Topic > Review of An Appeal to John Brown by Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was an American icon who was an essayist, poet and so on in his life. He wrote this essay and later presented it as a speech delivered before an audience in Massachusetts. Brown with 21 other men making an abolitionist raid on Harpers Ferry to arm slaves. After the raid he was sent to prison and later executed for murder. After this, his belongings were found, his essay was sent to be placed in Echoes of Harper's Ferry for people to read. Thoreau's essay presented John Brown's fight for abolition and admired Brown for his courage, high morals, and humanity. Henry Thoreau and John Brown both make a point, it is very similar and it is: that it is noble and right to act according to one's principles, even if one's actions appear to be against the law. This story should be added to the lesson plan because it shows that the government does not always make the law fair, which leads people to take the law into their own hands. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay After reading this essay by Thoreau, it told the story of a courageous John Brown about what he stood for and how he expressed his opinion without fear, even if it was a law he didn't care about. His goal was to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery, led by abolitionists. He told people how he thought government should be run and how laws should be made. In the essay, Thoreau invokes Brown's legacy even after being convicted of treason against VA, conspiracy with slaves, and first-degree murder. Henry Thoreau continues to use religion for many examples, but particularly when the government and citizens decided to hang John Brown because of his "wrong deed." Thoreau began to compare John Brown to Christ and said, "pretend to care for Christ crucified, consider what you are about to do to him who offered himself to be the savior of four millions of men." This story gives people reading these details and a picture of who John Brown truly was, what he stood for, and the mission he undertook to rebel against slavery. Because there are many Americans who believe in the true meaning of “equality and liberty,” especially John Brown. Later, after his raid on Harper Ferry, later after his death, the build-up between North and South had finally led to the Civil War, shows the impact Brown had in America. For many people who don't know the story of John Brown and what he did for America, but especially for "African Americans" he is someone to look up to, he made sure his voice was heard across the nation. He is an important piece of history for the United States today, he defended slavery which was something that was something after the end of his death, so it shows the courage he had, to make a change in America.