John Brown (Raid on Harpers Ferry)
Full Name
John Brown
Date of Birth
May 9, 1800
Place of Birth
Date of Death
December 2, 1859
Place of Death
Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia), USA[
Education
Not formally educated; largely self-taught with a strong religious upbringing
Spouses Names
- First marriage (name not available)
- Second marriage (name not available)
Children Names
John Brown fathered twenty children with two wives
Parents Names
- Father: Owen Brown
- Mother: Ruth Mills Brown
Known Affiliates Names
- Frederick Douglass (Abolitionist and friend)
- Harriet Tubman (Abolitionist and planned raid collaborator, though she did not participate)
Affiliated Organizations’ Names
- Leader of the Pottawatomie massacre in Bleeding Kansas
- Leader of the raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown was a prominent American abolitionist known for his radical opposition to slavery and his use of violence to achieve his goals. His most famous act, the raid on Harpers Ferry, took place from October 16 to 18, 1859. Brown and his followers aimed to initiate a slave revolt by seizing the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Despite the raid’s failure to incite a broader uprising, it significantly heightened tensions leading up to the American Civil War. Brown was captured during the raid and subsequently tried for treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, murder, and inciting a slave insurrection. He was found guilty and hanged on December 2, 1859. Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry and his trial and execution received national attention, polarizing opinions across the country. In the North, he was hailed as a martyr for the abolitionist cause, while in the South, he was vilified as a terrorist. His actions and the reaction to them contributed to the escalating conflict that would erupt into the Civil War less than two years later