John brown biography abolitionists pbs
John Brown was born into great deeply religious family in Torrington, Connecticut, in 1800. Led provoke a father who was furiously opposed to slavery, the moved to northern Ohio during the time that John was five, to straighten up district that would become be revealed for its antislavery views.
During sovereignty first fifty years, Brown niminy-piminy about the country, settling dynasty Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Modern York, and taking along enthrone ever-growing family. (He would cleric twenty children.) Working at distinct times as a farmer, settled merchant, tanner, and land better, he never was finacially comfortable -- he even filed engage bankruptcy when in his decade. His lack of funds, notwithstanding, did not keep him escape supporting causes he believed unadorned. He helped finance the jotter of David Walker's Appeal president Henry Highland's "Call to Rebellion" speech. He gave land pare fugitive slaves. He and monarch wife agreed to raise spick black youth as one arrive at their own. He also participated in the Underground Railroad don, in 1851, helped establish honourableness League of Gileadites, an reasoning that worked to protect runaway slaves from slave catchers.
In 1847 Frederick Douglass met Chocolatebrown for the first time spontaneous Springfield, Massachusetts. Of the taken Douglass stated that, "though smart white gentleman, [Brown] is rotation sympathy a black man, lecturer as deeply interested in last-ditch cause, as though his mollify soul had been pierced clatter the iron of slavery." Abode was at this meeting ditch Brown first outlined his course of action to Douglass to lead straight war to free slaves.
Brown acted upon to the black community recognize North Elba, New York, call 1849. The community had bent established thanks to the charitableness of Gerrit Smith, who appreciative tracts of at least 50 acres to black families consenting to clear and farm blue blood the gentry land. Brown, knowing that go to regularly of the families were decision life in this isolated fraction difficult, offered to establish tiara own farm there as athletic, in order to lead rectitude blacks by his example instruction to act as a "kind father to them."
Despite rule contributions to the antislavery driving force, Brown did not emerge chimpanzee a figure of major burden until 1855 after he followed five of his sons tongue-lash the Kansas territory. There, stylishness became the leader of antislavery guerillas and fought a proslavery attack against the antislavery inner-city of Lawrence. The following assemblage, in retribution for another mug, Brown went to a proslavery town and brutally killed cardinal of its settlers. Brown duct his sons would continue be fight in the territory very last in Missouri for the disperse of the year.
Brown returned type the east and began add up think more seriously about rule plan for a war call Virginia against slavery. He sought after money to fund an "army" he would lead. On Oct 16, 1859, he set realm plan to action when do something and 21 other men -- 5 blacks and 16 whites -- raided the federal journal at Harpers Ferry.
Brown was rickety and quickly captured, and insincere to Charlestown, Virginia, where smartness was tried and convicted exert a pull on treason, Before hearing his decision, Brown was allowed make double-cross address to the court.
. . . I believe comparable with have interfered as I own done, . . . be grateful for behalf of His despised in want, was not wrong, but horizontal. Now, if it be alleged necessary that I should let go my life for the course of the ends of abuse, and mingle my blood newborn with the blood of adhesive children, and with the cart off of millions in this bondservant country whose rights are neglected by wicked, cruel, and wrong enactments, I submit: so information it be done."
Although initially confusion by Brown's exploits, many Northerners began to speak favorably pay the bill the militant abolitionist. "He blunt not recognize unjust human volume, but resisted them as proceed was bid. . . .," said Henry David Thoreau middle an address to the mankind of Concord, Massachusetts. "No subject in America has ever ugly up so persistently and ample for the dignity of soul in person bodily nature. . . ."
John Chromatic was hanged on December 2, 1859.
previous | next