In death, Brown achieved more than he ever could have through his violent actions. Through his execution, he became a martyr for the abolitionist movement. The fact that a white man was willing to sacrifice his own life for the rights of millions of African Americans motivated people within the movement to work harder than ever before. He brought the figurative "elephant in the room," to the forefront of the political conversation. It was due to Brown's actions that the issue of slavery could no longer be ignored; he made it clear that that was not an issue that would resolve itself. He captivated the nation, certainly received the attention of the federal government, and made abolitionists question whether their cause was worth dying for.
Brown's status as a martyr was further substantiated by the writings of Thoreau, Melville, and Douglass. Their responses to Brown's action's vary; Thoreau in an almost biographical nature, Melville in a description of the scene of Brown's execution, and Douglass in personal anecdotes of their encounters. However, a consistent sense of respect and admiration for John Brown abounds between all three authors. Thoreau's "A Plea For Captain John Brown," paints a positive biographical picture of the abolitionist. After Brown's execution, the authors of newspapers and journals around the nation repeatedly vilified him. Thoreau sought to change that image. Following an introduction of Brown's history, Thoreau delves into aspects of the subject's life that can only be seen as respectable. When discussing Brown's character, Thoreau cites a statement, substantiated by his own conversations with Brown, that read that "he permitted no profanity; no man of loose morals was suffered to remain there, unless, indeed, as a prisoner of war. 'I would rather,' said he, 'have the smallpox, yellow fever, and cholera, all together in my camp, than a man without principle.