John Brown's actions at Pottawatomie Creek and Harper's Ferry can be seen as acts of terrorism by a person or peoples opinion, but a closer study of modern and historic violent actions show he was a freedom fighter. Certainly, this is factual because there is no actual definition of terrorism, it is simply an opinion on someone's actions. Therefore, it is almost irrelevant for one be convicted a terrorist if no one can actually have a justified reasoning behind their choices. Some may say Brown's childhood had a major impact on some of his violent actions that occurred later on in his life. When he was very young, he suffered the loss of his mother. As a result it began to harvest a bit of rage in his heart that would soon turn into a never ending spiral of rage. It wasn't long after this loss that Brown witnessed a slave being beaten. It was that moment that Brown began to pursue his goal of ending slavery. Brown made many violent attacks through his long attempt to end slavery. One of Brown's rather horrific attacks was the murder of five pro-slavery settlers in the Pottawatomie Creek. It was once stated that brown did this act of violence out of rage, and it …show more content…
Brown's goal was to end slavery. Unlike the group that was formed in 1969 on the campus of the University of Michigan. This group has taken part in numerous violent actions in an attempt to draw attention to their goal, such as a jailbreak, bombings, and a riot in Chicago. The weather underground's goal is fear, they want people to fear them in order to reach their cause of creating a party to overthrow the U.S. government. Modern day judgement systems would say he was clearly a terrorist, but there is no actual definition of terrorism. Therefore, it is not acceptable or fair that someone's opinion or feelings can determine someone's
John Brown, an abolistionist who previously murdered five proslavery men in 1856, seized a federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. His plan was to start a slave uprising, however it failed and he was caught, he was hanged for treason. Document 7 states that both sides, North and South, were both basically surprised; however some Northerners "began to call Brown a martyr for the sacred cause of freedom." Southerners were outraged that such a man would do this, and mobs would even assault people who held or were suspected of holding antislavery opinions. It also scared Southerners (especially those who held slaves) because they were afraid of slave uprisings. This was one step to the Union
Some could call Brown a pioneer in being a civil rights activist for social and economic justice in this time period. Other people saw Brown as a mad man out for his own cause to be a hero and a martyr for equal rights and freeing the slaves. According to David King that Brown was crazy with the statement –“on the subject of slavery he was crazy” (Davidson p. 129). King was quoted saying this after he meet Brown after the Kansas fight. King described Brown as “an instrument in the hands of God to free slaves” and that Brown thought of his self as the person pick to free people from slavery (Davidson p. 129). Historians researching for answers for the clues if Brown was really insane might use this to back up their claim that Brown was crazy.
Some believed that John Brown was a maniac more than a martyr, but history proves that he was more of a martyr. John Brown believed that all men should be considered equal and have the right to freedom. Beginning in his early childhood and all the way though his life, he had a passion to abolish slavery. Learning from a young age, that all men should have the right to freedom and equality, started a fire inside of John Brown. This was a burning passion to help free slaves and make the world a better place.
In May of 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina entered the nearly empty senate chamber and beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane. Brooks felt violated by Sumner’s “Crime Against Kansas” speech, which provoked the retaliation. This attack spread the idea that violence might be able to solve the problem of slavery. In October 1859, abolitionist John Brown, led a violent attack. He and his band of 21 men and attacked the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. They hoped to spark a slave rebellion that would end slavery, and in John Brown’s words, “purge this land with blood.” Brown’s attack was one of the final causes that sparked the Civil War.
John Brown was a man who lived in the mid eighteen-hundreds and who fought against the evil of slavery. He had a very strong belief that slavery was unjust, and this is true, but he thought that in order to abolish slavery, violence would be the best method. That’s where he went wrong. John Brown led two attacks on slave owners and those who supported slavery, the first at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas on May 24th, 1856, and the second at Harper Ferry, Virginia on October 16th, 1859. At Pottawatomie Creek, joined by seven others, Brown brutally hacked to death five men with sabers. These men supported slavery but weren’t even slave owners themselves. On October 16th, 1859, Brown led 21 men on another raid on Harpers Ferry attempting to
Most of Brown’s reputation was based off of the Pottawatomie Massacre. It was an event led by John Brown that is usually described as “cold
John Brown in my opinion was a freedom fighter, he worked hard for what he wanted and tried his best to succeed no matter what it took. He did do some things in life that he was not proud of but everyone makes mistakes in life, what he did cannot be replaced because we cannot replace innocent lives that were taken. John Brown as a child was against slavery and everything that involves with slavery. My personal definition of terrorism is a group of people that harm others to get something they want. Therefore I do not believe this is John Brown, here are some reasons why. As I said before as a child John was against slavery, he went through many experiences with slaves that made his think this way. As a child John had to watch a slave get beaten, he did not know what to do or think.
“John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was a radical abolitionist from the United States, who advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery for good. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas and made his name in the unsuccessful raid at Harpers Ferry in 1859. He was tried and executed for treason against the
Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry affected American culture more than can ever be understood. Tension between the North and South was building in the 1850's. 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. When he said that abolition could not be achieved without blood he was right. It is one of histories great ironies; John Brown's struggle preceded the Civil War by only 17 months. Thousands of people were killed in the Civil War, yet John Brown
The first reason why John Brown was not a terrorist is because the acts he has devoted to and the reasons why he committed them, does not make him a terrorist. One of the acts he was devoted to was killing anybody that came in his way at Harper’s Ferry. That is not terrorism because he is not striking
turned violent, with bloody episodes like antislavery partisan John Brown’s organized massacre of proslavery forces in
Bleeding Kansas-During the settling of the Kansas territory the period of violence between anti-slavery settlers and pro slavery settlers was called “Bleeding Kansas”. John Brown was the leader of the anti-slavery party and he would kill people for the cause such as his planned raid on Harpers Ferry. He was one of the first non-African Americans to put his life on line for the cause of removing slavery
John brown, who was born in Torrington Connecticut on May 4th 1800, was one of the most noted abolitionists in history. He spent his time going around the world to bring awareness to slavery. The people that did help him with this cause was either unaware that it was going against slavery or did not care because he was known to use violence to achieve his goals. During his childhood, his father, Owen Brown, was a tanner who changed animal skins into leather. John brown was a religious child, he studied in the ministry but decided to stop his learning and join the family’s businesses trade.
John Brown's actions were modern day terrorist acts with the Pottawatomie Creek Massacre and raid on Harpers Ferry being unjustified, concluding that John Brown is a terrorist and not a freedom fighter. May 24th and 25th John Brown and others murdered five pro-slavery settlers. 1859 John Brown lead a slave revolt into a United States military arsenal at Harpers Ferry. These actions are attacking innocent people.
John Brown has been viewed as a terrorist and a hero. I think he is a freedom fighter and not a terrorist. Terrorist often want to simplify strike back and harm those they oppose. Terrorist often has no demands and no goals other than to terrorize. John Brown captured a number of slave owners, but he didn’t kill or harm any. He just wanted to take them to protect them from harm. John Brown wasn’t a terrorist, he was a freedom fighter.