One can say something but take a different course of action. The only way to take your words mean anything, is to take action because of them. An example of this from the novel is John Brown and other radicals in comparison to white moderates of that time. During the Civil War, slavery was a big issue, especially among abolitionists. Some abolitionists gave speeches denouncing slavery and encouraging others to fight against it. This was a peaceful way to protest. But some abolitionists took a more violent course of action. They were known as radicals, and one of the men leading their charge was John Brown. Brown believed that slavery would never be eliminated unless force was used. He lead raids that attacked plantations and freed slaves, killing slave owners in the process. John Brown was not afraid to take action. But there were people known as white moderates, who feared the consequences of those actions. Moderates were people who opposed slavery, yet thought of it safer to stand by and do nothing. They said that they opposed it but they didn’t act on their word. Of course it was safer to do this but it also didn’t help the cause at all. Even though Brown and radicals like him took extreme actions, at least it was effective and they had acted on their
One can say something but take a different course of action. The only way to take your words mean anything, is to take action because of them. An example of this from the novel is John Brown and other radicals in comparison to white moderates of that time. During the Civil War, slavery was a big issue, especially among abolitionists. Some abolitionists gave speeches denouncing slavery and encouraging others to fight against it. This was a peaceful way to protest. But some abolitionists took a more violent course of action. They were known as radicals, and one of the men leading their charge was John Brown. Brown believed that slavery would never be eliminated unless force was used. He lead raids that attacked plantations and freed slaves, killing slave owners in the process. John Brown was not afraid to take action. But there were people known as white moderates, who feared the consequences of those actions. Moderates were people who opposed slavery, yet thought of it safer to stand by and do nothing. They said that they opposed it but they didn’t act on their word. Of course it was safer to do this but it also didn’t help the cause at all. Even though Brown and radicals like him took extreme actions, at least it was effective and they had acted on their