John Brown Dbq

Did John Brown fail? John Brown began the war that ended American slavery and made this a free republic. His zeal for the cause of my race was far greater than mine. I could live for the slave, but he could die for him.”

John Brown was a well-known abolitionist and strongly believed that slavery was wrong. He took part in some very violent conflicts against pro-slavery supporters and did some wild things in the name of banishing slavery. The real question is whether he is a hero or a villain, and I believe that John Brown was a hero because he returned stolen property when he realized it was already owned, tons of people believed in and supported him, and he died to end slavery. Firstly, he is a proven good man because he returned stolen property

This shows that he is a good person, and wouldn’t just steal someone’s property. Brown could have easily run away with the land and sold it or used it himself, but he did the right thing instead and returned it, proving that he stuck to his cause and wouldn’t do anything selfish, even when given the option to. Secondly, tons of people believed in and supported John Brown. “ A gentleman every way worthy of my entire confidence. . . I cordially recommend him to the confidence and regard of all who desire to see Kansas a Free State” (Salmon P. Chase, the governor of Ohio, Document B). Seeing someone as important as the governor of Ohio shining a light like that on John Brown proves that he was believed in and thought highly of by important people. He truly thought that John Brown was fit to be a leader in the abolitionist cause. Additionally, the National Kansas Committee’s treasurer gave five thousand dollars to the committee to aid John Brown and five hundred to Brown himself to use for whatever defensive measures he deemed necessary for the abolitionist cause (H. B. Hurd Sec. N.

Lastly, we acknowledge the fact that he died to end slavery. John Brown raided Harpers Ferry, the home of the U.S. arsenal. His goal was to steal weapons from the arsenal to give to many slaves in hopes that they would revolt against their masters and other pro-slavery supporters. However, he and his followers were caught and later hanged for treason. With one speech at his trial and one letter sent after he was sentenced, John Brown didn’t try to escape or plead; he accepted his execution and died as a fierce martyr for all of the slaves and abolitionists (Documents F and G). The fact that he stayed loyal until the end proves him a true hero. John Brown could have turned on his cause and made the court happy, and most likely could have saved himself from his death, but instead, he decided to make a stand and die proudly standing up for equal human rights in the United States. He helped thousands of people live happy lives and encouraged slaves not to give up the hope that they could have the free and fair lives they deserved. Now, it is true that John Brown killed many people during his journey as an abolitionist. But everything he did was necessary to end slavery. “When a physician cuts out a