Who was the abolitionist at Harpers Ferry?

abolitionist John Brown
Militant American abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now in West Virginia), in 1859 that he hoped would spark a slave rebellion.

Who founded Harpers Ferry?

Robert Harper
The town was settled in 1734 by Robert Harper, who established a ferry across the Potomac and a grist mill on the Shenandoah. The site was selected by President George Washington for a federal armoury because of its waterpower potential and was purchased from Harper’s heirs in 1796.

Why did Harpers Ferry happen?

John Brown believed he could free enslaved people, and he selected Harpers Ferry as his starting point. Determined to seize the 100,000 weapons at the Arsenal and to use the Blue Ridge Mountains for guerrilla warfare, abolitionist Brown launched his raid on Sunday evening, October 16, 1859.

Who was involved in the Harpers Ferry?

Harpers Ferry Raid: October 16-18, 1859

On October 18, a company of U.S. Marines, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee (1808-70) and Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart (1833-64), overran Brown and his followers.

Was Harpers Ferry Confederate?

As Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia advanced down the Shenandoah Valley into Maryland, he planned to capture the garrison at Harpers Ferry to secure his line of supply back to Virginia.

Battle of Harpers Ferry.
DateSeptember 12, 1862–September 15, 1862
ResultConfederate victory

Was Jeb Stuart at Harpers Ferry?

A Regular Army veteran who participated in the capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859, Stuart fought well at the First Battle of Manassas (1861) but became a Confederate hero the following summer when he led 1,200 troopers in a famous ride around Union general George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac.

Why is Harpers Ferry so popular?

Historically, Harpers Ferry is best known for John Brown’s raid in 1859, in which he attempted to use the town and the weapons in its Federal Armory (munitions plant) as the base for a slave revolt, to expand south into the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Was Harpers Ferry the start of the Civil War?

Harpers Ferry Raid, (October 16–18, 1859), assault by an armed band of abolitionists led by John Brown on the federal armoury located at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now in West Virginia). It was a main precipitating incident to the American Civil War.

Why is Harpers Ferry important to the Confederates?

But the military value of Harpers Ferry remained important. It served as a key base of supply for Union operations in the Shenandoah Valley, and served to protect the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad – important Union transportation corridors.

How did Harpers Ferry lead to the Civil War quizlet?

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 group gained control of the arms but were surrounded by General Lee’s men.

What was John Brown’s opinion on abolitionism?

John Brown was a leading figure in the abolitionist movement in the pre-Civil War United States. Unlike many anti-slavery activists, he was not a pacifist and believed in aggressive action against slaveholders and any government officials who enabled them.

Why did abolitionist John Brown want to capture the military arsenal at Harpers Ferry?

Brown’s dramatic raid of the federal military arsenal was intended to spark a slave uprising. On October 16, 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led a small raid on the U.S. military arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in hopes of inciting a slave rebellion and eventually a free state for African Americans.

Did John Brown’s raid start the Civil War?

In 1859, abolitionist John Brown was responsible for one of the most important events that led to the American Civil War. On October 16, Brown led a group of twenty-one men on a raid of Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia).

How does Thoreau characterize Brown?

Thoreau viewed Brown as a hero and as a “man of rare common sense and directness of speech, as of action; a transcendentalist above all, a man of ideas and principles.” The fact that Thoreau, a leader of the American transcendentalism movement, characterized Brown as a “transcendentalist above all” truly showed …

Did Harriet Tubman know John Brown?

Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy.

What did John Brown do at Harpers Ferry?

Abolitionist John Brown leads a small group on a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed revolt of enslaved people and destroy the institution of slavery.

Did Thoreau meet John Brown?

Thoreau’s acquaintance with John Brown in 1857 (after the latter left Boston by train to Concord and dined at Cynthia Brown’s boarding house table) caused Thoreau to perceive him as an “old-fashioned man in respect for the constitution, and in faith of the permanence of this Union.” His kinship with the “heroic …

Was Thoreau an abolitionist?

Thoreau was an ardent and outspoken abolitionist, serving as a conductor on the underground railroad to help escaped slaves make their way to Canada. He wrote strongly-worded attacks on the Fugitive Slave Law (“Slavery in Massachusetts”) and on the execution of John Brown.

What did the abolitionists do?

The abolitionists saw slavery as an abomination and an affliction on the United States, making it their goal to eradicate slave ownership. They sent petitions to Congress, ran for political office and inundated people of the South with anti-slavery literature.

What is Thoreau’s main argument in A Plea for Captain John Brown?

Brown’s commitment to justice and adherence to the United States Constitution forced him to fight state-sponsored injustice, one he was only affected by in spirit. A unique man, Thoreau proclaimed in admiration, Brown was highly moral and humane.

What did Thoreau say about John Brown?

On October 30, 1859, shortly after the arrest of John Brown after the failed raid on Harpers Ferry, Thoreau spoke in defense of Brown before the citizens of Concord. Brown’s movement, he said, “is, in my opinion, the greatest service a man can render to God.” Mary E. Stearns attended was present at this speech.

What does Brown say were his intentions in raiding Harpers Ferry and what assertions does he deny?

John Brown summary: John Brown was a radical abolitionist whose fervent hatred of slavery led him to seize the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry in October 1859. It is widely believed his intention was to arm slaves for a rebellion, though he denied that.