John Brown: Hero or Terrorist?In class, we've been watching Ken Burn's "The Civil War," determining causes of the Civil War. In addition to these main causes, other incendiary events--like the publication and distribution of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the raid at Harper's Ferry, and a growing abolitionist movement--added fuel to the fire.
According to Herman Melville, John Brown served as a "meteor of the war." Opinions--saint or sinner, hero or terrorist, martyr or crazed lunatic--regarding his character, actions, and punishment varied, but were largely shaped by geographic and regional status.
Digital History has done a nice job of compiling primary sources so that you may make an informed decision for yourself. Use the highlighted link in the last sentence to preview these materials--under the tab called "John Brown: In His Own Words." Once there, you will find 4 activities to choose from, resources to guide you, and questions to answer. In your comment, please remember to identify yourself and period for extra credit. Also, please identify which activity you did before giving your answer. Questions for each activity should be answered in essay format.
Feel free to explore the other 11 tabs. If you find an interesting activity there that you'd rather do, simply let me know which tab and activity before posting the answer.
1 comment:
Olivia Calabrse
History 0
Pictures of John Brown.
1)Mostly the pictures depict Brown as a respectable looking man who sort of looks crazy in the eyes. Most look very realistic except for the occasional abstract piece. Also the pictures seem to portray his appearance different some show him as a strong man with a crazy beard and hair and others he seems old and about to just die. The picture that is different then all the others for me is the picture of Brown hanging. This shows the weakness of Brown; and how he did actually die.
2)Everyone has a different way of viewing everybody. People see life differently. Hence, the artist expressed how they think John Brown looked.
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