An excerpt from speeches delivered in the US Senate by Senators Clement Clay of Alabama and William Gwin of California, December 13, 1859.
A photograph of John Brown’s tombstone in North Elba, New York, ca. 1900
A print depicting Brown’s raiders and hostages in the interior of the engine house before the US Marines break-in, 1859.
A print of the engine house occupied by John Brown and his raiders as US Marines attempted to break in, ca. 1859
A print showing an encounter between raiders and the militia at the railroad bridge, from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 1859.
A program for a commemorative town hall meeting held in Concord, Massachusetts following John Brown’s execution on December 2, 1859
A sheet of lyrics to “Old John Brown: A Song for Every Southern Man,” ca. 1861
Buttons from the clothing of John Brown’s raiders, mounted with a depiction of John Brown.
https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/john-brown-s-raid-on-harper-s-ferry/sources/1726
John Brown
The sheet music to “John Brown’s Body,” published in 1902
John Brown's Raid on Harper’s Ferry (Version 1 Links)
Overview
A test of bringing DPLA primary Source Set onto OER Commons. Still in progress!
Introduction
John Brown first made a name for himself as a militant abolitionist in 1854, when Brown traveled to Kansas following the Kansas-Nebraska Act, intent on defending the territory from the scourge of slavery. It was in “Bleeding Kansas,” named for violent conflicts between proslavery and antislavery settlers there, that John Brown led a guerilla warfare campaign against the territory’s proslavery settlers, including a deadly attack against residents of Pottawatomie Creek. By 1859, fueled by donations from wealthy abolitionists, Brown was again ready to strike a blow against slavery and slaveholders—this time in the South.
Brown’s target was the sleepy Virginia town of Harper’s Ferry (now spelled “Harpers Ferry"), where he planned to capture the stockpile of guns and ammunition at the federal arsenal. He intended to start a war between slaves and slaveholders by distributing these weapons to the enslaved. Brown believed this war would end the “peculiar institution” of slavery in the United States forever and that God approved of his plan. Accompanied by twenty-one other men, including three of Brown’s sons, and equipped with rifles and pikes, Brown and his raiders launched their attack on the night of Sunday, October 16, 1859. Some of the raiders captured local civilians as hostages, including Colonel Lewis Washington, great-grandnephew of George Washington, while others headed for the arsenal.
By the morning of October 17, townspeople had discovered the plot and forced Brown and his men into the arsenal’s engine room, which was where they made their last stand as local militia and US Marines attacked. By the following day, at least sixteen people, including members of Brown’s party and several townspeople, were dead and Brown and other remaining raiders were captured, imprisoned, and charged with treason and murder. Brown’s trial and subsequent execution galvanized the American public around the already profoundly contentious issue of slavery. The fallout from Brown’s raid likely hastened the secession of slaveholding states from the Union, igniting the Civil War. The primary sources in this set document John Brown’s raid and the broad range of responses it provoked across the country.
John Brown Daguerrotype
Examine the daguerreotype of John Brown. Why is Brown’s hand raised in the photograph? What might the flag in the picture represent? Read the excerpt from John Brown’s address to the court and explain how John Brown defends his actions during the raid on Harper’s Ferry. Do the daguerreotype of John Brown and the illustration of the swivel gun and pike support or oppose Brown’s defense of his actions? Why?
John Brown and the Engine House
Examine the print of the engine house occupied by John Brown and his raiders. What kind of activity is taking place outside of the engine house? Examine the print depicting Brown’s raiders and hostages in the interior of the engine house. Which men are the hostages and which men are the raiders? What ideas were the artists of each image trying to convey to the audience? Based on these images, did the artist of each sketch approve or disapprove of Brown’s raid
Raiders and Millita at the Railroad Bridge
Examine the print showing an encounter between raiders and the militia at the railroad bridge and explain how an antislavery American and a proslavery American might have interpreted this image differently.
Comparing George B. cheever's Sermon and Edward Everett's Speech
Read the excerpt from George B. Cheever’s sermon. How does Cheever describe John Brown as a person? How does Cheever connect Brown’s actions to his Christian duty? According to Cheever, what is the “great lesson of this tragedy?” According to the excerpt from Edward Everett’s speech, would he agree with Rev. Cheever? Why or why not?
Dirge
What is the main idea of the “Dirge” printed on the program for the commemorative town hall meeting? According to their speeches delivered in the US Senate eleven days later, would Senators Clement Clay and William Gwin agree or disagree with this portrayal? How did Clay and Gwin think that Brown’s raid would affect national politics?
Comparing John Brown Songs
Read the lyrics of the songs entitled “John Brown’s Body” and “Old John Brown: A Song for Every Southern Man.” What was the purpose of each of these songs? Who were the intended audiences for each? Can you think of any other songs written in response to newsworthy events such as John Brown’s raid?
Remembering John Brown
Examine the photograph of John Brown’s tombstone, the buttons from the clothing of John Brown’s raiders, and the photograph of “John Brown’s Fort." What do you notice about John Brown’s grave? Why are there three names on the tombstone? Why do you think the three buttons are now artifacts in a museum? Who might have renamed the Engine Room “John Brown’s Fort”? What does each of these sources suggest about John Brown’s legacy?
John Brown from the viewpoint of white Southerners
Based on the speeches delivered in the US Senate and “Old John Brown: A Song for Every Southern Man,” describe the significance of John Brown’s raid for white southerners.
Class Room Activities
- Ask students to select a nineteenth-century abolitionist and write a letter about John Brown’s raid to the editor of an antislavery newspaper such as The Liberator or Frederick Douglass’ Paper from that person’s perspective. Choices of abolitionists might include, but are not limited to, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Henry Highland Garnet, William Lloyd Garrison, Henry Ward Beecher, or Lucretia Mott. Students might use the excerpt from John Brown’s address, the program for the commemorative town hall meeting, the excerpt from George B. Cheever’s sermon, and the excerpt from Edward Everett’s speech to inform their letters, but may also conduct outside research about the abolitionist of their choosing to see how they responded to John Brown’s raid.
- Based on their analysis of the print of the engine house occupied by John Brown and his raiders, the print depicting Brown’s raiders and hostages in the interior of the engine house, and the print of an encounter between raiders and the militia at the railroad bridge, ask students to consider how images in newspapers might have shaped Americans’ reactions to Brown’s raid. Ask students to gather examples of documentary photographs about a topic in the news today to share with the class and discuss how the American public consumes news through images. Finally, have students take a photograph that captures an issue or current event in their community and write a caption for it. Students will present their photographs to the class and explain what they think it conveys.
Additional Resources
- “John Brown’s Day of Reckoning,” Smithsonian Magazine, October 2009.
- “The Harpers Ferry 'Rising' That Hastened Civil War,” NPR, October 22, 2011.