John Brown Essay

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Why is John Brown so significant to the Civil War? A. Plan of Investigation The investigation evaluates the reason why John Brown was so significant to the Civil War. To determine Brown’s significance, the investigation evaluates his actions as an abolitionist and how Harper’s Ferry influenced the beginning of the Civil War. Memoirs and biographies are mostly used to evaluate Brown’s significance. One of the sources used in the essay, To Purge This Land with Blood by Stephen B. Oates, is used to evaluate the origin, purpose, values and limitations. B. Evidence Before Harper’s Ferry, there was a pro-slavery raid on Lawrence, Kansas (also known as Pottawatomie Massacre or Bleeding Kansas) because of the violence against the abolitionists and pro-slavery acts. The proslavery forces were burning towns and murdered a free-state settler named Thomas Barber.1 This led to a disagreement over the land, until James Henry Lane and Charles Robinson drew up a peace treaty and had the free-state men in full possession of the Territory. Brown was proud and excited to know that the abolitionists won and the Missourians backed off. Later Brown receives news that Missouri was not going to give up Kansas and this led to the all-out declaration of war from proslavery forces. The later actions led up to the Pottawatomie Massacre and the actual battle because of the refusal to accept free-states decisions. Harper’s Ferry, was the first target in Brown’s war for slave liberation. His plan was to steal arms and kill any slave holders. Brown’s whole mission was to end slavery and to let people know that slavery was a sin. Brown leads 21 men to battle and they capture some slave owners, hoping that the slaves would join in and help. They thought wrong and the slaves were no extra help, and no sooner militiamen capture Brown and kill his son. Brown was later tried and was

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