Angela Jong

APUSH

December 7, 2008

“To what extent and in what ways do the views about John Brown expressed in the documents

illustrate changing North and South relations between in 1859-1863?”

John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry served to be a turning point in the stringent relations

between the North and South by igniting the Northern abolitionists and Southern Democrats into

action. The Republicans, the southern Democrats, and radical abolitionists essentially reflected

the distinct political and moral differences that had become evident between the North and the

South in the early 1860s.

One group who directly applauded Brown’s actions was the radical abolitionists. They

called for violent ends to the immoral and inconvenient institution of slavery that the South

practiced. Supporters of these views ranged from Wendell Phillips, the leader of the American

Anti-Slavery Society, to William Lloyd Garrison, the editor of the Liberator, a key abolitionist

newspaper. (Doc C) These abolitionists were not very popular in the North and were often faced

with public riots and accusations of insanity. However after the attack on Harpers Ferry, the

radicals gained support from those who were impressed with Brown’s dignity in trial. On the

other hand, many were not aware of his bloody past that included the Pottawamie Massacre in

1856. Additionally, many others had failed in their attempts to liberate slaves and were

prosecuted by the law, yet many of the North saw him not only as true martyr but as an epitome

of self-sacrifice (Doc B, D) These beliefs served to fortify the Northern anti-sentiments against

the South in the antebellum period and during the Civil War in 1861 that was evident in a Civil

War song praising John Brown. (Doc G)

 A much less radical view was endorsed by the growing Republicans who viewed slavery

as immoral but did not wish to take any dramatic actions. They presented the idea that they were

“peace lovers”, yet did not condemn Brown, but rather apologized on his behalf on the grounds

that Brown was a “fanatic” (Doc A) Furthermore, they tacitly approved of his actions by citing

praises by others on John Brown, which served to spread Brown’s fame in the North. (Doc C).

This indirect approval served to further inflame the South’s anger because it was seen as a direct

support from North on the attack of the institution of slavery.

Antithetical to any views from the North, the South believed the attack on Harpers Ferry

as a serious threat to the sanctity and welfare of the South. Not only did the South begin to

strengthen military forces, but charged the Republican Party for the abolitionist attack itself.

William H. Steward was especially targeted for his anti-slavery sentiments in which he opposed

the Fugitive Slave Act and his speech in 1858 concerning the “irrepressible conflict” in the

differing economies of the North and South. (Doc F) Additionally, the question of popular

sovereignty within the Democratic Party led to the separation of the North and the South

Democratic Parties in 1860. This division actually helped to elect President Abraham Lincoln, a

moderate abolitionist who won solely from the weight of the Northern states and wasn’t even on

the ballot for ten southern states. The election of President Abraham Lincoln served to be the last

of the reconciliatory efforts between the North and the South because in December 20, 1860,

South Carolina was the first to secede from the Union followed by the establishment of the

Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as its leader.

John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry was a catalyst between the North and South to take

stronger stands for or against slavery that was reflected by the views of the Northern abolitionists

and the Southern Democrats who had distinct differences on the morality of slavery and the

parties themselves.