John Brown was an Abolitionist. That is, he was strongly opposed to the institution of slavery as it existed in his day. He tried the tactic of "moral suasion,' of discussion and debate. Eventually however he was convinced that this was useless; that pro-slavery people could not be convinced of the evil of slavery, and that slavery could only be ended by force.
However, slavery was institutionalized and protected by the State.
He took up the sword. The pro-slavery side, he saw, was not above violence - slavery itself being a grave violence - and could only be countered by violence.
Although many whites opposed slavery, few were willing to take real action. John Brown risked his life, and the lives of his sons, to free slaves. This risk was very real, we know, because John Brown lost and was hanged. Several of his sons were also killed in the Harper's Ferry affair.
This is a very heavy burden to take up, and not many did so. And he faced difficult questions along the way - in battling evil and violence, how much violence is justified?
It is said that John Brown was insane from 1890 to 1970. (John Brown died in 1859.) During that time period, his actions were seen as those of a madman or a terrorist, that no reasonable person would commit treason and other violence and risk his life for the freedom of other people.John Brown wrote:Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments--I submit; so let it be done!
Especially - perhaps it should not be said,, but was clearly understood at the time - when those people were not white.
Times change and views change. John Brown was instrumental in starting the Civil War, and ultimately, instrumental in ending slavery, and changing the nature of race relations. Now he is seen as a martyr, at least by some.
It is a challenge. Who has the courage and the strength of their convictions to stand up, as John Brown stood up, to take up arms, to fight for what they know is right? To fight what they know is evil in the world?
Saturday, May 9, (John Brown’s birthday) I was at the farm in North Elba, New York, where John Brown's body is buried. There were talks and presentations honoring John Brown and his contribution to what America is today. (I was part of a presentation on the life of Mary Brown, John Brown’s wife.)
One of the speakers at this event was a philosopher. He talked of John Brown in a different way than I might have thought of him. He grouped John Brown with Malcolm X, Socrates and Jesus; quite an interesting group to speak of in the same breath.
But John Brown was a deeply religious man, a man of God. I might add Kierkegaard to that interesting little group, as John Brown told the so-called Christians of his day that they knew nothing of Christ and made a mockery of Christianity.