Bipolar disorder

1) Do you think John Brown suffered from bipolar disorder in a way that contributed to his actions? If so, what evidence convinced you that he did? If not (or if you don’t think there is enough evidence to make a case for it), what convinced you of your position?

2) Does it matter, historically, whether he suffered from bipolar disorder? In other words, does it matter why he was driven to do what he did? Or is the action at Harper’s Ferry itself (and its consequences) the only thing we need to consider truly historically important?

Please note: this discussion is not asking you whether you believe John Brown was “crazy” or “insane.” It is asking you to determine whether we have enough evidence to convincingly argue that he suffered from a specific form of mental illness (bipolar disorder) and if so, whether it may have been an important factor in his decision to attack Harper’s Ferry. Since it is estimated that up to 4.4% of Americans will suffer from some form of bipolar disorder at some point their lives, it is likely that some of your classmates in this class have experienced it, and even more likely that some of us have loved ones or close friends with the disorder. Therefore, I will expect all of you to discuss this issue maturely and sensitively.