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The Puritan Militant, John Brown

Harriet Martineau

An essay by Harriet Martineau that presents John Brown as a Puritan-style confessor and martyr, written in his lifetime.

It shows how an English writer read Brown's motives through the lens of Puritan martyrdom.

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Full text (Wikisource)

About this source

What it is

This is an essay by the English writer Harriet Martineau, titled The Puritan Militant, John Brown. It appeared in a series called Representative Men. The essay compares Brown with the Puritans of earlier centuries, describing a religious type of character that Martineau saw in him. The text is listed in the Wikisource collection of works about Brown. We hold a transcription of the essay as published, not the original printed page.

Why it matters

Martineau was one of many writers who tried to explain Brown in religious terms. Her essay shows how some people in Britain and the northern United States understood his militant opposition to slavery. Other writers of the time, both supporters and opponents, described him in very different ways, which helps explain the conflict that led to the Civil War.

Look closer

  • Why does the author connect Brown to the Puritans and Covenanters of the past?
  • What qualities does the author praise, and which of Brown's actions does she seem to downplay?
  • Whose view of Brown is missing from this essay?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Brown on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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