John_Brown_and_Martyrdom

Is John Brown a martyr or a terrorist' Why' The abolitionist John Brown is a martyr because he truly believes that slavery is wrong. Terrorists usually have little to no support. Brown had the support of most of the North. The Southern newspapers used bias to convert “nonbelievers”. Terrorists kill people for a cause that they themselves support. John Brown was a valiant, God-fearing man with a purpose. John Brown should be considered a martyr because he had great ideals he was willing to die for. Brown only uses force when necessary. For example, he raided a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, *West Virginia. Once it was infiltrated, he took stock of weapons with such he would use to give to helpless African-American escapees. He was not giving weapons to an already large force, as would a terrorist. He was also saving lives, not just destroying them. "If it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments-I submit; so let it be done."- John Brown, Nov. 2, 1859. Brown himself insists that he is an “instrument of God”. Another example is the killings at Pottawatomie Creek. Brown killed five proslavery men residing there. This is justified because Brown did this in retaliation of the raid in Lawrence. This proves John Brown is a martyr. John Brown is not a terrorist because his only purpose is to free the poor “slaves, nothing else”. Brown also had support, something a terrorist would lack. Brown had ambition, where a terrorist would only have hatred. A supporter says about Brown, quote, “[John Brown is] that new saint, than whom none purer or more brave was ever led by love of men into conflict and death,--the new saint awaiting his martyrdom, and who, if he shall suffer, will make the gallows glorious like the cross.” A terrorist would not be reflected as such. When John Brown was hanged, Northern church bells rang out. The “victim” country would not feel so sympathetic for a person who terrorized it. Once again, evidence prevails over bias. John Brown is considered a martyr over a terrorist because he died with his beliefs still very strong in his mind. But of course, terrorists also die with their beliefs close at hand. To make the distinction between John Brown and a mobster, we must dive into his roots of origin. He was born into a slavery-hating family in 1800. When his family moved onto an Indian reserve, they had no feelings of racial superiority, as did most of the settlers. As a result, young John Brown quickly made friends with Indian boys. John belonged to an upstanding Calvinist family. He believed that God had sent him to abolish the evils of slavery. Brown knew that the enslaved African-Americans were humans, not “property”. Brown set out to solve “this Negro question, I mean; the end of that is not yet.” – John Brown. Brown thought that, not the slave masters, but slavery itself was evil. He vowed to estroy it, even if it cost him his life. John Brown is a martyr because he was willing to die if it meant that his creed would prevail. Many Americans supported his conquests and grieved when he died. Brown knew that America had to be nationally equal to survive. It is unreasonable to have slaves if you can utilize two hands of your own. This was most likely John Brown’s thinking. To think that freeing all the slaves would destroy the lives of the Southern community is being “economical” with the truth. After witnessing his African friend being whipped, he committed himself to abolishing slavery. John Brown believed in equal rights for all Americans. This is why John Brown, a Caucasian man, when it comes to human rights, is a martyr.