John Brown's Argumentative Essay

Improved Essays
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, …show more content…
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

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    John Brown was a revolutionary fanatic. John Brown did courageous actions that caused dramatic change but, according to the law, he was unjustified in murdering innocent people. I do not think he was a terrorist though. John Brown did not act like a terrorist in many ways. He didn’t order killings, but acted in self-defense; he didn’t purposefully destroy property; and he cared for his…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    John Brown descended from Puritan ancestry, although it is unknown exactly who his ancestors were. Brown himself believed that his first paternal ancestor came to America on the Mayflower and was named Peter Brown. There are several other theories stating that Brown’s ancestors settled in Connecticut or Massachusetts later on. Maternally, there is speculation about when his family migrated to America, but his mother, Ruth Mills, was also of Puritan descent. The Puritan principles that Brown’s family adopted were based upon those of Calvinism, and so he was devout, plain, and stern in his beliefs.…

    • 1059 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John Brown was a dedicated advocate of abolishing slavery. No matter the consequences, he did not keep his opinions to himself and fought for what he believed in. While leading an attack on the federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Brown was injured and ten of his followers were killed. He was captured and later hanged for treason on December 2nd, 1859.…

    • 183 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John Brown in 1859 led an antislavery posse to Harpers Ferry, Virginia; they seized the armory hoping to incite a slave rebellion. He was captured by Colonel Robert E. Lee and looked upon as an antislavery martyr in the North when he was…

    • 1093 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    John Brown: A Man Of Faith

    • 1768 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Who was John Brown and if he was a man of faith, how could he have been a leader in the taking of innocent lives? This is a question that has baffled the minds of many scholars and historians since that October day in Harpers Ferry in 1859. Was what John Brown organized and executed right or wrong? These are difficult questions to answer about a man who felt so strongly about his convictions about slavery and the God whom he served. John Brown was committed to the abolition of slavery at a young age and believed his faith shaped his views and allowed for what he would finally do.…

    • 1768 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Midnight Rising Book Review Before reading “Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War” by Tony Horwitz I believed that Abraham Lincoln was the man whose policies and beliefs sparked the Civil war and the Abolition of slavery. I believed that because even though there are many abolitionists in the history books none or are as famous or as notable as President Lincoln. I had never heard the name John Brown or how he and his small gang of followers may have single handedly ignited the fire that would spiral into a full-fledged civil war and national divide. The argument over slavery and its moral convictions has had a presence in American society long before the time of John Brown.…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They actually hacked several to death making them an example, so the other proslavery folks would think twice before they would do it themselves. Brown and his supporters went to Missouri and at gunpoint, took slaves and escorted them to freedom in Canada. Following his escapades in Missouri and Kansas, Brown assembled his small army to prepare for an attack on Harpers Ferry. He planned this attack in hope to free slaves, arm them with weapons, and establish a temporary government in the Virginia…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    John Brown; hero, criminal, or insane? John Brown was a 19th-century belligerent abolitionist who is well known for his raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859. John Brown was born on May 9, 1800, in Torrington, Connecticut. Growing up with a father who strongly disapproved of slavery, Brown was highly motivated in creating a slave insurrection. He strongly believed in violently taking care of entities.…

    • 2138 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John Brown Hero

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages

    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.…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John Brown is a terrorist for three reasons: he advocated terrorism, his family had a long history of being insane and he thought he was sent from God to kill people for slavery. First I just want to say: The definition of a terrorist is a person, usually a member of a group, who advocates terrorism and terrorism/ terrorist is the use of violent acts to frighten the people…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Brown can be a murderer, a terrorist, or a patriot, but what he did has led to a war that free all slaves; therefore, John Brown can be…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The sources differ in the groups of people they focus on. As is common with Leftist sources, Source A portrays the war in regards to a traditionally overlooked group / minority - black Americans. It explains that the American Revolution marked “the first mass slave rebellion in American history, initiated the first civil rights movement, produced the first reconstruction of black life, brought forth the first written testimonies from African Americans who wanted the world to hear of their strivings and their claims to freedom.” Source B, however, describes the war with relation to the important, major parties (i.e. British officials, the Founding Fathers and other ambitious, wealthy colonial elites). It claims that “certain important people…

    • 1480 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    John Brown Abolition Movement

    • 1892 Words
    • 8 Pages
    • 3 Works Cited

    Brown's rebellion was doomed to fail. The abolitionists were captured and Brown was hung on charges of murder, inciting insurrection, and treason (Stoddard and Murphy, 15). John Brown and his men clearly showed how socially divided the nation was on slavery, with both sides willing to kill to further their…

    • 1892 Words
    • 8 Pages
    • 3 Works Cited
    Brilliant Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Midnight Rising Analysis

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As Brown presents Harpers Ferry as a target and determines the loyalty of his men, the author provides a letter from Owen Smith stating, “We have all agreed to sustain your decisions, until you have proved incompetent, and many of us will adhere to your decisions as long as you will” (Horwitz, p.112). The letter informs the reader of Brown’s growing relationship with others. Horwitz use of the sources is appropriate to the monograph because it explains a lot of the speculation that has grown around Brown’s story. Another monograph that recognizes John Brown’s contributions is John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights by David S. Reynolds. This book is a cultural biography of John Brown, discussing the controversial violent tactics against slavery.…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In contrast, John Brown was a radical and abolitionist who also believed in violence and also was classified as a terrorist from the south. Brown, together with his five sons were ready to die for their cause and they attack on pro-slavery residents. Besides this, his inspiration from the guerilla…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays