One fanatic abolitionist who, many people thought, just went too far is a man named John Brown. He has been called a saint, a fanatic, and a cold-blooded murderer. Brown dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery. He was prepared to kill or to be killed in his effort. Brown and five of his sons became involved in the struggle between proslavery and anti-slavery forces for control of the territorial government in Kansas. On May 24, 1856, Brown, four of his sons, and two other followers invaded the Pottawatomie River country and killed five helpless settlers. From then on, Brown became even more preoccupied with abolishing slavery. By 1858 he had convinced a number of abolitionists to finance his efforts. Hoping to establish a base in the mountains to which slaves could flee, he decided to attack Harpers Ferry. On Oct. 16, 1859, they seized the town that occupied the federal arsenal. The town soon surrounded by local militia, and the next day, federal troops under Robert E. Lee arrived at Harpers Ferry. Ten of Brown's army died in the battle, and Brown himself was wounded, arrested, and charged with treason. Brown was hung on Dec. 2, 1859. Brown's acts of resistance against proslavery forces brought him national attention. To many, he became an abolitionist hero, but not everyone. Even some of his followers, didn't believed in his actions. Some just believed that he was a cold blooded murderer, and that was mainly due to the fact that the society had never come across a man that was willing to kill innocent people to get what he wanted. .
William Lloyd Garrison was another abolitionist, however he did not go to the extremes that John Brown did. Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on December 12th 1805, Garrison was seen initially as a believer of reasonable abolitionism, but while co editing Benjamin Lundy's weekly Genius of Universal Emancipation, Garrison soon began more deeply felt attacks on slavery.
