Who was John Brown?

Question

1856

Answer 1

John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was the first white American abolitionist to advocate and practice insurrection as a means to abolish slavery. President Abraham Lincoln said he was a "misguided fanatic" and Brown has been called "the most controversial of all 19th-century Americans."[1] His attempt in 1859 to start a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans in Harpers Ferry, Virginia electrified the nation, even though not a single slave answered his call. He was tried for treason against the state of Virginia and was hanged, but his behavior at the trial seemed heroic to millions of Americans. Southerners alleged that his rebellion was the tip of an abolitionist iceberg and represented the wishes of the Republican Party, but those charges were vehemently denied by the Republicans. Historians agree that the Harpers Ferry raid in 1859 escalated tensions that a year later led to secession and the American Civil War.

Brown first gained attention when he led small groups of volunteers during the Bleeding Kansas crisis. Unlike most other Northerners, who still advocated peaceful resistance to the pro-slavery faction, Brown demanded violent action in response to Southern aggression. Dissatisfied with the pacifism encouraged by the organized abolitionist movement, he was quoted to have said "These men are all talk. What we need is action - action!"[2] His belief in confrontation led him to kill five pro-slavery southerners in what became known as the Pottawatomie Massacre in May 1856, in response to the raid of the "free soil" city of Lawrence. Brown's most famous deed was the 1859 raid he led on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (in modern-day West Virginia). During the raid, he seized the federal arsenal, killing seven people (including a free black) and injuring ten or so more. He intended to arm slaves with weapons from the arsenal, but the attack failed. Within 36 hours, each of Brown's men had fled or been killed or captured by local farmers, militiamen, and U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Brown's subsequent capture by federal forces, his trial for treason to the state of Virginia, and his execution by hanging were an important part of the origins of the American Civil War, which followed sixteen months later. His role and actions prior to the Civil War, as an abolitionist, and the tactics he chose still make him a controversial figure today. Depending on one's point of view, he is sometimes heralded as a heroic martyr and a visionary or vilified as a madman and a terrorist.

When Brown was hanged after his attempt to start a slave rebellion in 1859, church bells rang, minute guns were fired, large memorial meetings took place throughout the North, and famous writers such as Emerson and Thoreau joined many Northerners in praising Brown.[3] Whereas Garrison was a pacifist, Brown resorted to violence. Historians agree he played a major role in starting the war.[4] While some biographers, such as Bruce Olds, see him as a madman, others, such as Stephen B. Oates, regard him as "one of the most perceptive human beings of his generation." David S. Reynolds hails the man who "killed slavery, sparked the civil war, and seeded civil rights" and Richard Owen Boyer emphasizes that Brown was "an American who gave his life that millions of other Americans might be free." For Ken Chowder he is "at certain times, a great man", but also "the father of American terrorism."[5]

Brown's nicknames were Osawatomie Brown, Old Man Brown, Captain Brown and Old Brown of Kansas. His aliases were Nelson Hawkins, Shubel Morgan, and Isaac Smith. Later the song John Brown's Body became a Union marching song during the Civil War.

Answer 2

John Brown Hallelujah Holla Back

Answer 3

John Brown is horrible! He has the weakest lyrical skills of just about everyone that was on that show. I am old school and hate the dirty south style that is big now, but even Shamrocks dirty south was better than anything John Brown did the entire season. Shamrock also took John Browns heart on the stage with the final performance,watch the replay, Brown looked like he was gonna cry before Sham even finished. Plus, John Brown is everything that is wrong with rap. Just some fake *** punk who tries to preach about stuff he never had to deal with. His whole "Ghetto Revival" is a disgrace. Didn't you notice that every rapper that met with him left totally disgusted? It's because he brought NOTHING to the table but a big mouth!

Answer 4

That's a pretty common name. I knew a John Brown once. He was not the anti-slavery radical you are thinking of.

Are you asking if he was a hero or a terrorist? Ask a slave!

God is his judge, not Yahoos!

John Brown was a man of action -- a man who would not be deterred from his mission of abolishing slavery. On October 16, 1859, he led 21 men on a raid that provoked the Civil War, but got old John and his entourage dead!

The stately, fearless, unrepentant manner in which he comported himself in court and on the gallows made him a martyr to the slaves, and also in the northern USA states where slavery was despised.

His full biography is here...

http://www.civilwarhome.com/johnbrownbio.htm

John Brown, a.k.a. the 'King of da Burbz', has been described as "one of the most controversial figures in hip-hop at this point in time".

Propelled to national notoriety as a finalist on "ego trip's (White) Rapper Show" on VH1, Brown was best known for relentlessly marketing his company "Ghetto Revival" and one of their catchphrases -- "Hallelujah Holla Back".

http://www.myspace.com/johnbrownghettorevival

In UK soccer, FORMER Rangers defender John Brown has shocked many by turning down the chance to manage the Irn-Bru club, just this Wednesday.

http://sport.scotsman.com/football.cfm?id=1840362007

Answer 5

Vanallen has it covered. What I find interesting is the use of the phrase "liberation movement" instead of rebellion or revolution. Does that make the killing nicer? And before you assume I don't like him, let me say I wasn't there but I can see reasons for riding with and against him, just as I see reasons to like and dislike Lincoln. Sounds like the civil war was as ****** up a situation as Vietnam was. and, maybe Iraq. Maybe thats the way it always is in the real world.
Morose brooding with a beer.

Answer 6

John Brown was a preacher that violently tried to end slavery because of his abolitionistic viewpoint. He eventually tried to get firearms at Harper's Ferry, Virginia but the raisd failed . John Brown was captured and eventually hanged in December 1859,.

Answer 7

He was one of the greatest people in the Abolishment Movement in the days of slavery in the US.

Answer 8

I believe he was the person who started a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans.

Answer 9

You ever heard of "google"? How about "wikipedia"? Sheesh!!! How lazy can u get!!!

Answer 10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist)
it's all right there