The John Brown Raid Essay, Research Paper
On October 16, 1859 John Brown led a foray on a federal armory in Harper s Ferry, Virginia. The consequences were black for Brown and his self-recruited ground forces of 18 work forces. The events that followed were to rush our divided state into a civil war. This event turned a state on each other and made Brown a sufferer. In this paper I will interrupt down the newspapers feeling, ideas and thoughts as they apply to Browns foray up through his executing.
In my researching the newspapers of the clip period, I decided to pull information from two beginnings of the clip to explicate my statement. I choose The New York Times and Harper s Weekly. I found that the New York Times covered the event from the beginning until the terminal, with the terminal happing to be Brown s executing. Both documents gave you an intimate expression at Brown, what go on during the foray, test and described the scene of the executing.
In utilizing describing from the new York times and some auxiliary coverage of Harper s Weekly on the foray at Harper s Ferry I will try to build an overview of the events, the attitude towards brown, and the delicate nature of America political landscape. The New York Times did the most comprehensive coverage on the Raid through the executing. Harper s Weekly studies were spread out due to it being a hebdomadal publication. Harper s Weekly did nevertheless cover the events extensively when the test foremost began. Both periodicals report the beginning of the foray with aroused wonder. The New York Times did keep a impersonal position and merely reported factual information. Harper s Weekly used a more opinionative study, utilizing quotation marks from people on scene to transport its message on the foray. With the bulk of the opinionative coverage coming from people on the scene of the foray making the newspapers first it became evident that this event was traveling to go a steamroller for the North and South. Most of their positions were that Brown was a huffy adult male and that he and his followings were angels of decease for the southern manner of life. The southern fright of Brown as a menace to their manner of life was for good ground. He had managed to enroll an ground forces and March into to Harper s Ferry unchallenged and do a national incident. Regardless of the result he had put his cause and ideals on the heads of all Americans. He besides gained sympathy from emancipationists and moderate Northerners. This made the South look upon him with disdain and realized they had to do an illustration of him, non merely to be used as a hindrance for other emancipationists, but to demo the North that Virginia would non waiver on her autonomous responsibilities.
I read the initial coverage of the event in Harper s Weekly ; I found the documents describing to be pro south in its position. The expression upon Brown as a brainsick insurgent and feared his purposes. The paper states in the beginning of the article that there was a great confusion about what was traveling on the dark of the foray and the nature of Brown s purposes. It so leads into explicate the events that lead to Brown s ground forces s licking. I found Harper s Weekly hard to construe, because it skip around on the events a great trade. This lead to thwarting reading, I detected its pro south message when the paper condemned Brown for his action. The paper tried to utilize a pro America subject, but I think it was used in the purpose to demo the south the north disagreed with Browns actions, the paper had small consequence on the population as the test progressed.
When the New York Times begins to describe on the test, it gives exceeding coverage of events. It explains the proceedings on a twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours footing and gives all of the tests proceedings in great item, it speaks of how Brown conducts H
imself, and how the lawyers argued. It discusses Browns Health every bit good as how the justice deliberates over the test. I think for the communicating abilities of the twenty-four hours and how slow information moved the New York Times did an first-class occupation in its coverage of the Trial. The portion I admired most was its neutrality through out the foray and test.
The political landscape of this period in American history makes it hard for the New York Times to see its idea on the issue, on the other manus, it may hold agreed with the South on the executing of brown. I tend to believe that the sectionalist attitude of the twenty-four hours made the paper take a stance non to upset the delicate province of the state and merely study events. This did non halt the North from demoing indignation and naming the test a jeer of justness. The paper does keep brown and his ground forces responsible for the foraies and their actions under the jurisprudence, but as the test continued it became evident that brown destiny was sealed. When it was discovered that brown received aid from northern emancipationist it made the south blame the North of browns actions, the North in bend started to take a defensive place. The twenty-four hours of the executing, the New York Times describing in of understanding for Brown and his household, the paper is nevertheless really careful in its message it sends. It speaks of northern work forces non taking affairs into their ain custodies, but to demo a love for the American brotherhood and non to allow this fade out it. It blames the South for coercing the test into universes attending and onslaughts Virginia s autonomous powers, naming them sad and unusual in chase of justness. The article ends with speech production of Brown s dream and so claims that Virginia was right in her determinations. It makes a supplication for the Union one last clip. This article I found the most interesting, because it wanted to direct a message to the South that they were incorrect, but did non desire to beat up the North around this event. It was as if the author wanted to state something, but kept seeking to dissemble it to look impersonal. Regardless of his purpose the political landscape of the twenty-four hours remained and Brown was put to decease.
In reappraisal of the events and the coverage of the twenty-four hours, I believe that the New York Times attitude alteration throughout coverage, but it was ne’er a drastic alteration. It started out impersonal and remained that manner until strong belief. Although understanding was generated, it ne’er was driving at the South ; it was largely for Brown s household. The paper was careful non to upset the South and its positions. The paper found it best to keep a impersonal attack, with the exclusions of the letters sent in, the paper was largely indifferent. The letters published could implicate the paper as being less so impersonal, but it was smart to print both southern and northern letters of indignation and understanding. The paper fundamentally covered all the bases it had excessively.
In looking back at this event in American history I can merely reason that it would hold been in the south s better involvement non to put to death Brown. Although the political state of affairs was non traveling to ease, this event merely added to its volatile nature. The states destiny was to split it self into a civil war a twelvemonth subsequently. The South seceded when Lincoln was elected to office, but the harm had already been done, because eof events like Browns foray and provincialism.
To understand the events and political landscape of the clip, I think one would hold to populate through it. It is evident that Brown had to pay with his life to decelerate the inevitable reaching of war. Although Browns executing merely hasten the start of the war. Whether you look upon what Brown did every bit right or incorrect, it is clear that he and his followings believed in at that place do so much, they paid with there life s.
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