Whether you agree with him or not, there is no denying that John Brown had a big impact on American history and on American culture. There is a big discussion on whether or not John Brown sparked the civil war. Some people seem to think so, arguing that his raid increased tensions in the north and the south. Tensions were already high, but the fact that a white northern, attacked other white people in the south for the rights of enslaved people made it impossible for the media to ignore. Often time other rebellions started by enslaved people were repressed easily and were never spread widely. Part of this was the result of how plantations were built, they have spread out far apart from each other and there were limitations on gatherings of black people. This limited the spread of information and also other people being inspired by other slave rebellions. 

John Brown, however, had a wide range of supporters and denouncers in the north and south so it was not able to be expunged from the media. His trial and death further sensationalized the issue and turned him into Martyr, which solidified John Brown’s legacy in the American consciousness. A battle hymn called John Brown’s Body was created by union soldiers during the civil war, showing how John Brown has aligned himself for the struggle of freedom. John Brown also influenced the American philosopher Henry David Thoreau, especially towards the end of his life. He was very supportive of John Brown’s commitment to his cause and gave a speech entitled “A pleas for captain john brown” after the raid on harpers ferry where he detailed how brown was not insane, but instead a highly moral and courageous individual. 

Brown also inspired his fair share of haters. John Wilkes booth, the man that assassinated Abraham Lincoln, attended John Brown’s execution. Now I do not think John Brown inspired his assassination of Lincoln, but it is quite interesting how these historical moments overlapped. Brown also inspired his fair share of art pieces. I went to the MET last year and saw several paintings of John Brown, that have become quite famous. Even in the Kansas capitol building, there is a painting of John Brown called the ‘Tragic Prelude’ that depicts John Brown with a and a rifle in hand while there is fighting between the union and confederate soldiers. 

The last thing I want to touch on is the influence Brown has had on activism. While many people do not agree with violent resistance, and instead adopt the practice of non-violent resistance, at first there does not seem Brown has any influence over it today. However, it is not about the tactics of resistance that people take away from Brown’s legacy, his biggest impact is forcing people to make a choice about which side they are on. Since Brown is such a polarizing figure, people have to decide whether they agree with Brown or not. or how should he be viewed — as a hero or terrorist?  Killer Mike — a rapper, activist, and actor — recently posted a picture on Instagram of him holding a portrait of John Brown. He captioned it by saying John Brown is one of his personal heroes, and that he admired the fact Brown gave his life to justice and racial equality. Many people in the comments were either against Brown or for him, but they all were forced to make a choice on what they think activism should or should not be. There is nothing more important than making that choice.