal justification to overthrown, which was what John Brown was trying …show more content…
What seemed to be a random act of terrorism shook the country into seeing the true evil behind what they had been doing. The ends justified the means (Blight Lecture 9) because his act of rebellion against the federal government in Harpers Ferry led to the start of the Civil War, which ended with the freedom of slaves. John Brown showed the Northerners that they had to end slavery throughout the country to make for a better future. “The impact of Harpers Ferry quite literally transformed the nation” (Bordewich 62) The people of America were either supportive of Brown’s actions, believing that he was light which broke the darkness of slavery; or in disagreement with it, dreading slave insurrection (Bordewich 69). This clash of ideas split a once united country in two. Proceeding the split that was finalized by Harpers Ferry came a new division of the political parties, called the Democrats. They allowed Abraham Lincoln to win the presidential election of 1860 by making it a three party election and swaying the votes towards him. Once Lincoln was inaugurated, 11 states seceded from the Union, causing the split of the nation and the beginning of the Civil War. The actions of one man made such an impact on America that it led to the division of the Confederacy and the Union, and, because of the Civil War, instituted the restoration of a truly United

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