John Brown: Hero Or Terrorist?

Was John Brown an American hero or America’s first terrorist?
Born in 1800 and died in 1859, John Brown was an influential figure in America. He castigated the institution of slavery and strived to eliminate its existence. Brown’s baffling actions in the U.S. created formidable controversy among the citizens. In attempting to boycott the prevalent nature of slavery, he brought forth numerous murders and killings in the nation. Such inhumane activities classified John Brown as a terrorist rather than an American hero.3Considering Brown a hero elicits irony due to his treatment of the captivators. Instead of protecting both parties, he was vile toward the masters that perpetrated slavery. Brown exhibited characteristics of a villain because of his urge to seek vengeance toward these captivators.
Freeing slaves and killing their masters created a relationship between John Brown and terrorists. These acts of terrorism often involve violence, as portrayed by Brown’s actions, in salvaging America from the slave trade. He may also be considered a terrorist due to his affiliation with utter hypocrisy. 3While he exhibited heroic qualities apropos of rescuing people from captivity, his indulgence in terrorist acts delineated Brown’s alter ego. The abolitionist, therefore, utilized this institution of slavery to project his wrath toward the masters and captivators. It is quite ironical for a “hero” to employ violence in an attempt to end suffering and oppression.
John Brown and his counterparts are affiliated greatly with terrorism due to their uncanny involvement in barbaric acts.

It is, for this reason, that Batman is considered a hero apropos of his battle with The Joker. Despite his ability to eliminate the latter, Batman strives to maintain his heroic qualities by serving the people accordingly. John Brown, in abolishing the slave trade in America, should have chosen a non-violent path to qualify as a hero rather than a terrorist.
Bibliography
DeCaro, Louis A. 2009. John Brown: the man who lived : essays in honor of the Harper’s Ferry raid sesquicentennial, 1859-2009. [Morrisville, NC]: Lulu.
Finkleman, Paul. 2011. John Brown: America’s First Terrorist? Vol. 43, No. 1. Prologue.
Mintz, Steven. 2015. John Brown: Villain or Hero? The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.