John Brown Essay

An ordinary person who accomplished extraordinary things is someone who comes from humble beginnings, isn’t expected to achieve much in life, and doesn’t seem particularly special at first glance, and yet rises above and beyond expectations to impact the world around them. John Brown was one of many to rise up from ordinary to extraordinary during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a time when tension was rising in the United States as a rivalry started within the country itself. John Brown came from humble beginnings as a tanner’s son in Connecticut, and his family was not particularly wealthy (Iger 15). Yet, regardless of who he was and in spite of his many faults, his name went down in history as being one of the leading causes of the start of the US civil war. He was born and raised an ordinary human being just like anyone else, nevertheless he rose above and beyond the time period’s social restrictions and made an impact on society. Much of what was going on in American society was dedicated to the power struggle between the North and South during this historical time period. The North was becoming increasingly antislavery. Northerners were more willing to take action to have mostly free states in the country. The South’s support for slavery had never been stronger. They wanted more slave states, and they were growing anxious and defensive as the North was becoming more dauntless and rambunctious. John Brown was one of many to take a side. Born in Connecticut, he grew up to be a radical abolitionist who performed extremist actions against slavery, not caring who or what was in his way. In all of his life endeavors, he always seemed to be violent and rash rather than calm and reasonable, and his life as an abolitionist was n...

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...f slavery greatly influenced Frederick Douglass’ own growing radicalism.
Through his radical beliefs and his impulsive nature to take action, John Brown greatly influenced the course of American history as it is known today. He may have grown up in ordinary Connecticut with ordinary parents, may have been far too passionate to be considered logical by any means, and may have been a failure in many aspects of his life, but against all odds he was a single man who, in his own way, impacted an entire country as a whole. A country that inevitably was anything but “whole” not too long after. When John Brown disagreed with the society and government of his country, forces much larger than himself, he acted out and did whatever it took to change it. He may have been ordinary, but was a part of a chain reaction, the bigger picture, and that is what made him extraordinary.