John Brown was the embodiment of Radical Abolitionism. It wasn't what many people had in mind, but it certainly made a great news story in which fear had risen up more in the south.
Explanation:
John Brown was a radical abolitionist and went arguably insane since he kind of failed at anything he tried. He kickstarted years of fighting and death known as "Bleeding Kansas" and then raided an armory at Harper's Ferry. He tried to use violent means in order to end slavery in the south. This put the south at the near-breaking point.
