Why did Brown believe that his punishment to be hanged for treason was unjust?
Asked by: Ivy O'Keefe | Last update: January 29, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (65 votes)
John Brown believed his hanging for treason was unjust because he saw his violent actions against slavery as a higher moral duty, divinely ordained, superseding man-made laws that upheld slavery, which he considered the true injustice; he felt he was acting to free the enslaved, not to overthrow the government, and that his sacrifice served God's justice, not the state's, positioning himself as a martyr for freedom.
Why do you think John Brown was charged with treason?
Brown and his followers were charged with treason against the government of Virginia, conspiracy to induce slaves “to rebel and make insurrection against their masters and owners,” and premeditated murder.
What did John Brown believe was the only way to end slavery?
While most abolitionists were in favor of using peaceful ways to push for emancipation, Brown believed that militant action had become the only effective way to abolish slavery.
Why did John Brown get hanged?
John Brown was executed by hanging in Virginia on December 2, 1859, for treason, murder, and inciting a slave insurrection, following his failed raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His plan to start a slave rebellion by seizing weapons was seen as an attack on Virginia, leading to his trial and conviction by a state court, despite his abolitionist motives.
How did the court justify convicting John Brown of treason?
How did the court justify convicting John Brown of treason? The court was able to convict John Brown of treason since he murder people. How did the South's defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg affect the war? The South had a lot of casualties and the Union was not dislodged.
John Brown: First Human Executed for Treason in the United States
Who was the first person to save slaves?
1850: Harriet Tubman Engineered First Rescue Mission. Abolitionist and suffragist Harriet Tubman, perhaps the most famous conductor for the Underground Railroad, engineered her first rescue mission in December of 1850. The exact date is unknown. Tubman, who had escaped slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Sept.
Is John Brown justified?
From his days in Bleeding Kansas to the raid of Harpers Ferry, he had fought for abolition with violence. Many might say that he is not justified in his actions, but the conditions that slaves had to endure outweighed the fear and violence that John Brown had rallied for.
What were John Brown's last words before hanging?
John Brown's most famous "last words" were actually a written message he handed to his captors on his way to the scaffold, stating, "I, John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with Blood. I had, as I now think, vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed, it might be done". He also delivered a powerful final speech at his trial, affirming his actions to free the enslaved were righteous and that he accepted his fate if it furthered justice, declaring, "if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, — I say; LET IT BE DONE".
Who was the first person to be executed for treason in America?
John Brown was the first American to be executed for treason. While Preston was jubilant in his celebration of the inexorable justice of the law in 1859, he and his fellow Virginians would soon have reason to reconsider. The punishment for treason in America had never been clear.
Which president never freed his slaves?
Many U.S. Presidents did not free slaves, as slavery was legal and common, with prominent enslavers including Andrew Jackson, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson, while others like John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Abraham Lincoln did not own slaves but faced complexities in their stances on emancipation. President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in rebellious states, not all enslaved people, and many presidents supported the institution, never freeing those they enslaved.
Did John Brown believe he was chosen by God to end slavery?
Abolitionist John Brown believed he had been called by God to embark on a personal crusade to end slavery. Brown and five of his sons were actively engaged in the bloody guerrilla war being waged in Kansas in 1855-56, between proslavery and antislavery factions.
What did John Brown believe was necessary to end slavery brainly?
John Brown believed that violence was necessary to end slavery, as he saw peaceful methods as insufficient. He exemplified this belief through his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, where he aimed to incite a rebellion among enslaved people. Therefore, the correct answer is B. Violence.
What did John Brown believe about slavery and abolition Quizlet?
Slavery could only be abolished through violent means: armed uprisings. Brown thought that violence inflicted against enslaved people justified violence against white slaveholders.
Was John Wilkes Booth at John Brown's Hanging?
Following John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in October 1859, Booth joined the Richmond Grays, a militia unit, and was in attendance at Brown's execution. Booth expressed his satisfaction with Brown's fate, though he also applauded how stoically the condemned man had faced his death.
Is Good Lord Bird historically accurate?
The Good Lord Bird (both book and series) blends historical fact with fiction, using the fictional enslaved boy Henry "Onion" Shackleford as a narrative device, making it a satirical take rather than strict history; it's accurate in portraying John Brown's abolitionist fervor, the violence of "Bleeding Kansas," and the Harpers Ferry raid, but takes liberties with events like the Pottawatomie Massacre, timelines, and character interactions for dramatic and comedic effect.
Who was the first abolitionist in America?
Abolitionism during and after the Revolutionary War. Thomas Paine's 1775 article "African Slavery in America" was one of the first to advocate abolishing slavery and freeing slaves. One of the first articles advocating the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery was written by Thomas Paine.
Why was John Brown hanged for treason?
As an adult, he would become a strong opponent of slavery, eventually culminating with his attempted raid at Harpers Ferry. His goal had been to use the weapons at the arsenal to arm a slave rebellion, but it ultimately failed and he was arrested and charged with treason.
Who was the first traitor in American history?
Benedict Arnold (January 14, 1741 [O.S. January 3, 1740] – June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British in 1780.
Who has been hanged for treason?
Aaron Dwight Stevens took part in John Brown's raid and was executed in 1860 for treason against Virginia. William Bruce Mumford, convicted of treason and hanged in 1862 for tearing down a United States flag during the American Civil War.
What did John Brown believe in?
His parents inculcated their Calvinist Christian beliefs into young Brown, including their abolitionist views of slavery. Brown grew from a skeptical spiritual seeker as a child to a young Christian adult who was a determined, but peaceful abolitionist.
What were James Brown's last words?
James Brown's reported last words were, "I'm going away tonight," spoken to his longtime manager, Charles Bobbit, just hours before he died from congestive heart failure on Christmas Day, 2006. He took three final breaths before passing away, leaving behind a poignant and simple farewell that reflected his profound life in music.
Who helped slavery end?
The people you learned about who helped bring about then end of slavery were: Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown, and Abraham Lincoln.
Did John Brown think slavery was a sin?
Yes, John Brown viewed slavery as a profound sin against God and humanity, believing it was a moral evil that justified violent resistance, not just a political issue, dedicating his life to eradicating it through direct action. He saw himself as God's instrument to end slavery and felt slaveholders had forfeited their right to live, arguing that only blood could purge the nation's guilt.
What was John Brown's intention?
To destroy the institution of slavery, he firmly believed there was only one possible course of action. He saw what he thought was the ultimate wrong and tried in the only way he could imagine to right it. In late 1855, Brown saw an opportunity in Kansas to launch a strike against slavery.