Slavery Conflict and John Brown’s Influence on Civil War
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Institution
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Slavery Conflict and John Brown’s Influence on Civil War
No, white Southerners were not justified in fearing that all northern whites and blacks were committed to the violent overthrow of the slave system. Although there were a few radical abolitionists who were ready to use violent means to break down slavery, most of the northerners were not radical enough to call for extreme measures to abolish slavery (Mitcham, 2020). The vast majority of northern whites disapproved of the expansion of slavery to additional territories, although some might not have been so ready to get rid of it completely, especially through measures of retaliation. It may be an oversimplification to consider that all northern whites and blacks were so devout in the violent end of the slavery system existing in the southern states. The fears of white Southerners were understandable; however, they were not fully correct that all abolitionists shared the same opinions and approaches.
John Brown’s great raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 did not get much approval from several abolitionists and political leaders from the North, calling it an extremist act. Though his conduct contributed to the increase of the fears and tensions associated with the possible attack on the enslaved people, the fears were exaggerated. They did not reflect the true ideologies and drives of the abolitionist movement (Mitcham, 2020). The abolitionism movement contained a variety of ideas, starting with those who advocated a gradualist and legal abolition of slavery to those who supported more violent tactics. Nonetheless, other militant abolitionists condemned the tactics as being non-productive and not in line with how the mainstream abolitionist movement operated; most saw his actions as contradicting the work to achieve the goal.
Response to classmate
Hello,
I appreciate your perspective on this issue. I agree with your argument that most white Southerners were attached emotionally and financially to slavery, which was their main source of wealth and power. From their perspective, it could have been the greatest fear looming over their existence. Nevertheless, I would want to refute the argument that all northern whites and blacks had this intention to escalate the slavery system. Although John Brown and some other radical abolitionists did advocate for the use of violent means, the majority of the abolitionist movement in the North opposed these means and instead preferred more gradual, legal, and non-violent ways of ending slavery (Mitcham, 2020). You are right that John Brown’s actions at Harpers Ferry, though done with the right intentions, ended up worsening the conflict between the North and South. He was not typical in the whole Abolitionist Movement, and even some northern abolitionists condemned his use of violence.
References
Mitcham, S. W. (2020). It Wasn’t About Slavery: Exposing the Great Lie of the Civil War. In Google Books. Simon and Schuster. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=0VjHDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&ots=tDDCvoK_07&dq=Slavery%20Conflict%20and%20John%20Brown