Born in Torrington, Connecticut on May 9, 1800, John Brown was the son of a wandering New Englander. Brown spent much of his youth in Ohio, where he was taught in local schools to resent compulsory education and by his parents to revere the Bible and hate slavery. As a boy, he herded cattle for General William Hull’s army during the war of 1812; later he served as foreman of his family’s tannery. In 1820, he married Dianthe Lusk, who bore him 7 children; 5 years later they moved to Pennsylvania to operate a tannery of their own.

Within a year after Dianthe’s death in 1831, Brown wed 16-year-old Mary Anne Day, by whom he fathered 13 more children. During the next 24 years Brown built and sold several tanneries, speculated in land sales, raised sheep, and established a brokerage for wool growers. Every venture failed, for he was too much a visionary, not enough a businessman. As his financial burdens multiplied, his thinking became increasingly metaphysical and he began to brood over the plight of the weak and oppressed. He frequently sought the company of blacks, for 2 years living in a freedmen’s community in North Elba, N. Y.

In time he became a militant abolitionist, a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, and the organizer of a self-protection league for free blacks and fugitive slaves. By the time he was 50, Brown was entranced by visions of slave uprisings, during which racists paid horribly for their sins, and he came to regard himself as commissioned by God to make that vision a reality. In August of 1855, he followed 5 of his sons to Kansas to help make the state a haven for anti-slavery settlers. The following year, his hostility toward slave-staters exploded after they burned and pillaged the free-state community of Lawrence.

Having organized a militia unit within his Osawatomie River colony, Brown led it on a mission of revenge. On the evening of May 23, 1856, he and 6 followers, including 4 of his sons, visited the homes of pro-slavery men along Pottawatomie Creek, dragged their unarmed inhabitants into the night, and hacked them to death with long-edged swords. At once, “Old Brown of Osawatomie” became a feared and hated target of slave-staters. In autumn 1856, temporarily defeated but still committed to his vision of a slave insurrection, Brown returned to Ohio.

There and during 2 subsequent trips to Kansas, he developed a grandiose plan to free slaves throughout the South. Provided with moral and financial support from prominent New England abolitionists, Brown began by raiding plantations in Missouri but accomplished little. In the summer of 1859, he transferred his operations to western Virginia, collected an army of 21 men, including 5 blacks, and on the night of October 16th raided the government armory and arsenal at Harpers Ferry. From there, he planned to arm the thousands of chattels who, learning of his crusade, would flock to his side.

Instead, numerous bands of militia and a company of U. S. Marines under Bvt. Col. Robert E. Lee hastened to the river village, where they trapped the raiders inside the fire-engine house and on the 18th stormed the building. The fighting ended with 10 of Brown’s people killed and 7 captured, Brown among them. After a sensational trial, he was found guilty of treason against Virginia and was hanged at Charlestown, amid much fanfare, on Dec. 2, 1859. The stately, fearless, unrepentant manner in which he comported himself in court and on the gallows made him a martyr in parts of the North.

Born in Torrington, Connecticut on May 9, 1800, John Brown was the son of a wandering New Englander. Brown spent much of his youth in Ohio, where he was taught in local schools to resent compulsory education and by his parents to revere the Bible and hate slavery. As a boy he herded cattle for General William Hulls army during the war of 1812; later he served as foreman of his familys tannery. In 1820 he married Dianthe Lusk, who bore him seven children; five years later they moved to Pennsylvania to operate a tannery of their own. Within a year after Dianthes death in 1831, Brown wed sixteen year old Mary Anne

Day, by whom he fathered thirteen more children. During the next twenty-four years Brown built and sold several tanneries, speculated in land sales, raised sheep, and established a brokerage for wool growers. Every venture failed, for he was too much a visionary, not enough a businessman. As his financial burdens multiplied, his thinking became increasingly metaphysical and he began to brook over the plight of the weak and oppressed. He frequently sought the company of blacks, for two years living in a freedmens community in North Elba, New York.

In time he became a militant abolitionist, a conductor” on the Underground Railroad, and the organizer of a self-protection league for free blacks and fugitive slaves. By the time he was fifty, Brown was entranced by visions of slave uprisings, during which racists paid horribly for their sins, and he came to regard himself as commissioned by God to make that vision a reality. In August 1885 he followed five of his sons to Kansas to help make the state a haven for anti-slavery settlers. The following year, his hostility toward slave-staters exploded after they burned and pillaged the free-state community of Lawrence.

Having organized a militia unit ithin his Osawatomie River colony, Brown led it on a mission of revenge. On the evening of May twenty-third, 1856, he and six followers, including four of his sons, visited the homes of pro-slavery men along Pottawatomie Creek, dragged their unarmed inhabitants into the night, and hacked them to death with long-edged swords. At once, “Old Brown of Osawatomie” became a feared and hated target of slave-staters. In autumn 1856, temporarily defeated but still committed to his vision of a slave insurrection, Brown returned to Ohio.

There and during two subsequent trips to Kansas, he developed a grandiose plan to free laves throughout the South. Provided with moral and financial support from prominent New England abolitionists, Brown began by raiding plantations in Missouri but accomplished little. IN the summer of 1859 he transferred his operations to western Virginia, collected and army of twenty-one men, planned to arm the thousands of chattels who, learning of his crusade, would flock to his side. Instead, numerous bands of militia and a company of United States Marines under Bvt.

Colonel Robert E. Lee hastened to the river village, where they trapped the raiders inside the fire-engine house and on the eighteenth stormed the uilding. The fighting ended with ten of Browns people killed and seven captured, Brown among them. During his trial, Browns last speech attempting to justify himself infront of the Commonwealth of Virginia in Charlestown goes as follows: “I have, may it please the court, a few words to say. In the first place, I deny everything but what I have all along admitted – the design on my part to free the slaves.

I intended certainly to have made a clean thing of that matter, as I did last winter when I went into Missouri and there took slaves without the snapping of a gun on either side, moved hem through the country, and finally left them in Canada. I designed to have done the same thing again on a larger scale. That was all I intended. I never did intend murder, or treason, or the destruction of property, or to excite or incite slaves to rebellion, or to make the insurrection. I have another objection; and that is, it is unjust that I should suffer such a penalty.

Had I interfered in the manner which I admit, and which I admit has been fairly proved (for I admire the truthfulness and candor of the greater portion of the witnesses who have testified in this case)- ad I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of any of their friends- either father, mother, brother, sister, wife, or children, or any of that class- and suffered and sacrificed what I have in this interference, it would have been all right; and every man in this court would have deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than punishment.

This court acknowledges, as I suppose, the validity of the law of God. I see a book kissed here which I suppose to be the Bible, or at least the New Testament. That teaches me that all things whatsoever I would hat men should do to me, I should do even so to them. It teaches me, further, to “remember them that are in bonds, as bound within them. ” I endeavored to act up to that instruction. I say I am yet too young to understand that God is any respecter of persons.

I believe that to have interfered as I have done- as I have always freely admitted I have done- in behalf of His despised poor was not wrong, but right. Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my hildren and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments- I submit; so let it be done! Let me say one word further.

I feel entirely satisfied with the treatment I have received on my trial. Considering all the circumstances it has been more generous than I expected. But I feel no consciousness of guilt. I have stated that from the first what was my intention and what was not. I never had any design against the life of any person, nor any disposition to commit treason, or excite slaves to rebel, or make any general insurrection. I never encouraged any man to do so, but always discouraged any idea of that kind.

Let me say also a word in regard to the statements made by some of those connected with me. I hear it has been stated by some of them that I have induced them to join me. but the contrary is true. I do not say this to injure them, but as regretting their weakness. There is not one of them but joined me of his own accord, and the greater part of them at their own expense. A number of them I never saw, and never had a word of conversation with till the day they came to me; and that was for the purpose I have stated.