Brown’s death was a terrible shock to the country — he had been one of the most popular leaders of the American Civil War — but it was also a time of great danger. The Union army was numerically superior to the Confederate one, and on the night of April 12-13, 1865, Confederate forces burned down the American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. — a symbol of world war that would be used by Confederate leaders to justify their own surrender.
John Brown was posturing as a symbol of resistance. He was posturing as an American figure who could be seen as history — and not just a person who happened to live in America.
But Brown’s posturing also created a kind of paradox. As a symbol of resistance, Brown was offensive. As a symbol of culture, Brown was culture. As a symbol of history, Brown was history.
Brown was a figure who could be seen as both myth and reality. He was a figure who could be seen as a symbol of history and reality.
As a symbol of resistance, Brown was offensive. As a symbol of culture, Brown was culture. As a symbol of history, Brown was history.
This was a very difficult role for John Brown to fill. As a figure who could be seen as a symbol of resistance, Brown was offensive. As a figure who could be seen as a symbol of culture, Brown was culture.
It was a very difficult role to play.