John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American abolitionist in the decades preceding the Civil War. First reaching national prominence in the 1850s for his radical abolitionism and fighting in Bleeding Kansas, Brown was captured, tried, and executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia for a raid and incitement of a slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859.
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John Brown was an American abolitionist who became nationally known in the 1850s for his radical opposition to slavery and his armed activities in Bleeding Kansas. He was executed by Virginia in 1859 after leading a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, which he intended to spark a slave rebellion, making him a pivotal and controversial figure in the events leading up to the Civil War.
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Person
- Born
- 1800-05-09
- Died
- 1859-12-02
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Key dates
- Born
- 9 May 1800
- Died
- 2 December 1859
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Article
John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was an American Christian abolitionist in the decades preceding the American Civil War. First reaching national prominence in the 1850s for his radical abolitionism and fighting in Bleeding Kansas, Brown was captured, tried, and executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia for a raid and incitement of a slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859.
An evangelical Christian of strong religious convictions, Brown was profoundly influenced by the Puritan faith of his upbringing. He believed that he was "an instrument of God", raised to strike the "death blow" to slavery in the United States, a "sacred obligation". Brown was the leading exponent of violence in the American abolitionist movement, believing it was necessary to end slavery after decades of peaceful efforts had failed. Brown said that in working to free the enslaved, he was following Christian ethics, including the Golden Rule, and the Declaration of Independence, which states that "all men are created equal". He stated that in his view, these two principles "meant the same thing".
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1800 births1859 deaths19th-century American farmers19th-century American murderers19th-century executions of American people19th-century prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government19th-century rebelsAmerican Calvinist and Reformed ChristiansAmerican CongregationalistsAmerican people executed for murderAmerican people of Dutch descent