John Brown was a fanatic about slavery. No matter what happened, he wanted to get rid of it. But, people viewed him in different ways. The North viewed him as a hero for trying to get rid of slavery. But the South viewed him as a terrorist for trying to get rid of their economy. I myself view him as a hero. He was an abolitionist, intelligent, and a leader.
Before the Harper's Ferry raid had occurred, many people viewed John Brown as a fanatic who is out of his mind. But surprisingly, it wasn't only the South who believed this, it was also the North. But, after he had tried taking over the Harper's Ferry arsenal, northerners started realizing that what he was fighting for was right. They realized that slavery really was wrong, and that people should start fighting against it. He was a full pledged abolitionist, willing to die to see the end of slavery. Unfortunately, he was hung long before the day slavery had ended. After his execution, northerners started having plenty of thoughts about Brown. Some even couldn't decide if what he did was right or wrong. But, the people who did make up their minds recognized that what he had done was purely right.
As many people have heard about already, John Brown was known to be a fanatic, basically summarizing the whole idea of fanaticism arising within the country. But, to me, he seemed like he was a very intelligent man. He did what no other man had enough courage to do, or even think about doing. What he did was right by me, and it could have only been done by someone wise enough to realize that the conflicts going on in the country were wrong. So, he went out and proved himself to the nation; really showing them what would have happened if slaves turned against their masters. By doing this, he knocked some sense into the supposedly wiser people in the North. But, only after his death had they realized that this man was no weirdo, but a hero.
When John Brown planned his raid on Harper's Ferry, he wanted to have some backup. He tried to convince many slaves to join him, saying that they would be freed from their master's clutches after this was over. He even tried convincing Stephen Douglass to join him, but he replied no, as it was an act of suicide. In the end, no slaves joined him in his quest, and he was left alone. Even though no one had helped him in his attack, he became known as a spectacular leader in the North. The Union soldiers even sung songs supporting him, singing all the way through battles as their battle cries. By 6 months after his execution, people in the North treated him as a hero, a leader who never really got his chance to lead. So, to thank him for what he showed them, soldiers sang all about him, carrying his soul with them, and hoping for the best.
So, even though John Brown may have done some bad things in his life, he opened up the minds of people all over the North, proclaiming himself as a hero, and not a terrorist. Overall, his words and cries for freedom paid off, but its too bad he doesn't know about it.
