John Brown (abolitionist)
(1800-1859), called Old Brown of Osawatomie, American abolitionist, whose
attempt to end slavery by force greatly increased tension between North and
South in the period before the American Civil War.
Brown was born in Torrington, Connecticut. His family
moved to Ohio when he was five years old. Early in life he acquired the hatred
of slavery that marked his subsequent career, his father having been actively
hostile to the institution. While living in Pennsylvania in 1834, Brown
initiated a project among sympathetic abolitionists to educate young blacks. The
next 20 years of his life were largely dedicated to this and similar
abolitionist ventures, entailing many sacrifices for himself and his large
family. In 1855 he followed five of his sons to Kansas Territory, then a center
of struggle between the antislavery and proslavery forces. Under Brown's
leadership, his sons became active participants in the fight against proslavery
terrorists from Missouri, whose activities led to the murder of a number of
abolitionists at Lawrence, Kansas. Brown and his sons avenged this crime, on May
24, 1856, at Pottawatomie Creek by killing five proslavery adherents. This act,
as well as his success in withstanding a large party of attacking Missourians at
Osawatomie in August, made him nationally famous as an irreconcilable foe of
slavery.
Aided by increased financial support from abolitionists in
the northeastern states, Brown began in 1857 to formulate a plan, which he had
long entertained, to free the slaves by armed force. He secretly recruited a
small band of supporters for this project, which included the establishment of a
refuge for fugitive slaves in the mountains of Virginia. After several setbacks,
he finally launched the venture on October 16, 1859, with a force of 18 men
(including several of his sons), seizing the United States arsenal and armory at
Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), and winning control of the town.
After his initial success, he made no attempt at offensive action, but instead
occupied defensive positions within the area. His force was surrounded by the
local militia, which was reinforced on October 17 by a company of U.S. Marines
under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee. Ten of Brown's men, including two of
his sons, were killed in the ensuing battle, and he was wounded and forced to
capitulate. He was arrested and charged with various crimes, including treason
and murder. He distinguished himself during his trial, which took place before a
Virginia court, by his eloquent defense of his efforts in behalf of the slaves.
Convicted, he was hanged in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia) in
December 1859. For many years after his death, Brown was generally regarded
among abolitionists as a martyr to the cause of human freedom. He became the
subject of a famous song, known generally by the first line as “John Brown's
body lies a-mould'ring in the grave.”
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