Question

What John Brown did at Harper's Ferry was illegal. True False

Answer 1

True.
If your teacher wants a personal opinion, an easy argument is that the law is not a basis for morality. Remember, the Holocaust was legal in nazi germany, slavery was legal in america, and in Muslim countries today slavery still exists. John Brown was an abolitionist who killed several pro slavery men during a massacre in Kansas. (Pottawattami Massacre). he raided a federal armory, and was attempted a slave revolt that would sweep throughout the south, a revolt that ended with the deaths of three of his sons and his capture by the US Marine Colonel Robert E Lee.

Answer 2

TRUE -- John Brown was going against the existing laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, so his acts were illegal. However, he believed he was doing the moral thing (even if not legal).

John Brown's views as an abolitionist supported armed struggle against existing laws and government in order to end slavery. In October 1859, Brown led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The intent was to arm slaves to fight for their freedom and set in motion a slave revolt that would spread across other regions in the South. The effort was unsuccessful and Brown was convicted for treason and stirring up insurrection. Virginia law considered his actions illegal and hanged him as a criminal.