An ordinary person who has accomplished extraordinary things is someone who comes from humble beginnings, isn't expected to achieve much in life, and doesn't seem particularly special at first glance, yet rises above above and beyond expectations to impact the world around them. John Brown was one of many to move from the ordinary to the extraordinary during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a time when tension was rising in the United States as a rivalry began within the country itself. John Brown came from humble beginnings as the son of a tanner in Connecticut, and his family was not particularly wealthy (Iger 15). Yet regardless of who he was and despite his many flaws, his name has gone down in history as a major cause of the outbreak of the American Civil War. He was born and raised as an ordinary human being, just like anyone else, yet he went beyond the social restrictions of the time and made an impact on society. Much of what happened in American society was devoted to the power struggle between the North and the South during this historical period. The North was becoming increasingly antislavery. Northerners were more willing to take action to have mostly free states in the country. Southern support for slavery has never been stronger. They wanted more slave states and were becoming anxious and defensive as the North became more fearless and turbulent. John Brown was one of many to take sides. Born in Connecticut, he grew up to be a radical abolitionist who carried out extremist actions against slavery, without caring who or what stood in his way. In all his life's endeavors, he always seemed violent and reckless rather than calm and reasonable, and his life as an abolitionist was not…middle of the road…slavery greatly influenced Frederick Douglass. own growing radicalism. Through his radical beliefs and impulsive nature of action, John Brown greatly influenced the course of American history as it is known today. He may have grown up in normal Connecticut with normal parents, he may have been too passionate to be considered logical in any way, and he may have been a failure in many aspects of his life, but against all odds he was a single man who, in his own way, it impacted an entire country as a whole. A country that was inevitably far from “whole” not long after. When John Brown disagreed with his country's society and government, forces much bigger than him, he took action and did whatever was necessary to change the situation. It may have been ordinary, but it was part of a chain reaction, of the bigger picture, and that's what made it extraordinary.