John Brown

John Brown was born in Torrington, Connecticut, but spent most of his youth in Ohio, where he met people active in the antislavery movement.

He was not successful in business, trying his hand at sheep raising, farming, tanning, and the wool trade. From 1849 to 1854, he lived in a black community near North Elba, New York. With tensions rising in Kansas following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Brown sent his five sons – all thoroughly indoctrinated as abolitionists – westward while he attempted to settle his debts.

Brown, driving a wagonload of guns, later joined his sons in Kansas. Proclaiming himself the servant of the Lord, Brown led an attack in the spring of 1856, that resulted in the murders of five proslavery settlers. The incident became known as the Pottawatomie Creek Massacre. This event was part of widespread violence then occurring in Bleeding Kansas.

Brown’s uncompromising stand against slavery won him numerous supporters in the North, where many abolitionists were frustrated by their lack of progress. In particular, encouragement and financial support were extended by the “Secret Six,” a group of influential New England aristocrats. With their help, Brown was able to establish a base in western Virginia where he hoped to spark a general slave rebellion in the South. His raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859, was part of that plan.

Brown was arrested and charged with inciting a slave insurrection and treason. He conducted his own defense, and the event was widely reported in Northern newspapers as a selfless idealist. Nevertheless, he was convicted and hanged in December 1859.

John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry was a major step toward the polarization of North and South on the eve of the Civil War.

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John Brown
... were written in his honor and his legend grew in popularity through the Civil War. John Brown Museum State Historic Site Cool Things--John Brown A Kansas Portrait Notable Kansans of African Descent Notable Kansas People Notable KansasJohn Brown Museum State Historic Site Cool Things--John Brown A Kansas Portrait Notable Kansans of African Descent Notable Kansas People Notable KansasJohn Brown A Kansas Portrait Notable Kansans of African Descent Notable Kansas People Notable Kansas Women ...
^{http://www.kshs.org/portraits/brown_john.htm}

John Brown Gordon
... term as governor of Georgia Governors of Georgia, 1801-1900 January 9, 1904 John Brown Gordon dies, Miami, Florida May 25, 1907 Carved by Solon Borglum, the statue of John B. Gordon (Biography of John B. Gordon) is unveiled at theJohn Brown Gordon dies, Miami, Florida May 25, 1907 Carved by Solon Borglum, the statue of John B. Gordon (Biography of John B. Gordon) is unveiled at the state ...
^{http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/2339}

John Brown Country
Among those killed that day was Brown's son Frederick. At the John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie is the cabin of the Rev. Samuel Adair, Brown's brother-in-law, with whom he often stayed. The Republican party of Kansas was organiJohn Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie is the cabin of the Rev. Samuel Adair, Brown's brother-in-law, with whom he often stayed. The Republican party of Kansas was organized at ...
^{http://skyways.lib.ks.us/history/jbrown.html}

Social IssuesJohn Brown1800-1859

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John Brown
1800-1859