What did Henry David Thoreau say about John Brown?
Thoreau viewed Brown as a hero and as a “man of rare common sense and directness of speech, as of action; a transcendentalist above all, a man of ideas and principles.” The fact that Thoreau, a leader of the American transcendentalism movement, characterized Brown as a “transcendentalist above all” truly showed …
What is Henry David Thoreau’s defense of John Brown?
Henry David Thoreau took up John Brown’s cause. He gave a now-famous plea for the cause of Brown in Concord on October 30, 1859, two weeks after John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, and repeated several times before Brown’s execution on December 2, 1859. Thoreau’s speech espoused John Brown and his fight for abolition.
What were Thoreau’s main beliefs?
Thoreau emphasized self-reliance, individuality, and anti-materialism and sharply questioned the basic assumptions of the way men lived. Transcendentalism proved to be the intellectual force that charged Thoreau’s imagination to write about the possibilities of an ideal existence for man.
What is Thoreau’s main point about government?
Thoreau argued that the government must end its unjust actions to earn the right to collect taxes from its citizens. As long as the government commits unjust actions, he continued, conscientious individuals must choose whether to pay their taxes or to refuse to pay them and defy the government.
What is the main idea of a Plea for Captain John Brown?
In “A Plea for Captain John Brown,” Thoreau offers a loving portrait of Brown, explaining how he was a man of the highest principles, bravely standing up to the injustice of slavery. Thoreau compares the sacrifice and execution of Brown to that of Jesus Christ in an attempt to sway his predominantly Christian audience.
What did Emerson think of John Brown?
Emerson praises John Brown as an “idealist” who “put [his ideas] into action.” The penciled notes (“Emerson” at the top of the page and “Applause” in the middle) were likely added by fellow abolitionist Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, who retained and organized these speeches after the meetings, or by James Redpath, the …
What did John Brown do to abolish slavery?
In May 1858, Brown held a secret anti-slavery convention in Canada. He led a daring raid from Kansas across the border into Missouri, where he killed one slave owner and freed 11 slaves. In the spring of 1859, Brown traveled east to complete his plan for a large slave revolt.
What is Thoreau’s philosophy of life?
Thoreau’s philosophy says that value is not inherently monetary and can be found anywhere, especially in the beauty of the natural world. One who adopts Thoreau’s philosophies for beauty and value will inherently stand at odds with some of the ideals of society, pushing luxury and money.
What were Thoreau’s reasons for moving to the woods?
What were Thoreau’s reasons for moving to the woods? To live a simple life, to avoid the complications of every day life, to live deliberately, and to be in nature. To seek the truth within himself.
What is Thoreau’s purpose?
Henry David Thoreau’s purpose in writing “resistance to civil government” was to explain the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. In his essay, Thoreau explains that governments are typically more harmful than helpful and therefore cannot be justified.
What did John Brown do?
John Brown, (born May 9, 1800, Torrington, Connecticut, U.S.—died December 2, 1859, Charles Town, Virginia [now in West Virginia]), militant American abolitionist whose raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now in West Virginia), in 1859 made him a martyr to the antislavery cause and was instrumental …
When did Henry David Thoreau write plea for Captain John Brown?
“A Plea for Captain John Brown” is an essay by Henry David Thoreau. It is based on a speech Thoreau first delivered to an audience at Concord, Massachusetts , on October 30, 1859, two weeks after John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry , and repeated several times before Brown’s execution on December 2, 1859.
Why was John Brown so important to Thoreau?
A unique man, Thoreau proclaimed in admiration, Brown was highly moral and humane. Independent, “under the auspices of John Brown and nobody else”, and direct of speech, Brown instilled fear, which he attributed to a lack of cause, into large groups of men who supported slavery.
Why did Captain John Brown give his life?
Similarly, Thoreau states those who believe Brown threw his life away and died as a fool, are themselves fools. Brown gave his life for justice, not for material gains, and was completely sane, perhaps more so than any other human being.
What was the last days of John Brown?
The Last Days of John Brown by Henry David Thoreau John Brown’s career for the last six weeks of his life was meteor-like, flashing through the darkness in which we live. I know of nothing so miraculous in our history.