There is no doubt that John Brown is one of the most interesting and controversial 19th-century figures. A radical abolitionist, Brown advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a way to free enslaved people. Although he was involved in “Bleeding Kansas,” a quasi-war fought among pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Missouri and the Kansas territory between 1854 and 1858, Brown’s most prominent mark upon history was his raid on the Federal Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859. After the raid, Brown and the remainder of his men were tried for treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859. His body and the bodies of his sons were released to his wife for internment on the family homestead.
Debuted in 2009.
