" (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 of courageous opposition to slavery. Union soldiers during the Civil War marched to the tune of the song, "John Brown's Body," and its heady chorus about Brown "mouldering in the grave" while "his soul keeps marching on." (Reynolds, 136). Some scholars, rather exaggeratedly, have even expanded the scope of his influence to the civil rights movement in the 20th century.
Negative Influence
John Brown's political contribution has a negative side too. He has often been depicted as a forerunner of anarchists, and a number of scholars have compared him with contemporary terrorists. Indeed many modern-day terror groups, on both sides of the political spectrum, have been inspired by John Brown's legacy. Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber considered him a "spiritual patron"; the anti-abortion zealots in the U.S. have invoked John Brown's legacy while bombing abortion clinics and murdering doctors. On the other hand, in the late 1970s, a leftist group calling itself the John Brown Brigade fought pitched battles with the Ku Klux Klan in the American south. The journalist, Ken Chowder, calls him "the father of American terrorism."
Conclusion
John Brown, the 18th century abolitionist, remains an exceedingly controversial figure even in the
He still evokes extreme responses in people, just as he did during his lifetime. To those people who consider violence as justified when used for a good cause, John Brown is a hero and a martyr. Others, who oppose violence in all forms, dub him as a deranged fanatic who murdered innocent people and preached violence for selfish reasons. Most people, however, agree that he had a profound impact on American politics, and his execution in 1859 may well have been the single most important reason behind the start of the American Civil War.
Works Cited
Chowder, Ken. "The Father of American Terrorism." American Heritage Magazine. February / March 2000 Volume 51, Issue 1. December 2, 2007. http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2000/1/2000_1_81.shtml
Hitchens, Christopher. "The Man Who Ended Slavery" the Atlantic Monthly. Volume: 295. Issue: 4. (May 2005): 121+
John Brown -- 1800-1859." Africans in America. N.d. December 2, 2007. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1550.html
Oates, Stephen B. Our Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln, John Brown, and the Civil War Era. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1979
Reynolds, David. John Brown, Abolitionist: Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights. New York: Alfred a. Knopf, 2005.
Underground Railway was the informal network of secret routes and safe houses that the abolitionists used to help the slaves in the U.S. To escape to free states and Canada.
Fredrick Douglas, the famous black Civil Rights leader, after a private meeting with Brown observed: "though a white gentleman, is in sympathy, a black man, and as deeply interested in our cause, as though his own soul had been pierced with the iron of slavery." (Quoted by Oates, 31)
Prior to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the two states were supposed to be slave free states.
John Brown was 55 years in 1955, which was old by the standards of the time
John Brown
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
With Brown's plans found at the location, it had been clear that the rebellion had been premeditated. This meant that Brown had committed a capital offense, making it impossible for him to be charged with murder in second degree. It did not take more than an hour for the jury to find Brown guilty, sentencing him to death by hanging in December 2, 1859. John Brown did not live to
From this came our insistence on the drama of the doorstep" (cited by Hardy 14-15). Grierson also notes that the early documentary filmmakers were concerned about the way the world was going and wanted to use all the tools at hand to push the public towards greater civic participation. With the success of Drifters, Grierson was able to further his ideas, but rather than directing other films, he devoted his time
In addition, both governments and churches began to grow suspicious of the group, probably because of the "organization's secrecy and liberal religious beliefs" (Watson, 2009). As a result, Portugal and France banned Freemasonry; in fact, it was a capital offense to be a Freemason in Portugal (Watson, 2009). Moreover, "Pope Clement XII forbade Catholics from becoming Freemasons on penalty of excommunication" (Watson, 2009). Feeling pressure in Europe, many Freemasons
Sears goes as far as claiming that without John Hancock, the outcome of the American Revolution might have been different. John Hancock was an extraordinary personality who became involved on the fight for freedom and who risked everything for this cause. He was a bright businessman and a clever politician who enjoyed the privileges of being one of the wealthiest men in Massachusetts, but who was also deeply involved in
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