John Brown was an abolitionist and the leader of the 1856 Pottawatomie Massacre, but he is best known for attacking Harpers Ferry with a small force in hopes of stopping slavery. Brown believed that slavery was immoral, and that he had received message from God to stop slavery. Since he was a deeply religious person, he truly believed that God sent him to the world to stop slavery. However, the way that John Brown chose to end slavery was inappropriate. In trying to end slavery with violence, Brown murdered and stole, and in my opinion, that makes him a villain.

With the help of his followers, John Brown murdered five slaveholders in Kansas, which is an unacceptable way to fight slavery. This event is known as Pottawatomie Massacre and was notorious throughout the whole country. Brown and his group beat the slaveholders until they died in front of their families, a very painful and violent way to kill someone. Murdering people is always a crime regardless of the reason, and a person who breaks the law cannot be a hero. Many other figures, including Frederick Douglass, fought for the rights of African-Americans without violence, and Brown should have followed their example rather than resort to brutal murder.

To free the African-Americans, John Brown came up with the idea to give them weapons so they could form an army to fight for their freedom. Brown and his followers attacked Harpers Ferry and stole weapons. Stealing anything from anyone is a crime, and the weapons that Brown stole belonged to the government. This event scared the slaveholders, who worried that John Brown’s actions might start slave revolts, given that the population of slaves outnumbered the white people. John Brown’s plan ultimately failed, but it caused a great deal of terror and confusion. Terrorizing people and causing chaos is not an acceptable way to achieve a goal.

The abolitionist John Brown wanted to end slavery, and he believed armed mutiny was the only way to accomplish that in the United States. Brown’s group cruelly murdered five supporters of slavery in Kansas. About 3 years after Pottawatomie massacre, his force attacked Harpers Ferry to get weapons. Almost everything John Brown did to end slavery was against the law and endangered individuals and the social order. Even when it is for a good cause, crimes like this are unwarranted. If it were acceptable to commit violent crimes to achieve one’s goals, the whole country would be in constant chaos, because people would feel justified in doing anything to reach what they think is right. John Brown was a villain who would stop at nothing to end slavery.

Works CitedBoyer, Paul S. Holt American Nation. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2005. Print.

“John Brown.”Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 September 2015.

“PBS American Experience: John Brown’s Holy War [Full Episode].” Public Broadcasting Service. YouTube. 4 July 2015. Web. 28 September 2015.


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