A Critique of the Article on John Brown, "The Father of American Terrorism"
             On December 2, 1859, John Brown, dressed in a black coat, black pants, black vest, and black slouch hat, was riding to what would be his execution spot. He handed the jailer a note. It read: "I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty, land will never be purged away; but with blood. I had...vainly flattered myself that without much bloodshed; it might be done." John Brown was sitting on his coffin and commented on the beautiful landscape of Virginia. In 1859, America was a place where men and women were willing to die for their beliefs and slavery was the main issue. John Brown was violent but he was also a Christian. Slave owners hated him and abolitionist's thought he "had become the embodiment of all that was noble and courageous." John Brown had failed his whole life but was now succeeding. Brown's prophecy divided the nation. America was headed for war.
             The scaffold on which John Brown was hung had been built in Charlestown, Virginia. Robert E. Lee ordered fifteen hundred soldiers to watch so that there would not be a rescue attempt; however, one actor borrowed a uniform so that he could watch Brown die. The crowd was made up of such noteworthy people as John Wilkes Booth and "Stonewall Jackson" whom called Brown a traitor and terrorizer. The rope was eventually cut and Brown fell through helplessly and eventually resting. "So perish all such enemies of Virginia," Colonel J.T.L Preston chanted. Church bells began to ring and cannon balls were shot in salute of Brown. Henry David Thoreau remarked on the resemblance between the crucifixion of Christ and that of John Brown saying that he is the "angel of light". Brown was a tanner, shepherd, and farmer. He was a simple man but his actions were to be studied for years after his life. John Brow...