Free Admission Essay On My Debt To John Brown

I am a big fan of history, and I very much enjoy learning about the history of American conflict, particularly the Civil War. To that end, one of the most powerful and influential figures to me is John Brown. Brown was one of the most influential figures in American Civil War history; a famed abolitionist, he led the Pottawatomie Massacre and raided Harper's Ferry, without success. Being an important white figure in the abolition movement, he has proven an important person to study when contemplating the Civil War and the fight to free the slaves. In his trial and execution, Brown turned out to be an incredibly important figure for the cause of abolition.
John Brown's story is full of interesting facts and tidbits, as he did not have a conventional (or fortunate) life - his myriad jobs, his financial difficulties, the death of his wife and children. These misfortunes are often linked by him to the plight of the slaves in the South, giving him a spiritual connection to them that made him sympathize with them directly. This was the inspiration for his "divine mission: to free the country of slavery". He then moved up to the Adirondacks and helped African Americans make their way to Canada.
Moving to Kansas after the doctrine of popular sovereignty was passed in 1854, Brown and his sons proceeded to take action against slavery. Killing five settlers at Pottawatomie Creek, he continued his campaign of terror against slave owners, hoping to discourage slavery altogether through his borderline terrorist attacks. Brown was committed to this task: "There will be no peace in this land until slavery is done for. I will give them something else to do than extend slave territory. I will carry the war to Africa". This determination and idealism is incredibly inspiring to me.
The height of Brown's importance actually came during the last month of his life. Finally captured and on trial to be executed, Brown made many speeches, most or all of which are now thought of to be extremely interesting and provocative anti-slavery messages (and are frequent reading when I need a bit of inspiration). With his own revolutionary ideas, and the lengths to which he decided he would go in favor of freeing the slaves, his actions may have been the first shot of the Civil War.
After his death, Americans remembered Brown fondly. Songs were written about him, including the 1861 gem "John Brown's Body." During the war, people related to his message; however, after the war, he began to be more controversial. Brown was often painted as a murderer who wanted to incite pro-slavery riots in the South by any means necessary. Even in the North, he remained a mysterious, confusing figure - this made him one of the more interesting figures in Civil War history, despite not having a real consensus as to the effect of his effort. While I certainly would not wish to share his fate, John Brown's legacy as a hardworking fighter for equality is something that I respect very much, and his own determination is something I try to emulate in my own character whenever possible.