Document Analysis of John Browns Address to the Virginia Court Essay Example for Free

Document Analysis of John brownnesss Address to the Virginia administration EssayThe address given by John browned to the Virginia court was his final words in front execution on charges of treason. The charges were given because of a raid that he directed with the sprightliness to take federal official weapons which is an act of treason. On October 16th-18th, 1859, the radical abolitionist John brown led a group of sportsmanlike and black men, including two of his sons, on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Browns goal was to seize the federal arsenal, arm the local slaves, and fight a way into the North as described in this primary source in court. This raid was not surprising because of his abolitionist background and insanity as described by the Robert E. leeward who led the Union Army that suppressed the revolt. The group held up in a enhance surgical incision and was attacked by Lees soldiers. The failed attempt resulted in Browns capture, trial, and execution on declination 2nd. This episode of slave resistance was the last major rebellion contri besidesing to the secession of the southwestern and, eventually, the accomplished War. Purpose John Brown had a a few purpose for delivering this address.Obviously, it was given in reply to charges accumulated from the raid, and the address also makes several points explaining his defense. Brown stated that he did not intend to fire a single gun but wanted simply to take slaves from plantations and lead them to northern states or Canada. Brown also stated that he did not induce the others involved in the raid to espouse him which lessened his crime in his mind. To the charges he addressed, I never did intend murder, or treason, or the goal of property, or to excite or incite slaves to rebellion, or to make insurrection.Though he denied the charges, one git infer that Brown really did want a slave uprising to occur in the South due to his inviolate abolitionist morals and beliefs. If the raid were to be successful, Brown would not stop with those slaves, but rather continue his forced manumission of the South. Browns impression of the trial was one of satisfaction, but he argued that it is unjust that I should suffer such a penalty of death. He made this argument because his intent was not to start this uprising but, instead, to be an act of defiance that he knew would indirectly cause a mass insurrection in the South.Value John Browns address is not a historical landmark and was a less signifi provoket historical document that had minimal aftermath however, it provides a specific example of responses in court giving insight into how acts of slave resistance are dealt with legally. Brown gives this document a unique texture because of his eloquence in court compared with his savagery in the raid. Overall, he is given the status of a martyr with his words I submit to death so let it be done Brown reveals a very different side of his personality in which he is a dignified martyr. He predicts that slavery will never end peacefully in the country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments. Historians can use this document today to show people strong in their beliefs who act upon them, and although some failed in their efforts, their cause was strengthened. Limitations The address made by John Brown contains several limitations that affect its credit as a historical source. A significant limiting compute is that there is only one opinion to explain the raid. Brown had a biased opinion primarily because of his childhood having been greatly influenced with abolitionist morals and beliefs.One would think that Browns address would be biased in spite of his numerous accusations, but he speaks as if he had nothing to lose. The aiding and abetting criminals in the raid would not have delivered a speech as dignified and passionate as Browns but would obviously be similar in their renditions of the event. To fully understand Browns raid, histo rians would need to consult Robert E. Lees notes. After viewing both sides of the story, a historian can either choose a side or make an inference that incorporates both.