Eli Antes Mr. Murray 7th Grade Social Studies. John Brown, Hero Or Villan When Brown was hanged in 1859 for his raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, many saw him as the harbinger of the future. John Brown was a good person with many flaws; he might have attempted to abolish slavery, but he committed many crimes. Some of these crimes include murder, the greatest crime he committed, treason, and plenty of other non-moral crimes. This article states that from a historical perspective, John Brown was a good person for many but think that he did a lot of unnecessary things like committing treason and murder. John Brown was a villain because the text states that John Brown entered houses and killed people he thought were bad, He was lying to the judge of his trial, and he committed treason and …show more content…
John Brown is a villain because he is willing to barge into some people's houses and kill them in cold blood. A letter from Mahala Doyle to John Brown states, “When you then and there entered my house and midnight and arrested my husband and 2 sons and shot them in cold blood.” (Mahala Doyle) This statement shows that John Brown was willing to let himself and other innocent people die just to stop slavery. Typically, if you are willing to walk into other people's houses, as Mahala Doyle states, you are not a good person. This shows that John Brown is most likely a villain. John Brown was willing to lie to the court to save his mission and his life after committing treason and murder. In his speech during the court, John Brown mentioned that he did not mean what he did. He also said that he did not mean to commit treason and attempt to steal the weapons from the US arsenal. Generally you might lie about not trying to commit the biggest crime in US history, but also attempting to hide the fact that he got other people to do it with him is not OK. Since he lied and stretched the truth, it shows that he is willing to lie in court about