John Brown b. May 9, 1800

The great American hero and revolutionary John Brown was born on May 9, 1800, in Torrington, Connecticut. He grew up in a deeply religious family that valued moral duty and social justice, which influenced his lifelong commitment to abolitionism. By adulthood, Brown was convinced that slavery was a moral evil that required immediate action to end rather than gradual reform.

Brown became actively involved in anti-slavery efforts in the 1830s and 1840s. He provided support to escaped enslaved people and helped fund the Underground Railroad, the network that assisted enslaved people to reach freedom. He believed that nonviolent measures alone were insufficient to end slavery, advocating for direct action against slaveholders.

In the mid-1850s, during the violent conflicts in Kansas Territory, Brown led armed groups to fight pro-slavery settlers.

John Brown is best known for the 1859 raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Brown aimed to incite a slave rebellion by seizing weapons and distributing them to enslaved people. The raid was unsuccessful; Brown and his followers were quickly captured by U.S. Marines under the command of Robert E. Lee. Brown was tried for treason against Virginia, murder, and inciting a slave insurrection, and he was executed by hanging on December 2, 1859.

While being led to the gallows, Brown was said to have displayed "the most complete fearlessness of & insensibility to danger & death".

"Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may,

The death blow of oppression in a better time and way,

For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day,

And his soul is marching on."

By Any Means Necessary!