Was John Brown Irrational Terrorist

Chan Kim
Professor Seiling
HIST 170
22 May 2013
Debate between John Brown and Irrational Terrorist Opposition to slavery issue was a major problem in the seventeenth and eighteenth century in the United States. Most of the opposition came from the religious leaders, especially Christian (Purtian) leaders. Such as Samuel Sewall, John Woolman and Anthony Bezezet published pamphlets that urge people to abolish slavery system. John Brown was also the abolitionist who believed that armed insurrection was the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery system in United States. In 1859, he killed pro-slavery supporters and led raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. However, there is a controversial issue whether John Brown was
Woodward argues that John Brwan is a fanatic who committed wholesale murder in Kansas in 1856 and whose ill-fated assault on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 was an irrational act of treason against the United States. On the otherhand, Reynolds aruges that John Brown is a deeply religious, yet deeply flawed, humanitarian reformer who employed violent means in Kansas and in the raid at Harpers Ferry against pro-slavery outrages at a time when the United States had failed to live up to its most cherished ideal of human
He also protested about other issues in that time. He’s writings prove that he also protested on them. “He did protest, as evidenced by remarks about corruption, women, Native Americans, and economic inequality in his writings.” (303) However, he believed that those other issues are possible to be solved except slavery issue and that’s why he used violence. Reynolds states that comparing John Brown and current terriorist is a misleading. “It is important to recognize that many of the social ills that later bred radical violence plagued the nation in his time, but he went to war only over the issue of slavery.” (302) In my position from this debate, I stand for “Yes” side. I think John Brown was not a hero who leads end of slavery. He was a murderer who killed innocent people. Eventhough, he affected a lot on end of slavery, he used violence to solve the problem. Also the evidence of insane of his family shows that John Brown was not a normal person. I believe that his passion of anti-slavery came from monomaniac, not from he’s will and volition. The debate between “Was John Brown an Irrational Terroist?” talks about whether John Brown was a hero who brought to end of slavery or terroist and murderer who uses violence. It is controversial issue that can not be firmly answered, but one thing that certain is that he played really important role on halt the slavery in United States eventhough he was murderer and insane.