In 1859, a small group of men attacked the small town of Harper’s Ferry in Virginia. They were intent on seizing weapons to give to slaves to start a rebellion. The pro- and anti-slavery governments clashed with each other, and the violence came to a head when John Brown caused the Pottawatomie Massacre.

Brown’s raid, accompanied by 21 men in his party, was defeated by a platoon of U.S. Marines led by Colonel Robert E. Lee. John Brown had originally asked Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, both of whom he had met in Springfield, Massachusetts, to join him in his raid.

John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry (formerly spelled Harper’s Ferry) was an effort by abolitionist John Brown, from October 16 to 18, 1859, to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states by taking over the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

Brown was hastily tried for treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, the murder of five men, and inciting a slave insurrection. He was found guilty of all counts and was hanged on December 2, 1859, the first person executed for treason in the history of the United States….John Brown (abolitionist)

Upon his return to tlie east, Forbes found himself short of funds. In early winter he began a series of abusive and, finally, threatening letters to John Brown and friends of his cause. Brown, he alleged, had defrauded him out of six months’ pay.

John Brown’s Body In November, a jury found Brown guilty of treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia. Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859, at the age of 59. Among the witnesses to his execution were Lee and the actor and pro-slavery activist John Wilkes Booth.

Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War.

He believed in using violent means to end slavery and, with the intent of inspiring a slave insurrection, eventually led an unsuccessful raid on the Harpers Ferry federal armory. Brown went to trial and was executed on December 2, 1859.

In the North, his raid was greeted by many with widespread admiration. While they recognized the raid itself was the act of a madman, some northerners admired his zeal and courage. Church bells pealed on the day of his execution and songs and paintings were created in his honor. Brown was turned into an instant martyr.

Douglass was also a longtime confidant and admirer of John Brown, and well after the lethal Harpers Ferry Raid in October 1859, Douglass continued to pay tribute to the man that he (along with other devotees) called Captain Brown.

The real subject of his speech, he concedes, is American slavery. He condemns America for being untrue to its founding principles, its past, and its present. The audience must fulfill what the founders of the country advocated.

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey

Douglass was of mixed race, which likely included Native American and African on his mother’s side, as well as European. In contrast, his father was “almost certainly white”, according to historian David W. Blight in his 2018 biography of Douglass.

He became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which sought to end the practice of slavery, before and during the Civil War. After that conflict and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, he continued to push for equality and human rights until his death in 1895.

Douglass went on a speaking tour of Ireland and England to remove himself from immediate danger. In 1846, his supporters in England made arrangements to purchase his freedom. They contacted Hugh Auld, whose family had held Douglass (then known as Frederick Bailey) in slavery.

Hugh Auld

Committed to freedom, Douglass dedicated his life to achieving justice for all Americans, in particular African-Americans, women, and minority groups. He envisioned America as an inclusive nation strengthened by diversity and free of discrimination. Douglass served as advisor to presidents.

By 1860, Douglass was well known for his efforts to end slavery and his skill at public speaking. During the Civil War, Douglass was a consultant to President Abraham Lincoln and helped convince him that slaves should serve in the Union forces and that the abolition of slavery should be a goal of the war.

In 1861 tensions over slavery erupted into civil war, which Douglass argued was about more than union and state’s rights. He recruited African Americans to fight in the Union army, including two of his sons, and he continued to write and speak against slavery, arguing for a higher purpose to the war.

state of South Carolina

In his last autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Douglass noted that Lincoln considered him a friend, although at times Douglass was critical of the late president. Douglass’ writings indicate deep respect for Lincoln.

A crowd of 25,000, many of them African American, had gathered to hear Douglass speak on the 11th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.

There were many similarities between Lincoln and Douglass. They grew up in surroundings where violence was common, forcing each one to become good with his fists, although neither was the type to go looking for a fight. Both were physically imposing and stood 6 feet tall by the time they were in their early teens.