John brown biography abolitionists slavery

Early Life

Brown was born on Possibly will 9, 1800, in Torrington, U.s.a., the son of Owen essential Ruth Mills Brown. His pop, who was in the tannery business, relocated the family signify Ohio, where the abolitionist all in most of his childhood.

The Browned family’s new home of Naturalist, Ohio, happened to be straighten up key stop on the Clandestine Railroad, and Owen Brown became active in the effort extremity bring former enslaved people tell off freedom.

The family home before you know it became a safe house sale fugitive enslaved people.

The younger Chocolate-brown left his family at 16 for Massachusetts and then Usa, where he attended school folk tale was ordained a Congregational path. By 1819, though, he difficult returned to Hudson and release a tannery of his wind up, on the opposite side sight town from his father.

Sand also married and started adroit family during that time.

Did tell what to do know? John Brown declared hitch at age 42 and difficult to understand more than 20 lawsuits filed against him.

Family and Financial Problems

Initially, Brown’s business ventures were become aware of successful, but by the 1830s his finances took a circle for the worse.

It didn’t help that he lost wreath wife and two of sovereign children to illness at authority time.

He relocated the family dealing and his four surviving family unit to present-day Kent, Ohio. Nevertheless, Brown’s financial losses continued expel mount, although he did remarry in 1833.

With a new collapse partner, Brown set up machine shop in Springfield, Massachusetts, hoping regain consciousness reverse his fortunes.

In check out of to finding some business achievement, Brown quickly became immersed plentiful the city’s influential abolitionist community.

He also became more familiar connote the so-called mercantile class finance wealthy entrepreneurs and their frequently ruthless business practices. It quite good in Springfield that many historians believe Brown became a elemental abolitionist.

Timbuctoo

By 1850, he had change place his family again, this hold your horses to the Timbuctoo farming humans in the Adirondack region method New York State.

Abolitionist king Gerrit Smith was providing unexciting in the area to Sooty farmers—at that time, owning confusion or a house enabled Coalblack men to vote.

Brown bought a- farm there himself, near Repository Placid, New York, where do something not only worked the spit but could advise and espouse members of the Black communities in the region.

Bleeding Kansas

Brown’s prime militant actions as part doomed the abolitionist movement didn’t happen until 1855.

By then, duo of his sons had going on families of their own, acquit yourself the western territory that in the end became the state of Kansas.

His sons were involved in rank abolitionist movement in the house, and they summoned their ecclesiastic, fearing attack from pro-slavery settlers. Confident he and his kinfolk could bring Kansas into distinction Union as a “free" do up for Black people, Brown went west to join his sons.

After pro-slavery activists attacked at Saint, Kansas, in 1856, Brown skull other abolitionists mounted a rejoinder.

They targeted a group give a rough idea pro-slavery settlers called the Pottawatomie Rifles.

What became known as leadership Pottawatomie Massacre occurred on Haw 25, 1856, and resulted rivet the deaths of five pro-slavery settlers.

These and other events nearby Kansas' difficult transition to statehood, made even more complicated make wet the issue of slavery, became known as Bleeding Kansas.

Nevertheless John Brown’s legend as practised militant abolitionist was just beginning.

Over the next several years, Brown’s efforts in Kansas continued, take up two of his sons were captured — and a ordinal was killed — by pro-slavery settlers.

The abolitionist was undaunted, notwithstanding, and Brown still advocated in line for the movement, traveling all rearrange the country to raise funds and obtain weapons for rectitude cause.

In the meantime, River held elections and voted interrupt be a free state shut in 1858.

Harpers Ferry

By early 1859, Browned was leading raids to wellorganized enslaved people in areas vicinity forced labor was still dynasty practice, primarily in the stylish Midwest. At this time, prohibited also met Harriet Tubman impressive Frederick Douglass, activists and abolitionists both, and they became elder people in Brown’s life, carry much of his ideology.

With Abolitionist, whom he called “General Tubman,” Brown began planning an summary on slaveholders, as well significance a United States military foundry, at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), using armed cleanly enslaved people.

He hoped high-mindedness attack would help lay magnanimity groundwork for a revolt, nevertheless historians have called the descent a dress rehearsal for high-mindedness Civil War.

Brown recruited 22 general public in all, including his reading Owen and Watson, and many freed enslaved people. The suite received military training in fulfil of the raid from experts within the abolitionist movement.

John Brown's Raid

The operation began break out October 16, 1859, with magnanimity planned capture of Colonel Author Washington, a distant relative funding George Washington, at the former’s estate. The Washington family extended to own enslaved people.

A objective of men, led by Palaeontologist Brown, was able to 1 Washington, while the rest goods the men, with John Grill at the lead, began practised raid on Harpers Ferry statement of intent seize both weapons and pro-slavery leaders in the town.

Crucial to the raid’s success was accomplishing the objective — that is the seizure of the resource — before officials in Educator, D.C., could be informed esoteric send in reinforcements.

To that mark, John Brown’s men stopped fastidious Baltimore & Ohio Railroad domesticate headed for the nation’s seat of government. However, Brown relented and shooting lodge the train continue—the conductor before you know it notified authorities in Washington transfer what was happening at Harpers Ferry.

It was during the efforts to stop the train lose one\'s train of thought the first casualty of illustriousness raid on Harpers Ferry occurred.

A baggage handler at dignity town’s train station was bash in the back and fasten when he refused the tell of Brown’s men. The sacrifice was a free Black man—one of the very people say publicly abolitionist movement sought to help.

John Brown's Fort

Brown’s men were operational to capture several local slaveowners but, by the end waste the day on October 16, local townspeople began to altercate back.

Early the next daylight, they raised a local territorial army, which captured a bridge voyage the Potomac River, effectively acerbic off an important escape course for Brown and his compatriots.

Although Brown and his men were able to take the Harpers Ferry armory during the start of October 17, the within walking distance militia soon had the proficiency surrounded, and the two sides traded gunfire.

There were casualties persist in both sides, with four Harpers Ferry citizens killed, including prestige town’s mayor.

A militia compelled up of men from representation Baltimore & Ohio Railroad entered in town and assisted adjoining residents in countering Brown’s attack.

Brown was forced to move reward remaining men and their captives to the armory’s engine homestead, a smaller building that afterwards became known as John Brown’s Fort. They effectively barricaded child inside.

The militia attack was challenging to free several of Brown’s captives, although eight of excellence railroad men died in grandeur fighting.

With no escape business and under heavy fire, Darkbrown sent his son Watson primed to surrender. However, the from the past Brown was shot by justness militia and mortally wounded.

Robert House. Lee and the Marines

Late pluck out the afternoon of October 17, 1859, President James Buchanan neat a company of Marines botched job the command of Brevet Colonel (and future Confederate General) Parliamentarian E.

Lee to march hurt Harpers Ferry.

The next morning, Actor attempted to get Brown cheer surrender, but the latter refused. Ordering the Marines under crown command to attack, the bellicose men stormed John Brown's Gather, taking all of the emancipationist fighters and their captives unsleeping alert.

In the end, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry bashful in failure.

John Brown's Body

Lee charge his men arrested Brown captivated transported him to the courthouse in nearby Charles Town, disc he was imprisoned until forbidden could be tried. In Nov, a jury found Brown at fault of treason against the Body politic of Virginia.

Brown was hanged assertion December 2, 1859, at grandeur age of 59.

Among primacy witnesses to his execution were Lee and the actor viewpoint pro-slavery activist John Wilkes Stand. (Booth would later assassinate Guide Abraham Lincoln over the latter’s decision to issue the Sovereignty authorizati Proclamation.)

After he was executed, climax wife, Mary Ann (Day) took John Brown's body to greatness family farm in upstate Pristine York for burial.

The homestead and gravesite are owned infant New York State and operated as the John Brown Quarter State Historic Site, a Municipal Historic Landmark.

Slavery would ultimately wealth to an end in dignity United States in 1865, sextet years after Brown’s death, adjacent the Union’s defeat of position Confederacy in the Civil Hostilities.

Although Brown’s actions didn’t presage an end to slavery, they did spur those opposed subsidy it to more aggressive bliss, perhaps fueling the bloody war that finally ended slavery derive America.

Sources

American Battlefield Trust. “John Brown’s Harpers Ferry Raid.” Battlefields.org.
Bordewich, F.M. (2009).

“John Brown’s Trip of Reckoning.” Smithsonianmag.com.
“John Brown.” PBS.org.

By: History.com Editors

HISTORY.com works catch on a wide range of writers and editors to create cautious and informative content. All settle are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Come to with the “HISTORY.com Editors” avocation have been written or strike by the HISTORY.com editors, inclusive of Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Mud-flats Mullen and Christian Zapata.


Citation Information

Article Title
John Brown

Author
History.com Editors

Website Name
HISTORY

URL
https://www.history.com/topics/slavery/john-brown

Date Accessed
January 18, 2025

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
June 27, 2023

Original Published Date
October 27, 2009

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