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Links: Pictures: [] ap images search link []

Lee's Report on the Raid: []

Event overview, general history: []

pictures, letters: []

Good site: Info about the trail, transcripts, thoreau's plea, pictures etc []

general history with some good first person links: []

old drawings of john brown; attack, trial [] Ava stopped here  Newspapers [both sides]: [] [] Political Cartoons: []

History, quotes, all sorts of good stuff, []

Brown's provisional constitution []

Sound effects: [] Kristen's Sites: [] http://www.theliberatorfiles.com/harpers-ferry-john-brown-letter-from-frederick-douglass/ http://www.theliberatorfiles.com/ralph-waldo-emerson-on-john-brown/

Outline for the movie:

Introduction: Why John Brown was important: Polarized North and South, inspired abolitionists, convinced the south that conflict over slavery was inevitable, provided a catalyst for the civil war

What happened: Basics of what happened on the raid, John brown’s arrest

Immediate reactions: Condemnation from both the north and south

John Brown’s courtroom trial: Behaved with dignity, showed his beliefs that blacks were truly equal, didn’t seem crazy but simply moved by deep belief

Positive reactions in the North -this angered the south even more, divided them

John Brown’s hanging -kissing the black baby, made into a martyr by the north []

Brown’s Legacy: Douglass 20 years later; Condemned by the south, martyred by the north; he polarized the nation and increased sectional divides; he convinced the south that violence would happen over slavery anyways; basically a catalyst for the civil war http://www.archives.gov/midatlantic/public/john-brown.html

[]  Personal ID: anidori Password: ava123 Off-campus username and password: thayer, general list name- John Brown Project 

Introduction:  Hero and villain, saint and psychopath, martyr and murderer; every title imaginable has been applied to John Brown, one of history’s most controversial figures. His deep loathing of slavery led him to massacre five pro-slavery men at Pottawatomie Creek in Kansas in 1856. Then three years later in an assault that shocked the nation, he and twenty-two of his followers attempted to raid the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and start a slave revolt that would spread through the entire South. Though initially condemned by all, his dignity and sincere belief in the rights of blacks up to the moment of his death made him into a martyr for the North; at the same time, his actions convinced the South that violence over slavery was inevitable if the North and South stayed as one nation. John Brown’s plan for the immediate rescue of the slaves failed; however in the long term he polarized the north and south and provided a catalyst for the Civil War, a war that led to the death of slavery. 

What Happened:  In 1859, a man going by the name of Issac Smith rented a farm near Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. Here this man, in reality John Brown, trained a group of 22 men in military maneuvers and devised a scheme by which he could raid the arsenal at Harpers Ferry and begin a slave revolt that would spread through the entire south. His plan was to capture the weapons of the arsenal and escape before news reached Washington. He believed that local slaves would rise up and join him; and then with a large, armed force of his group and the slaves, they could continue through the south to free others and start a chain reaction of revolts. On October 16th, Brown and his men marched into Harpers Ferry, took several prisoners, and seized the arsenal. Then, his plan began to go downhill. His men detained a passing train for five hours; but then let it continue on its way. The conductor immediately alerted authorities in Washington, who sent down a troop of Marines headed by Robert E Lee to obtain the surrender of Brown’s rebels. No slaves rose up to help him; the townspeople and local militia attacked, killed several of his men and trapped him in the arsenal. Lee arrived on October 18th and demanded that the rebels surrender; when they refused, he sent in a group of Marines to capture them. Only a handful of Brown’s men escaped; the rest were either captured like Brown himself, or killed. John Brown’s raid was officially crushed. 

Immediate negative  The nation was stunned by this unexpected attack. There was huge outrage over his actions. The south claimed that he committed treason, he was an axe murderer, and demonic. The Richmond  // Inquirer //  echoed most of the South when it declared, “The Harpers Ferry invasion has advanced the cause of Disunion more than any other event that has happened since the formation of the Government. …” Robert Lee, who captured Brown, called it a “the grossest outrage against law and order.” Even the North thought that Brown was wrong. The  // Leader // <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"> Newspaper thought the whole affair was “positively ridiculous,” an the New York <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"> // Tribune //  <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"> called it “the work of a madman." Even the <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"> // Liberator //  <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">, Boston’s abolitionist organ, called Brown’s raid a “misguided, wild and apparently insane, though disinterested and well-intended effort by insurrection to emancipate the slaves.” <span style="color: #008000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> His longtime friend Frederick Douglass likewise condemned his actions for being too extreme. Before the raid:"You're walking into a perfect steel-trap," he said to Brown, "and you will never get out alive." He claimed that he never encouraged the idea at all and did not promise any kind of result. “The taking of Harper’s Ferry was a measure never encouraged by my word or by my vote, at any time or place…. I therefore declare that there is no man living, and no man dead, who, if living, could truthfully say that I ever promised him or anybody else, either conditionally or otherwise, that I would be present in person at the Harper’s Ferry insurrection. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> mixed options: Some people classified John Brown as a martyr and some saw him as a madman. Though some had polar views of the antislavery man, a group of people was still on the fence about how they felt towards him. Du Bois, an abolitionist, commented that “we do not believe in violence, neither the despised violence of the raid nor the lauded violence of the solider, nor the barbarous violence of the mob, but we do believe in John Brown, in that incarnate spirit of justice…and here on the scene of John Brown’s martydom we reconsecrate ourselves, our honor, or posterity, to the final emancipation of the race which John Brown died to make free.”

Immediate support:

//<span style="color: #b71f5b; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Once the basic principle of the necessity of abolishing slavery was agreed upon, it became impossible to dismiss Brown simply as a madman. For, as Garrison, the greatest pacifist of them all, was willing to admit, history had proven moral suasion to be in- sufficient, and violence became the justifiable last resort for men and women who could not accept the continued existence of slavery in the United States.” //<span style="color: #b71f5b; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">

Some abolitionists were able to see past the violence and envision the long-desired freedom ringing throughout the country. John Brown had rallied an acceptable amount of support even before his raid. He was backed by New England abolitionists, collectively known as the “Secret Six”. They financially supported Brown by raising $4000 that was mostly used for sustaining Brown and his group during their delayed start. Following the raid, Thoreau was the first person to make a public statement praising Brown’s action as “the best news America has ever had.” He believed that he rightfully followed his inner-voice and ignored the fact that it led him to battle. Brown “carried out the purpose of life” in the eyes of all transcendentalists. Perhaps the greatest praise of John Brown came from Thoreau himself. He complimented Brown by believing that “no man in America has ever stood up so persistently and effectively for the dignity of human nature.” While in jail, his support only grew. John Quincy Adams wrote to Governor Wise of Virginia and castigated him for being involved with the scheduled hanging of Brown. “How can you sit as the chief magistrate of that once patriotic state, bow yourself before this Moloch, while the blood of liberty is dropping from the Declaration of Independence?” A random citizen who was a stranger to Brown wrote a letter and offered to be hanged in place of Brown. Many people wanted to see Brown rescued, and at least one attempt was planned, by John personally felt that his hanging would further the antislavery cause.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 99%;">Though the entire nation was initially appalled by John Brown’s actions, during his trial his dignity in the courtroom and the purity and strength of his anti-slavery convictions began to win him support in the North.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">John brown's Trial: **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 96.8%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"I have, may it please the court, a few words to say. In the first place, I deny everything but what I have all along admitted -- the design on my part to free the slaves. That was all I intended. I never did intend murder, or treason, or the destruction of property, or to excite or incite slaves to rebellion, or to make insurrection.
 * Movie:**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I have another objection; and that is, it is unjust that I should suffer such a penalty. Had I interfered in the manner which I admit --had I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of any of their friends--either father, mother, brother, sister, wife, or children, or any of that class--and suffered and sacrificed what I have in this interference, it would have been all right; and every man in this court would have deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than punishment.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">This court acknowledges, as I suppose, the validity of the law of God. I see a book kissed here which I suppose to be the Bible, or at least the New Testament. That teaches me that all things whatsoever I would that men should do to me, I should do even so to them. It teaches me, further, to "remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them." I endeavored to act up to that instruction. I believe that to have interfered as I have done--as I have always freely admitted I have done--in behalf of His despised poor was not wrong, but right. Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments--I submit; so let it be done! " **Hanging** <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> John Brown stepped out of his cell on the morning of December 2, 1859 guarded by John Avis. Avis had been in charge of Brown for seven weeks and out of appreciation, Brown gave him his silver watch. Brown also left behind a note to the world, his last mark on history. "I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with Blood. I had...vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed, it might be done." 1500 soldiers stood around Brown to prevent his escape. No civilian was even allowed within hearing distance of the gallows. Avis tightened the noose around Brown’s neck. The brave firmness with which Brown stood awaiting his death provoked strong words from journalists and politicians. Edmund Ruffin said, "He is as thorough a fanatic as ever suffered martyrdom and a very brave and able man...It is impossible for me not to respect his thorough devotion to his bad cause." John Wilkes Booth stated, "I looked at the traitor and terrorizer with unlimited, undeniable contempt." The sheriff slashed the rope that held Brown’s life with a quick blow. Brown dropped through the platform, a white linen hood covering his dead eyes. John Brown’s Holy War was dead. A Virginia colonel chanted "So perish all such enemies of Virginia! All such enemies of the Union! All such foes of the human race!" The South rejoiced the death of their enemy while the North mourned for their martyr. Church bells rang in the north and Henry David Thoreau cried "This morning, Captain Brown was hung. He is not Old Brown any longer; he is an angel of light."

Later, feelings towards Brown started to shift. 11 years later a picture was printed in 1870 titles “John Brown, the martyr”. Public opinion was mirrored in this drawing of Brown going to his way to his execution. A scowling and evil-looking soldier guards Brown as a slave mother and her baby reach towards Brown. In 1884 “the Last moments of John Brown” was completed showing menacing armed soldiers keeping people back while another slave mother offers her baby to Brown.

John Brown's Legacy: John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry to end slavery was a total failure- in the short term. In the long term, it polarized the nation, with the North believing him to be a martyr for the abolitionist cause, and the South thinking that he was a dangerous lunatic. The bloodshed at Harpers Ferry convinced the South that there was no way that the two halves of the nation could live peacefully together while slavery existed- and thus secession was the only route to peace. In 1881, Fredrick Douglass, who had once condemned Brown’s actions, now praised him. “If John Brown did not end the war that ended slavery, he did at least begin the war that ended slavery…. When John Brown stretched forth his arm the sky was cleared. The time for compromises was gone – the armed hosts of freedom stood face to face over the chasm of a broken Union – and the clash of arms was at hand.” John Brown became a catalyst for the civil war- a war that would finally lead to the 13th Amendment and the abolition of slavery.