JB
John Brown
1800-05-09 – 1859-12-02
Militant abolitionist who attacked Harpers Ferry hoping to spark a broader slave uprising.
abolitionistviolencesectional crisis
John Brown moved restlessly between failed businesses and righteous anger at slavery. After witnessing Bleeding Kansas atrocities, he led the Pottawatomie massacre and later dreamed of arming freedom seekers from a federal arsenal. His 1859 Harpers Ferry raid failed militarily but haunted Southern imagination, proof that Republicans might tolerate holy war against slavery. Executed as a traitor, Brown became a martyr anthem ("John Brown's Body") for Union soldiers.