So what does everyone here think of John Brown? Dangerous, possibly insane extremist? Or just way ahead of his time in race relations? Most abolitionists, while anti slavery, still harbored racist sentiments and felt that black people were inferior, but John Brown was one of the few who actually believed that blacks were completely equal to whites, and treated them as such.

On the other side of the coin he directed the murder (via hacking to death with swords) of five pro slavery men in Kansas in retaliation for the sacking of the Free Soil town Lawrence. Whether the men were involved was questionable.

Finally, here's a fun story about Brown taken from a book I'm currently reading about him-

"Some local white families, incensed over the annual arrival of the Indians, went with guns to John Brown's house asking him to help drive off the natives. John Brown replied firmly "I will have nothing to do with so mean an act. I would sooner take up my gun and help drive you out of the country.""

He was a nut. The fact that abolition was the hot button issue he happened to latch onto shouldn't take away from that.

I think he was a wingnut and an agitator.
Slavery and abolition was the cool thing to be against and for ... so he was.

Posted by Roland So what does everyone here think of John Brown? Dangerous, possibly insane extremist? Or just way ahead of his time in race relations? Most abolitionists, while anti slavery, still harbored racist sentiments and felt that black people were inferior, but John Brown was one of the few who actually believed that blacks were completely equal to whites, and treated them as such. On the other side of the coin he directed the murder (via hacking to death with swords) of five pro slavery men in Kansas in retaliation for the sacking of the Free Soil town Lawrence. Whether the men were involved was questionable. Finally, here's a fun story about Brown taken from a book I'm currently reading about him- "Some local white families, incensed over the annual arrival of the Indians, went with guns to John Brown's house asking him to help drive off the natives. John Brown replied firmly "I will have nothing to do with so mean an act. I would sooner take up my gun and help drive you out of the country.""