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Analytical Essay: What Makes John Brown A Hero

638 Words3 Pages

Alexius Sparkman
Dr. Christopher Rounds
SSH 203: United States History to 1900
3 November 2016
John Brown
What makes a hero? A hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. By this definition, John Brown was definitely a hero. Brown fought and gave his life for what he believed in. He also inspired others and he conducted himself with great dignity at his trial, even though he knew he would be sentenced to death. At a time when no one else seemed to care about slaves, he had the courage to do something. It was an issue that didn't even affect him himself but he spent his life fighting for others. John Brown was born on May 9, 1800 in the town of Torrington, Connecticut. When …show more content…

On Pottawattamie Creek, on the night of May 24, 1856, Brown and his sons murdered three men who were pro-slavery, although none of them actually owned slaves. Brown and his sons escaped and he spent the next three years collecting from wealthy abolitionists in order to establish a colony for runaway slaves. To accomplish this, John Brown needed weapons so he decided to capture the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. Brown took up residency near Harper’s Ferry using the alias Isaac Smith. Where he trained a group of twenty-two men, including his sons in military training. On October 16, 1859, John Brown and all but three of the men seized the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harper’s …show more content…

John Brown was captured during the raid and later convicted of treason and hung. Brown was executed on December 2, 1859 for his murderous attack on society. The raid of Harper’s Ferry inflamed white Southern fears of slave rebellions and increased the mounting tension between Northern and Southern states before the Civil War.
John Brown was a man with a goal and a purpose, he believed that those who were pro-slavery should be punished for their wrongdoings. He also believed that armed insurrection was the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States. When he said that abolition could not be achieved without blood, he was right. It is one of history’s greatest ironies; Brown was not a terrorist but a hero, fighting for what was right. He gave his life in an attempt to end slavery. John Brown was a man ahead of his

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