John Brown; a very strong advocate for ending slavery. However, many believe that Brown took his tactics for ending slavery too far, and therefore, classify him as a terrorist. This debate regarding whether John Brown was a terrorist or abolitionist has raged on for centuries, however, there is an abundance of evidence indicative of Brown’s tendency towards terrorism. By analyzing both his raid Harper’s Ferry, as well as the motivations behind this act, one may quickly conclude that John Brown exhibits traits which classify him as a terrorist. In attempt to start an armed slave revolt, John Brown led a raid on the federal armory in Harper’s Ferry in order to arm the revolting slaves. At the age of 59, Brown decided to plan one last attack,
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Before receiving his sentence, John Brown addressed the court saying “Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions in this Slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, -- I say let it be done.”(Civilwar.org primary source). By simply reading this statement, one may mistake Brown as a martyr to his faith and nothing more. However, this seemingly noble statement is quickly diminished to a statement which no man should be proud of once the reader becomes informed of the terrible crimes Brown had committed. Brown was a very religious man, he depended heavily on the Bible and believed he was sent by God to abolish slavery through any means necessary. This kind of radical belief is seen in modern day terrorists; the men that believe it is their duty to kill those who do not worship their god, or do not agree with their view of the world. Because he interpreted the scripture poorly, this is the same approach Brown took to fulfilling what he believed to be his God ordained duty. Boiling Brown’s plan down to its most simple purpose, he intended to murder innocent people, in order to illegally acquire weapons with intentions of …show more content…
Though his actions malevolent, what made them truly horrific were his motivations behind committing those acts. Thus, because of these disturbing actions and even more disturbing motivations, John Brown is a
Before receiving his sentence, John Brown addressed the court saying “Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions in this Slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, -- I say let it be done.”(Civilwar.org primary source). By simply reading this statement, one may mistake Brown as a martyr to his faith and nothing more. However, this seemingly noble statement is quickly diminished to a statement which no man should be proud of once the reader becomes informed of the terrible crimes Brown had committed. Brown was a very religious man, he depended heavily on the Bible and believed he was sent by God to abolish slavery through any means necessary. This kind of radical belief is seen in modern day terrorists; the men that believe it is their duty to kill those who do not worship their god, or do not agree with their view of the world. Because he interpreted the scripture poorly, this is the same approach Brown took to fulfilling what he believed to be his God ordained duty. Boiling Brown’s plan down to its most simple purpose, he intended to murder innocent people, in order to illegally acquire weapons with intentions of …show more content…
Though his actions malevolent, what made them truly horrific were his motivations behind committing those acts. Thus, because of these disturbing actions and even more disturbing motivations, John Brown is a