John+Brown

**Introduction**
“Now, 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.” (Brown). John Brown since the beginning was a person that showed character. Many people looked up to Brown but many also disagreed with who he was and what his beliefs were. Brown on the other hand did not pay attention to his criticisms but instead used them as a sort of fuel for what he wanted to do. Little did he know that what he was about to begin would change history forever.

**Personal Background**
John Brown was born on May 9, 1800 in the state on Connecticut (Leavenworth). As a boy John had little to almost no education and his parents made him focus more on religion. John even as a little boy hated slavery and thought it was wrong (Mintz). Before he was fully involved in slavery John in his teenage years went to Morris Academy in Litchfield. After he studied for a few years he had a business and livestock merchants but little after is when he fully focused on fighting slavery and left everything (Leavenworth). When John was small he moved frequently. One of the biggest migration he did with his family and numerous people was to Ohio where they brought puritan culture. He grew up living with black people and did not like how they were discriminated. In Ohio is where his family wanted him to let faith guide him to where he belongs. John said that faith wanted him to do something about slavery and he was willing to act in any way to stop it (Leavenworth). Throughout his life John got married twice. One of his wife’s died from an illness and in total he fathered 20 children. However, almost half of his children died in infancy and three of them died in the battle against slavery. Determined to his work on slavery John and his family moved to northern New York where black settlers would arrive. There he gathered with a few men to liberate slaves to Canada (Bordewich). John used every opportunity he had and all his efforts in fighting slavery. He created organizations and communities for the incoming African Americans. He also took part in the Underground Railroad and helped black people escape (Mintz). Any men or people that would try and interfere with Johns work would get punished. John was capable of even death and he was not about to stop at nothing to conquer what he thought was right (Ruane).

**Personality traits**
The act of valor you need to do in order to stand up for what is right is something many people cannot do. John Brown however is one of the few people that stood up for what he thought was wrong. One thing people were sure about is that he was a determined man and he was hungry for equality between races. Others that followed John like slaves and socialist considered him as a leader for what he did to make change happen (Mazelis). As a result of his actions, people thought he liked African American people more because he moved to where there was black communities ((McGlone). John Brown was looked up to for many people but along his journey in fighting slavery he also gained critics as well as enemies. His thoughts is what built him as a person in his beliefs but his actions are what caused people to call him mean for slavery (Leavenworth). Brown’s family had shown history of insanity which is why people understood his barbaric actions. They say he was a normal man who had mental signs but mostly an obsession towards slavery (Mintz). Although John had many people behind him, some of his followers still feared him because of the way he acted against slavery (Bordewich). Lastly, southerners thought Brown was a crazy scary man and the people who knew him also said he was a mad man but he was built for what he did best which was fight slavery (Bordewich). In the northern side he was seen as a hero for his sacrifices he went through to end slavery. His beliefs were always the same, the only way to end slavery would be to use violence (Ruane). Johns critics gave him the title of a madman and a bloodthirsty fanatic for what he did (Mazelis). In the end, Brown did not intend to hurt anyone for what he believed in but he also was not about to stop at nothing for what he thought was right.

**Obstacles**
When people talk about obstacles faced during their life it is usually a common situation among others whether it is a crisis or a lost loved one. John Brown, however, faced multiple upsets during his life and repeatedly as well which is incredible because he still managed to conquer his goal of vanishing slavery. It all began when Brown lost his mother when he was just a boy at the age of eight (Leavenworth). In his later years he also suffered when his wife died while she was giving birth. On top of all that, Brown was not all that great at business and in less than one month he lost his farm and four of his children out of the twenty that he fathered (Mintz). Obviously John Brown is strong for going through all his losses but that was not about to be the end of his hardships. Despite all the lost members of his family, John also had trouble with trying to make money. His whole life he was never wealthy and he was always being financially challenged (McGlone). At about the age of forty, apart from all his effort, John was declared bankrupt. Since he had nothing left to lose John decided to leave his real poor life, family, and friends and dedicate himself to slavery (Mintz). Leaving his life to concentrate on slavery was not going to take away his downfalls but bring more along the way. The journey for John to end slavery was not easy either as many people opposed of his ideas and actions. Like many, John was always being criticized for helping out the slaves. When he needed the most support from his followers like in his famous raid, the support was never there (Mazelis). The northerners were the ones that were against slavery and when John needed support when a congressman was beaten they were nowhere to be found. Also. John always had proposals related to slavery but the congress always denied him (Bordewich). The life of John was not as normal as others but he knew he needed to overcome everything that came his way to succeed in what he believed in. ===**Historical Significance**=== Many people wish to leave a legacy when they die, but it is not about planning out what to do but to take action without noticing you will make history. John Brown during his life left a lot to talk about because of all the good and the bad he did for slavery. One thing he is mostly remembered by is that he was the one that led the rebellion of the Harpers Ferry raid in Virginia (McGlone). John led several attacks throughout his life including the Massacre at Pottawotomine creek which caught a lot of attention (Leavenworth). Leading attacks and raids was not necessarily what he was completely known for but the help he provided for slaves. John was devoted to always help the African Americans in any way possible ignoring the risks that came along with his actions. Along with many heroes that worked the Underground Railroad, John and his father were also conductors of this historical pathway (Bordewich). When John was not busy focusing on other tasks that had to do with slavery he was helping create organizations to help free African Americans (Ruane). He dedicated a large amount of his time freeing slaves and when he did he would provide support that led them to Canada (McGlone). Although John exposed his best efforts to abolish slavery while he was alive, it seemed his death is what worked more. There was always supporters for John but they did not step up until after his death. After he was hanged Northern troops marched to Virginia in response to the courts actions and decisions (Ruane). Many protests and outbreaks arose after John’s death includin g the most recognized which was “Bleeding Kansas” (Mintz). Not only did his death cause a lot of thought and controversy but also many riots and battles. His death proved that it had a cause to it and that he did not die for no reason. For most people John Brown is remembered for all the failures and struggles he went through because all of them had a meaning behind it. For example, during his capture at Harpers Ferry to the time of execution he was thought of as an avenging angel by thousands of northerners (Leavenworth). He always had the northern sides support and in the end he was considered a hero to all of them (Ruane). Despite the heads he turned when he was alive, when he died he caught the attention of all the people around the country. John’s death lead to the Civil War and new civil rights for African Americans (Mazelis). John, for the most part, was destine to die at the exact time and way in history. He is considered the reason why today slavery does not exist. Had his raid not existed, the 1860 election would of gone wrong for President Lincoln (Bordewich). John left his mark in the world and now there are museums of him in Virginia where his raid took place (Mazelis). In the end John’s death also marked the death of slavery.

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