John Brown Essay - 714 Words

John Brown as a Martyr† A martyr is defined as a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause. To many people back in eighteen fifty-nine, this defined a man named John Brown in many ways. John Brown was a devoted abolitionist who had been important in the conflict of slavery in Kansas. In October of eighteen fifty-nine, Brown led an interracial group of men who took over a federal arsenal in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, hoping to spark a slave revolt. To his dismay, Brown and some of his followers were captured after a gunfight with federal troops. He was later tried and found guilty for murder, treason, and conspiracy. Browns actions and execution led many people to believe he was in†¦show more content†¦It teaches me further, to Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them. I endeavored to act up to that instruction.† Brown goes on the say the he is still too young to fully understand if God has any respecter for persons. With that, he believes that interfering on behalf of God’s poor he has not done wrong, but right. Brown also says â€Å"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.† In a way, he sees himself as the slave’s savior. At one point during his address, Brown brings up the subject of men saying that he forced them to him in this raid. In response to this statement he claims that every man chose to be a part of the raid, and he did not even see the majority of them. Along with that Brown states that he did not bring it up to injure them. He never really does take responsibility for any of his actions. Many people saw John Brown as a martyr for abolition. To them, Brown fit the category. He fought for a cause, and later died for it, something a martyr would do. Throughout his whole address, Brown says he never intended to murder, commit treason, or excite Slaves to rebel, and that he never encouraged any man to do so, but always discouraged any idea of that kind.Show MoreRelatedThe Life of John Brown701 Words   |  3 Pagescowardice!† (â€Å"John Brown†) John Brown, known for his actions prior to the Civil War, spoke these words, and they truly show who he is. Brown, born on May 9, 1800, in Torrington, Connecticut, fought for everything he believed was right all the way up until his death in 1859. He was known mostly as an abolitionist and a freedom fighter, constantly trying to liberate slavery. John Brown’s actions would lead him to having a role in Bleeding Kansas, as well as Harper’s Ferry. John Brown was born inRead MoreAbolitionist John Brown1836 Words   |  7 Pagesspoken by abolitionist John Brown at his trial in Charles Town, Virginia (now part of West Virginia) following his violent raid at Harper’s Ferry Federal Arsenal in October, 1859 (Fanton 82). John Brown played a vital role in the anti-slavery movement and his actions opened the eyes of a nation that would become divided in a war of brother against brother. He clearly states his intentions, but did he really not mean to excite or incite a rebellion among slaves? John Brown represented the ideals andRead MoreThe Death Of John Brown3483 Words   |  14 PagesAmerican abolitionist by the name of John Brown also killed people, but he also inspired a nation to civil war. In Brown there is no question of the worthiness of his cause, because when he became a soldier he triggered the end of slavery. 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John Brown was an extreme abolitionist who believed in the forceful overthrow of the slave system. Although John Brown’s aim and views on slavery were r ational, his approach at stopping slavery was illogical and deranged as his mentality contributed to his raid. John Brown and his sons headed attacks on pro-slavery residents during the Bleeding Kansas conflicts in which Brown became a hero for Northern activists and recruited an army ofRead MoreJohn Brown And The Abolition Movement1663 Words   |  7 Pagespolitical campaigning, but a few decided to take a more direct approach. One said individual is John Brown. John Brown was a white abolitionist born in Connecticut who simply grew tired of the pacifist approach and took up arms with a few volunteers against slavery. Brown was born the son of Owen Brown, a tanner, in the town of Torrington, Connecticut. The Browns were conventional evangelicals, and John went to school in Massachusetts to become a Congregationalist minister. Unfortunately he ranRead MoreJohn Brown s A Hero935 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Brown Essay What John Brown did was crazy and was suicidal; he did it because he knew the purpose of it and the after effect of it. After the Harpers Ferry revolt Brown said that he doesn’t feel no guilt for his actions. He knew what people would characterize him as and he just doesn’t care. He knows what affect and toll it would take on people to see their own kind to stand up and fight for equality of a different race. Most people would think he’s crazy, but actually he’s just trying toRead MoreJohn Brown s Life And Life1835 Words   |  8 Pages John Brown came from a line of men who were passionate about their convictions. In 1620, Peter Brown, a passenger aboard the Mayflower and signer of the Mayflower Compact, began the Brown legacy in America (Weiser). John Brown’s grandfather, his namesake, was a captain in the Revolutionary War when he lost his life to dysentery while fighting for his beliefs in 1776. He left behind his wife and ten children, inc luding his five year old son, Owen Brown. When his father died, Owen Brown’s familyRead MoreJohn Brown as the Villian or Hero Essay1950 Words   |  8 PagesJohn Brown as the Villian or Hero Browns attack on Harpers Ferry affected American culture more than can ever be understood. Tension between the North and South was building in the 1850s. Slavery among many other things was dividing the country into two sections. Brown was executed on December 2, 1859 for his murderous out-lash on society. Was his mind so twisted and demented that he would commit cold-blooded murder? The answer is no. John Brown was a man with a goal and a purpose.Read MoreUncovering the Truth About John Brown865 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history John Brown has been described as a terrorist, mentally ill, and a failure among other things. Because he stood strongly for what he believed in, and his goal was eventually achieved he can be seen for the most part as a hero. Brown was described as â€Å"an American who gave his life that millions of other Americans be free† (Chowder,6). Brown was a headstrong abolitionist who claimed that he was told by God to end slavery causing him to see himself as â€Å"a latter-day Moses† (Chowder