John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (Cornerstones of Freedom)

By: Brendan January

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Synopsis: On October 16, 1859, John Brown led an "army" of eighteen men to an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Brown's hope was to cause a slave rebellion in the surrounding area, which would spread throughout the South. Escaped slaves would then establish their own free state in the Allegheny Mountains, which are part of the Appalachian Mountain system and stretch from Virginia into Pennsylvania. Brown's raid was unsuccessful -- he was captured, tried for crimes against the State of Virginia, convicted, and hung by the end of that year. However, he succeeded in his desire to bring about a definitive answer to the "question" of slavery. His raid on Harpers Ferry deepened the division between northerners who opposed slavery and southerners who wished to preserve their way of life.