John Brown (9 May 1800 – 2 December 1859) was an American abolitionist and the leader of a failed raid on Harpers Ferry, Maryland in 1859. Brown was a veteran of the Bleeding Kansas upheaval, during which he fought to make Kansas a free state, and he led a failed slave uprising at the Harpers Ferry armory in 1859, leading to his execution.
Biography[]
Early life and trade[]
John Brown was born in Torrington, Connecticut, to Owen Brown and Ruth Mills on 9 May 1800. He grew up in a deeply religious Calvinist household that opposed slavery, and his father’s involvement in the Underground Railroad had a lasting influence on his moral and political views. Brown trained as a tanner and farmer, trades that sustained him throughout much of his early adult life, though he struggled financially due to frequent moves and business difficulties.
Radicalization[]
Brown lived in Ohio for several years, where his exposure to the abolitionist movement intensified his hatred of slavery. He vowed to dedicate his life to its destruction after the newspaper editor Elijah Parish Lovejoy was murdered by a pro-slavery mob in 1837. In 1846, Brown moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, a center of abolitionist activity, where he formed an anti-slavery circle of businessmen and church leaders. There, he became acquainted with prominent abolitionists and began developing his belief that slavery could only be ended through violent resistance.
Abolitionism[]
In 1855, Brown decided to head to Kansas to help protect anti-slavery settlers during the period of violent conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas." He led a group that murdered five pro-slavery settlers at Pottawatomie Creek on 24–25 May 1856, an event that became known as the Pottawatomie massacre. Brown continued to fight against the pro-slavery Border Ruffians throughout 1856, taking part in several skirmishes and losing one of his sons in the fighting. His reputation as a fierce and uncompromising abolitionist began to grow nationwide.
Harpers Ferry[]
In 1858, Brown began planning a large-scale insurrection to incite a slave uprising across the American South. Massachusetts abolitionists and other northern supporters provided him with pikes, firearms, and financial backing. Frederick Douglass met with Brown to discuss the plan but refused to participate, warning that it was suicidal. Nevertheless, Brown proceeded with his raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), on 16–18 October 1859. His force included 8 white men, 12 free African Americans, and 2 enslaved men seeking freedom. Government troops, led by then-Colonel Robert E. Lee, stormed the armory, killing 10 of Brown’s followers and capturing Brown and six others. During his trial, Brown’s eloquent defense of his actions won him admiration among abolitionists, and figures such as the French author Victor Hugo appealed for his pardon, warning against what he described as “Washington killing Spartacus.”
On 2 December 1859, John Brown was hanged for treason, murder, and inciting slave insurrection. His death made him a martyr for the abolitionist cause, and his raid at Harpers Ferry helped to inflame sectional tensions that soon led to the American Civil War.
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