Death of John Brown
John Brown was an American abolitionist famous for raiding the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859. John Brown first joined the abolitionist movement when he moved his family to a Black community in New York. There, he became determined to not only free enslaved people, but get justice for them. On October 16, 1859, after participating in multiple raids and massacres in the previous years, John Brown led a group of 21 armed civilians to the armory at Harpers Ferry. He quickly and successfully took the armory, holding it and 60 hostages overnight. The next day, the armory was surrounded by US Military troops, and was attacked. Brown was wounded and 10 of his men were killed. Later that year, Brown was tried for and convicted of murder, insurrection, and treason. He was hanged for these crimes on December 2, 1859, becoming a martyr for the abolitionist movement.
John Stuart Mill was deeply invested in the American Civil war stating “My strongest feelings were engaged in this struggle, which, I felt from the beginning, was destined to be a turning point, for good or evil, of the course of human affairs for an indefinite duration” in his Autobiography (Mill, page 198). Mill directly refers to Brown as “the voluntary martyr” (Mill, page 199). Mill felt strongly opposed to slavery, supporting and elevating Brown to the status of a hero. This fits with his views of Utilitarianism as slavery clearly did not increase the overall happiness of humanity.
SOURCES
https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Brown-American-abolitionist
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-brown-hanged
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/john-browns-day-of-reckoning-1391...