But his men only saw him trying to start a general slave insurrection. Then, after being arrested at Harper's Ferry and put in jail, he attempted to give a contrary explanation by repeatedly denying his intentions to commit violence or start a slave rebellion. Brown did this knowing that his death would strengthen the abolitionist movement. Americans quickly began to view John Brown as a calculating insurrectionist, a martyr, or a madman. Several people also wrote their opinions on John Brown's mental health, such as John Garraty and Allen Nevins, who thought he was truly insane. But the most notable of these writers would be Stephen Oates, who thought it was unfair to judge Brown's mental health, because to call him crazy "is to ignore the immense sympathy he felt for the black man of 'America'. Overall, most of those he knew saw Brown's mental state changing after the Pottawatomie murders. Some people also say that Harpers Ferry was born from his folly, but this idea is denied by most. Brown was also shown to be not only mentally insane, but spiritually insane as well. He believed that God had personally given him the mission to end slavery. Additionally, Governor Wise said Brown's mental health was as much a political and legal issue as it was a medical issue. At the time