Historical Discussion: John Brown's Raid

[GASOUTHERNVOL]

After watching "America; The History of Us" last night on the History Channel, I began to think more deeply about John Brown's Raid. This is a very significant aspect in north-south relations, and the issue of slavery prior to Lincoln's election in 1860.
If you arent real familiar with the issue, read up on it here John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid

now the issue at hand:

1) Was John Brown a revolutionary or a terrorist?


2) Did his actions further drive the divide between the north and the south, given the still open wounds of "Bleeding Kansas" and other similar incidents in the territories?

 

[TennTradition]

I didn't get to watch this episode, but I will make a general comment about the series. For a history channel series, they seem to get their facts wrong more than I would like. There have been several head-turning, chin-scratching moments, but the biggest for me was in the first episode where they inform us that luckily, Paul Revere made it to Lexington in time to warn of the coming British attack. Ummm....no.

 

[GASOUTHERNVOL]

yah, it hasnt been bad, its been brief and hasnt been very detailed on some stuff. It kinda annoyed me last night when they briefly skimmed the Mexican-American War.

Plus, they had Al Sharpton on there and that guy is an idiot

 

[JTrainDavis]

The series is a decent 'US History for Dummies', just a quick skipcoat presented in the lowest common denominator.

Pretty pointless for those who have read any more than an 8th grade textbook, but it does it's (I believe) intended job.
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[JTrainDavis]

As for Brown, he was a zealot, i figure in todays terms he'd be a 'terrorist', but so were who went to Kansas for one cause or the other.

I don't personally think Brown was all that responsible for the War, other than to be a martyr for the abolitionists, who were relatively few in number.
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[GASOUTHERNVOL]

As for Brown, he was a zealot, i figure in todays terms he'd be a 'terrorist', but so were who went to Kansas for one cause or the other.

I don't personally think Brown was all that responsible for the War, other than to be a martyr for the abolitionists, who were relatively few in number.
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Brown was a bit on the crazy side. He figured he was the sword of God to abolish slavery. The show made it out like he solidifed the moral cause against slavery. The moral argument against slavery in the north was really in the minority, the main argument against slavery in the north was economical, it was cheaper to pay meager wages to irish immigrants to work in the dangerous factories then it was to invest money into a slave.


Another thing that kinda bothered me about the show, they didnt talk about the nullification crisis, and Jackson's threat to march on South Carolina.

 

[OrangeEmpire]

As for Brown, he was a zealot, i figure in todays terms he'd be a 'terrorist', but so were who went to Kansas for one cause or the other.

I don't personally think Brown was all that responsible for the War, other than to be a martyr for the abolitionists, who were relatively few in number.
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+1

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

After watching "America; The History of Us" last night on the History Channel, I began to think more deeply about John Brown's Raid. This is a very significant aspect in north-south relations, and the issue of slavery prior to Lincoln's election in 1860.
If you arent real familiar with the issue, read up on it here John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid

now the issue at hand:

1) Was John Brown a revolutionary or a terrorist?


2) Did his actions further drive the divide between the north and the south, given the still open wounds of "Bleeding Kansas" and other similar incidents in the territories?

Its looking like the only thing that would even have a chance of pulling us out of dystopian nightmare we are heading into is for another incident like a Harpers Ferry. I don't really care if they are called revolutionaries or whatever, but it was clear that Harpers Ferry was a wake up call for the nation because it was mixed assemblage of people engaged in the act and the last thing this country's enemies need is for people of like mind crossing racial, socio-economic, political or religious lines for a common cause. It is far better to have us divided.

However, I just don't know if there is a willingness to get together and I think we don't will/desire to sacrifice our creature comforts (and I include myself in that category) to risk it all on a fight like this. I hear a lot of bold s#^t talking and boasting about love of God, country and the flag, but all I've seen on the streets so far are BLM and ANTIFA. I haven't seen a patriot yet, with all of the ammo and firepower they have behind them, pop a single round. Businesses shutdown, a stolen election, gender-bender politics, destruction of the nuclear family, corrupt schools, churches and other institutions... and the only thin that seems to get the patriots stirred up is a few athletes in a meaningless game taking a knee... giving them an opportunity to virtue signal about how much they love their country. and their 'freedoms'.

 

[mrorange211]

I love this debate. John Brown was a complex man. Emerson said his death made the "gallows as holy as the cross". I never completely sided with Emerson, but I tend to think he was more martyr (albeit a crazy af one) than terrorist.

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

I don't find anything sympathetic in the story of John Brown. He could have easily been a serial killer if he'd lived in our time. Just a wack job who liked killing people. If you want a sympathetic anti-slavery revolutionary, look to Nat Turner.

 

[Firebirdparts]

I think you'd have to say terrorist and yes. His motivation was armed insurrection, so maybe that makes him a revolutionary, but the results were more like a terrorist.

Shelby Foote, I think, called him the "harbinger" of the war.

There is a rumor also that he had a little indian, but I do not think this has been confirmed. The idea that his body lies a-mouldering in the grave is more of a tautology.

 

[vols 30]

Check out "The Good Lord Bird" on Showtime. Starred Ethan Hawke as Brown. All I knew about Brown was the raid. I had no idea what he did in Kansas or that he knew Fredrick Douglass and Hariet Tubman

Im sure some parts of the series were exaggerated but it was a nice history lesson and entertaining