A history of African American slaves Essay

But as mentioned, may also argue for the more positive portrayal of John Brown in writings and media. They believe that negative portrayal of John Brown gives an unfair interpretation of his history. They argue that many of the writers who have put John Brown in a bad light let their writings be tainted with bias, and so some of them veered away from impartial interpretation of facts that surround Brown. Many argue that John Brown, as a human being, is a product of his past, and how he was shaped by his society. These people say that as much as you can’t blame John Brown like you can’t fully blame a suicide bomber for dying and killing for his convictions and beliefs. He was one of those who viewed society through a revolutionary lens, only that he let his eyes go awry by choosing violent methods. It could also be that he was pressured into going through violent acts because he wanted immediate change, and saw that relatively peaceful methods like passing legislations were not effecting these changes fast enough. It can be recalled that he once tried to use negotiation to settle the prices and terms in the wool industry, yet to no avail. Several factors like this could have led to this kind of mindset that he had. Some people view him as a hero, as proved by many edifices and statues built in his honor. For some people, especially the African-Americans, his motives were enough to proclaim him as a hero and a martyr for the nation. This point proves that personal history of the race or culture greatly affects the lens through which people look at things in the environment. Since the ancestors of these people were the ones defended by Brown, they feel indebted to him in some way. Without his armed action against the southerners, then major recognition of their peoples’ freedom wouldn’t have occurred. The people that John Brown tried to save were the ones who look up to him as a liberator still. From when he was alive to when he was executed, the public viewed him as both a violent rogue and a patriot. However multifaceted the views of John Brown’s character may be, it is important that we ground our views on the facts and truths found in history. There are many things we have to consider about his personality, character and motivations, and these things are needed to form a good opinion and view of Brown. CONCLUSION John Brown supported ideologies that were unaccepted during his time, and used methods that were unacceptable both when he lived and after this period. In his time, he garnered both the dissent of both slavery supporters and pacifist abolitionists, and the support of some abolitionists. The presence of multiple opinions was also evident even after his death. His image still acquires the same two sides of public opinion no matter how times have changed. John Brown is an American historical figure whose image contains many facets to it because people from different times had different â€Å"lenses† or factors like values systems, cultural and social backgrounds to view his life with. These factors influence how people form opinions and views. Whatever â€Å"lens† we may have and use in viewing John Brown’s image or any other thing outside of ourselves, it is important that we remain accurate and faithful to truth and fact as much as possible. BIBLIOGRAPHY Berlin, Ira. Generations of Captivity: A History of African American Slaves.United States of America: President and Fellows of Harvard College , 2003. Catterall, Helen T. Judicial Cases Concerning Slavery and the Negro. New York: Octagon Books, 1968. â€Å"Civil War History†. 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