The first reason John Brown is a revolutionary is because though it may seem that he was committing acts that can be considered terroristic, he was really just a sincere revolutionary who wanted America to be freed from slavery. John Brown hated slavery from an early age and when he was older he considered many ways to help slaves such as helping slaves in the underground railroad, establishing a school for slaves, and moving to assist a colony of freed black farmers. It was also rare in his era to not have a radical prejudice, his opinion of slavery can be viewed in this quote, ?whereas, slavery, throughout its entire existence in the United States is none other than a most barbarous, unprovoked, and unjustifiable for one portion of its citizens upon another portion; the only conditions of which are perpetual imprisonment, and hopeless servitude or absolute extermination; in utter disregard in …show more content…
John Brown?s raid were clearly violent, but they were not an act of terrorism. John Brown held Harpers Ferry from October 16th ? until he was captured on Octobers 18th. In the raid, he captured important citizens, most famously George Washington?s great grandnephew, Lewis Washington. He stopped a train full of passenger and was in possession of almost unlimited of weapons and gun powder. John Brown could have killed innocent passengers or planted explosives on that train but he boarded the train, let the people know it was him, and allowed the train to continue its journey to Washington. When he was in Harpers Ferry, he could have blown up the Federal Army after having confiscated the gun powder and weapons, however, he chose not to and foolishly waited for the slaves to arrive. In harpers Ferry he did not want to destroy property, he never orders any killings, and he cared for his hostages. It is my belief, that this behavior is not that of a terroristic
In 1859, John Brown, also know as Issac Smith, leased the Kennedy Farmhouse, just miles from Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. Brown planned out his attack on Harper’s Ferry. He was going to provide local slaves with weapons. He was hoping to pose fear in the slave owners. Despite the planning, nothing went accordingly. The slaves didn’t join his army as expected. The local police and the US Marines under the authority of Robert E. Lee, put an end to the raid. Most of Brown’s men were killed or captured including his sons. Although, he was wounded badly, he was put on trial very fast and was found to be guilty of murder, treason, and inciting slave insurrection in Virginia. John Brown was put to death by hanging on December
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'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.
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.
The second reason John Brown is a terrorist is because he had a raid at the Pottawatomie Creek in Kansas. He killed pro slave people clearly because he did not agree with their views on slavery, but is that a truly a justifiable reason to take another mans life? John Brown had the right mind to abolish slavery, but there could have been a better way, like protesting to the point not even the government can refuse since the people are a, “Great beast”, as said by Alexander Hamilton.
What lead to the actions of John Brown? Between 1859 and 1863, an already strained North/ South relationship was pushed to a breaking point due to differences in political parties, the actions of social reformers and legislation passed.
John Brown is not a terrorist. The acts he committed at Harper’s Ferry and Pottawatommie Creek were not acts of terrorism because they lack the inspiration of fear into his enemies. He may have committed acts that were tragic, but just because someone kills someone else does not mean they are a terrorist.
According to Gilbert, “on many occasions Brown expressed his solid belief that society, particularly a society that would embrace slavery, was sick beyond its own cure.” (589) Brown believed that the United States was incapable of reforming itself by abolishing slavery; therefore, Brown gave up on all public policy reforms and legal remedies regarding slavery. Secondly, “as to the terroristic belief that violent government can only be overcome by violence, Brown’s convictions were preserved for posterity by a note he handed to a jailer while being led to the gallows.” (589) Gilbert argues that Brown’s beliefs and actions reflected his morality in which served to justify numerous crimes and multiple homicides. Brown’s actions conform to the definition of terrorism as Brown’s arrogant and insensitive attitude led to reasonable rationalizations for his reckless behavior. In fact, Brown demonstrated a guilt-free conscience on many occasions and rationalized his violent behaviors with moral and religious conviction. For example, Brown, along with eight other men, kidnapped and murdered five Kansans in which they were brutally hacked to death by repeated sword blows. Brown believed that the use of violence and terror was the only way to abolish slavery. On May 26, 1856, later on known as the Pottawatomie Massacre, Brown led a small
John Brown was an extreme abolitionist that lived in the mid 1800’s. John Brown and his group were against the idea of slavery, and in the end, John Brown would end up giving his life to try and stop it. John Brown is known for taking a “small army of 18 men into the small town of Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. [Also, he took] the arms and ammunition in the federal arsenal” (Document A). In this raid, John and his group killed many people, and some were even innocent.
Such as the right to remain silent, the right to know that anything said can be held against the individual in court and the right to have a defense attorney present during questioning. Plus, the court established guidelines for police to follow in notifying suspects of their legal rights before questioning starts. Number three, The Revenue Act of 1964 helped deliver a necessary improvement to the economy. Number four, The Civil Rights Act that Kenney offered to congress in 1963 became law in 1964. Through Johnson’s violent leadership and legislative savy. The Law banned racial discrimination in public services such as bus stations, restaurants, theaters, and hotels. It also offered new powers to the federal government to carry lawsuits against
John Brown is an American Abolitionist who believed in abolishing slavery across the nation through killing any southern slaveholder or supporter that comes in his path. It is believed that he had a plan to gather all the free slaves and rebel against the southern states, but his rebellion never made it that far. His rebellion started in Kansas in 1855 and ended in December 1858 at Harpers Ferry leading to him being convicted and hung for his crimes. John Brown had one motive that made him do these so called “crimes” by justifying his actions as obedience to a just god (31). This is the same reason today 's terrorist do their acts of terrorism and his actions make me see him as a terrorist.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson was revered for signing the civil rights Act bill of 1964. The act gave equal voting rights, equal employment opportunity, and banned segregation in public places, such as schools, restaurants, and swimming pools. L.B.J was the type of president that did what was best for the country under any and all circumstances. He was also the type of man that would get what he wanted no matter what.Passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 improved the lives of minorities in America by leaps and bounds, but there was, and still is, some speculation as to why Johnson signed off on the bill. Some think that it was an act based purely on Johnson selfishly wanting more votes when the next election came around, while others believe that the president made his choice based on his morals and the fact that it was the right thing to do.
He was well known at the time for attacking pro-slavery residents during the bleeding Kansas conflicts, in which there were many violent confrontations in Kansas over the morals of slavery. John Brown was different than some other abolitionists, as one of his beliefs was that punishing the wrong with violence- or those who were pro-slavery- was a fitting form of ‘punishment’. One of John Brown’s known supporter was actually Harriet Tubman- they met after she had escaped from slavery, and she agreed on his views that slave owners or pro-slavery citizens should be punished with violence. This belief eventually led to John Brown’s death, in 1859. In West Virginia, he and 21 of his followers led an attack on the arsenal Harpers Ferry. However, his troops were soon surrendered, and he was then hanged for the crime. However, John Brown remained a well respected individual for his actions for the abolitionist
Sometimes, politically powerful men do unexpected things. LBJ was a proud Texan. LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because of his strong principle beliefs. When he was a young adult he was a teacher for a segregated school and used part of his paycheck on them. I know LBJ's choice was principle because he was a teacher for a segregated school, he was willing to give up his chance at the next presidency, and he got the chance to give his own opinion.
“Terrorist”, is defined as “a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” Terrorists who conduct these heinous crimes usually justify their actions due to morals, religious convictions, or political views. John brown was an American abolitionist who believed and advocated that armed insurrection was the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States, which was a political aim. He considered the United States incapable of reform and he believed violence was the only solution to end slavery. Therefore John Brown was an Irrational Terrorist.