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Was John Brown Crazy?

© Michael J. Swogger

"You may dispose of me very easily. I am nearly disposed of now. But this question is still to be settled - this Negro question, I mean; the end of that is not yet." - John Brown, 1859

Many historians maintain that John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859 was the straw that broke the camel's back; the defining cause of the American Civil War. John Brown was arguably the most radical white abolitionist to ever emerge out of the movement. However, his sanity has often been called into question. Was John Brown really crazy? Sure, he thought himself to be an "instrument of God" who was to cleanse this guilty land of its sins. And yes, his plan to capture a federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry and lead a slave revolt in Virginia was a bit far-fetched. But does that mean he was nuts? Let's look into it.

Despite the fact that Brown's lawyers may have used the insanity plea to get him off, Brown was hardly thought of as insane during his time. As James Loewen puts it in his book Lies My Teacher Told Me, "(Brown) favorably impressed people who spoke with him after his capture, including his jailer and even reporters writing for Democratic newspapers, which supported slavery. Governor Wise of Virginia called him "a man of clear head" after Brown got the better of him in an informal interview. "They are themselves mistaken who take him to be a madman," Governor Wise said. In his message to the Virginia legislature he said Brown showed "quick and clear perception," "rational premises and consecutive reasoning," and "composure and self-possession." (Loewen, pg. 167).

Also, of all the black people who met Brown, none thought he was insane. Once again I quote Loewen: "Many black leaders of the day - Martin Delaney, Henry Highland Garnet, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and others - knew and respected Brown. Only illness kept Tubman from joining him at Harper's Ferry. Frederick Douglass called Brown "one of the greatest heroes known to American fame." (Loewen, 170).

OK, so Brown's contemporaries admit he wasn't insane. But what about the raid in Maryland? Surely he wasn't a military strategist, and his overall scheme seemed highly unrealistic and crazy in itself. I mean, was it really possible for Brown to arm enough slaves to defeat the Virginia militia and go on to secure their freedom? Not likely at all. But the true meaning of Harper's Ferry was not on the plan's surface. Anyone could devise a scheme that be deemed ridiculously feeble. Brown, however, knew of the impact such an attempt would have on America even if the plan failed, something he admitted to Frederick Douglass. It was an act that Brown knew would start a fire that would not be put out except through bloodshed. He was right.

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