John Brown Notes

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) Troubled Times: the Tumultuous 1850s John Brown (Key Notes and Summary) Key Notes - In 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown launched an invasion on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. - The goal of the operation was to take weapons out of the arsenal and start a slave uprising to abolish slavery. - The nonviolent tactics of William Lloyd Garrison and other abolitionists stood in stark contrast to Brown's aggressive approach. - Brown, who was born in Connecticut in 1800 and lived in several states, believed that slavery should be outlawed. - One of Brown's earlier deeds was the 1856 Pottawatomie killings in Kansas. - Despite objections from certain abolitionists, like as Frederick Douglass, he coordinated with some of them to prepare the attack. - The operation was successful in seizing the arsenal, but because there was little local backing, it was unable to ignite a general uprising. - Locals besieged Brown and his allies, and federal soldiers under Colonel Robert E. Lee's command captured them. - On December 2, 1859, Brown was put to death by the Commonwealth of Virginia for treason. - The raid heightened tensions between the North and the South, as Southerners began to favor secession out of fear of more attacks. While some in the North saw Brown as a martyr, others in the South saw him as a terrorist who posed a threat to their way of life. - Southern governments took action to put an end to slave uprisings as a result of Brown's acts. Summary An ardent abolitionist named John Brown launched a risky attack on the government arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 with the intention of dispersing firearms that had been taken. Because of his brutal methods, which were in direct opposition to other abolitionists' nonviolent stance, Brown was executed for treason once the raid was unsuccessful. Even though Brown's plan was unsuccessful, his acts increased tensions between the North and South because Northerners saw Brown as a martyr for the abolitionist cause and compared him to Jesus Christ, while Southerners feared more uprisings. John Brown Notes John Brown, a fanatical abolitionist, and eighteen armed Black and White men raided the government armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in October 1859. They intended to seize the weapons there and disperse them among the slaves in order to spark a widespread rebellion that would put an end to slavery. Brown had previously shown his lack of tolerance for the peaceful strategy advocated by pacifist abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison in the 1856 Pottawatomie raid in Kansas. Brown was born in Connecticut in 1800, and he lived much of his life in the North. When his many business endeavors failed, he moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania and finally upstate New York. Like his Puritan ancestors, he saw slavery as an evil that must be eradicated from the earth and supported the use of force to subdue the wicked. In an attempt to outlaw slavery, Brown traveled to Kansas in the 1850s, where he carried out the Pottawatomie murders. He shared with fellow abolitionists his intention to seize Harpers Ferry Armory and launch a large-scale slave revolt. While some abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass, thought the idea suicidal and declined to participate, others offered financial assistance. Brown's army captured the unsecured federal armory on October 16, 1859, with ease. But his idea of a widespread insurrection was a total failure. There weren't many slaves in the vicinity who could support Brown, so the party was forced to hide out in the armory's engine house as the locals opened fire on them. Colonel Robert E. Lee's federal forces quickly apprehended Brown and his supporters. The Commonwealth of Virginia executed Brown on December 2 for treason. Both the North and the South experienced strong emotions in response to John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. Southerners became particularly paranoid about the prospect of other murderous conspiracies. Support for secession increased as a result of their perception of Brown as a terrorist intent on destroying their society. Their fear prompted numerous southern governments to enact legislation intended to put an end to slave uprisings. It appeared like the South's greatest nightmares had come true: a hostile majority that would do whatever it took to abolish slavery. A Maryland individual questioned if it was possible to "exist under a government, a majority of whose subjects or people revere John Brown as a Christian hero and martyr. In reality, a lot of northerners opposed to slavery saw Brown as a martyr for his cause, and those who thought slavery was sinful easily drew parallels between him and Jesus Christ.