John Brown, an anti-slavery maniac

John Brown, an anti-slavery maniac

John Brown was an anti-slavery maniac who cared deeply about his beliefs. Across the US, and especially the North, people debated whether he was sane or insane. If he was declared insane, it would change the violent image he portrayed in the North, and people would feel pity for him. Brown and his group of 21 men, made up of 16 whites and five blacks, would roam around various places that were pro-slavery. They would use guerilla warfare and then hide in the hills when people came to a stop them. They would not stop until every slave was out of bondage, which usually meant killing many people. One battle, in particular, the Harpers Ferry raid, was the end of his insurrection. The president sent troops to end his violent acts, and most of his men were captured or killed. John Brown, however, escaped death. Through his violent actions, it made other bloodthirsty to fight for their beliefs, “The Harpers Ferry raid was to the civil war what the Boston Massacre had been to the American Revolution,” (149). Before the events happened, he told people that, “The raid might fail… he still hoped the gesture would divide the nation that a sectional crisis would occur” (151). Brown was later executed on December 2nd, 1859. He had become a symbol of both the North and the South. Northerners thought of him as a saint, a martyr while Southerners thought of him as a murderer, an insane person who was selfish and evil. There were two different cases. On his mother’s side of the family, many members had shown signs of mental disorders. The other was through observations people made themselves like irregular patterns and his past failures. Either way, it was a political and legal issue as well as a mental issue. If he was said to be insane, people would make the connection that these acts were because of his insanity, and not by the anti-slavery movement. It would persuade people to disregard what he has done due to his insanity. The debate was still on about his insanity, though, and people started to look at his childhood. He used to kill animals, hang out with the Indians and was a “Buck Skin” at six years old. He was a hyper kid at school and was not a great scholar.

His mother died at eight years old, and he always thought about the motherless and fatherless slave children. He was also very religious, and the Bible influenced many of his writings. From a young age, he would witness unfair acts against the blacks, and he saw the evil in it. Even though this happened, he had other behaviors that pointed towards being bi-polar.

I think that the authors have a very defined opinion of John Brown. After analyzing the text, they clearly show that he was insane. For someone to go around killing others, they have to be insane. But his intentions were good, according to the authors and many others. Regardless if he was insane or not, he was helping the problem of slavery. The authors know this, and while not giving a clear opinion, they know that he had the right intentions. “John Brown turned the tables on society” (168). Society back then was partially about slavery. He turned the tables and made people notice a significant issue and took action.

My opinion on the text is similar to the authors opinion. I think that yes, although he may have been insane, he fought for what he believed in. The slave owners he was killing did much more harm to the slaves. They would deprive them of food, beat them, and not pay them. They had horrible living and sleeping environments, and were stripped away from their families and sold for money. Owning slaves is much worse than what John Brown did. How can people think that slave owners are justified, but John Brown isn’t. I think the only way that slavery would end was through war. The South believed too strongly that slavery had to exist to help the economy, and they were not willing to give it up. John Brown saw this and took action. He helped many people escape from slavery and served as a hero to many anti-slavery people. As stated before, Brown turned the tables of society and showed people that a change was needed. He started a war between the North and the South. Brown was famous all around the country and gave people the power to stand up for their beliefs, especially in a time like this where slavery was a massive problem, and a change was needed. Maybe he didn’t take the right approach to the situation, but it was what he chose to do and it worked.

I would rate this chapter an 8 out of 10. I think it gives great insight on mental illness and how people are diagnosed and how it affects their actions. John Brown is a big reason why our country is the way it is today, whether he was mentally ill or not. If he never had the heart and boldness to step up and do something about it, maybe we would still have slaves to this day. It was also interesting how they looked into his past life and how it may have affected his decisions later in his life. His behavior patterns and different events in his life shaped his opinion and his personality. He lost his mother at a young age, and this is what helped him sympathize with the parentless slaves. He also was religious, which helped him see the evil in slavery. I also find it interesting how his business failures could have played a part in his killings. He was alive in a time where the economy was always boom or bust, and he had many shortcomings. His past failures and his childhood played a significant role in his actions. We can use strategies like this in modern times. We can look into criminals past and find their motives for what they do and maybe try and prevent it from happening. Overall I think that it is crucial to look at this side of things and how mental illness has a significant impact on how some people act. Can they be blamed for their actions? That is a common question asked by many and was asked by people in the 1800’s as well. By looking into the past of different people, one can make this decision for themselves. Was John Brown guilty for his actions, or was he justified?