John Brown's Raid

"John Brown's Entrance Into Hell" was a popular Confederate broadside, or poem, that satirized the Union cause and John Brown's fate during the afterlife. The song targeted key Union figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Charles Sumner, and Thaddeus Stevens. It was used as propaganda…

"John Brown's Song" was a popular Union marching song during the American Civil War. It was a rallying cry and popular tune that was sung by many Union soldiers during the war.

In this address Frederick Douglass paid tribute to John Brown and his raid on Harper's Ferry, portraying it as a pivotal event that brought the nation towards the brink of Civil War. He spoke in admiration of Brown and remarked on his willingness to use violence if necessary to end the…

In this article from the Charleston Mercury newspaper, the author discusses the accounts about the Harper's Ferry raid and how exaggerated they were in nature. The article ends by remarking on the state of the Union and how fragile it was.

In his speech to the court during his trial, John Brown addressed misconceptions regarding his raid on Harper's Ferry and his intentions for it. He states that he did not intend to partake in an insurrection and instead said that his intention was to free enslaved people. He also remarks that…

Curry’s interpretation of John Brown and the antislavery movement in Kansas Territory before the Civil War, is considered one of his best murals. Rich in symbolism, the painting depicts John Brown as an important, albeit fanatic man who would kill for his beliefs.

In this speech, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau argues in defense of John Brown and his actions in fighting for the abolition of slavery. In opposition to claims of newspapers and other Americans that John Brown's raid was insane, Thoreau viewed Brown as committed to fighting for the…

In this letter written by General Robert E. Lee on October 18th, 1859, he demands that John Brown and his forces surrender from the armory buildings at Harper's Ferry, VA. He stated that he would take the buildings with force if necessary. The federal troops eventually took back the buildings…

 

Summary from the Library of Congress: 

 

<p><span class="deck">How a half-dozen pillars of the community became infatuated with the idea of shedding (someone else’s) blood</span></p>

<p><span class="deck">Two hundred years after his birth, Americans still revere him as a martyr and loathe him as a fanatical murderer. What was he?</span></p>