Many of the historians will suggest that the John Brown's raid over Harper Lee and his quick execution leaded to the inevitable civil war. Why would the South turn almost permanently to secession after 1859? Despite of all the support John Brown gains from the Northern abolitionist writers, his actions were violent, terroristic and heinous. Even Abraham Lincoln who was trying to assuage Southern and Northern parts to solve out the

Overall, it can be concluded that John Brown was and remains a controversial figure in the history of the United States. His personality has been the subject of debate, as well as his intentions to incite the American people to rebellion against the system. However, probably the most important question his existence raised was over the actual legitimacy of the use of violence in attaining one's goals, no matter their

Ralph Waldo Emerson famously declared that John Brown's execution would "make the gallows as glorious as the cross." (Quoted by Reynolds 127) Other historians have opined that Brown's martyrdom was the single most important event that "sparked the Civil War" and ultimately ended slavery. During his lifetime, Brown's uncompromising, radical ideas were often considered dangerous even by such anti-slavery politicians as Abraham Lincoln. In death, Brown became a symbol

Introduction The issue of abolitionism came to a head with John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Brown’s intention was to instigate an armed slave rebellion (Horwitz). Brown and nearly two dozen other men took over a U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia—but instead of achieving the goal of a slave revolt, the men were caught in a stand-off with U.S. Marines from October 16th to the 18th. Robert

African-Americans and Western Expansion Prior to the 1960s and 1970s, very little was written about black participation in Western expansion from the colonial period to the 19th Century, much less about black and Native American cooperation against slavery. This history was not so much forbidden or censored as never written at all, or simply ignored when it was written. In reality, blacks participated in all facets of Western expansion, from the

Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, GWOT The legal right known as "habeas corpus" is what protects a citizen from being suddenly seized and arrested for no reason, and locked up without trial. It is considered to be a foundation of the modern legal system, and without it there is no guarantee that arrest, imprisonment, or even capital punishment may not be practiced essentially on a whim. The right is officially enshrined in