However, many militants like Frederick Douglass did not approve of
black nationalism and colonization. They claimeed that they were still
Americans and did not constitute a separate nation.
Leaders who were not black nationalists, however,
could still be militant. Although Douglass did not actively
support John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, the reason for his
decision was that he doubted its effectiveness and not because
he opposed its violent technique. In fact, Douglass applauded the
attack. He said that Brown had attacked slavery "with the weapons
precisely adapted to bring it to the death," and he contended
that, since slavery existed by "brute force," then it was
legitimate to turn its own weapons against it. Previously the Reverend
Moses Dixon had established two fraternal organizations
to train blacks for military action. Although nothing
substantial came from them, the idea of developing guerrilla
forces as the only remaining tool against slavery was gaining
support.
Another militant, H. Ford Douglass, concluded that the government
had become so tyrannical that it was possible for him to engage
in military action against it without his becoming a traitor to
his country.
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