John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry

Abolitionist John Brown


John Brown was an extreme abolitionist who formulated a plan to incite a slave rebellion.  He planned to do this by capturing the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry in Virginia.  After capturing the arsenal, he was going to arm the slaves in the nearby area, then spread the revolt across the U.S., thus purging slavery from America.  On the night of October 16, 1859, John Brown, along with eighteen of his followers, captured the arsenal.  Soon after seizing the arsenal, a contingent of U.S. Marines were brought from Washington D.C. to Harper's Ferry.  Only 36 hours after he captures the arsenal, John Brown was captured and tried by a Virginia court.  He was hanged on December second.

John Brown's raid resulted in a split opinion from the North and South.  While the North viewed John Brown as a hero, the South viewed it as an example of the extent to which the North would go to eliminate slavery, even if it meant bloodshed.