A Plea for Captain John Brown

"They could bravely face their country's foes, but he had the courage to face his country herself, when she was in the wrong." - Henry David Thoreau, A Plea for Captain John Brown (1859)



A Plea for Captain John Brown (1859) is Henry David Thoreau's essay extolling Captain John Brown as a hero. First a speech delivered in the weeks that followed Brown's raid on the federal arsenal, Thoreau compares the execution of Brown to that of Jesus Christ in an attempt to sway Christians to believe that slavery is unjust. This passionate and inspirational essay is especially significant in times of social unrest and is a testament to Thoreau's insight into social justice.