John Brown was born May 9, 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut and grew up in Ohio. In adulthood, Brown wandered from job to job and place to place. From the 1820's until his death, he was constantly in one kind of trouble or another. From failed business ventures to charges of illegal activities, Brown was continually involved in controversy of some sort.

By the 1850's John Brown was very interested in the issue of slavery. He envisioned emancipation by massive revolt of slaves in the South. During the struggle between pro- and anti-slavery factions in territorial Kansas in the 1850's, Brown and five of his sons played key roles.

Civil war had broken out in the territory and Brown was in command of a group of Free-Soil militia. Soon thereafter, a pro-slavery force had harassed the free town of Lawrence. In the eyes of John Brown, this called for bloody retaliation.

On the night of May 24, 1856, Brown and six others, including four of his sons, killed five helpless settlers in the Pottawatomie River country. The settlers were hacked with sabers. Although he took full responsibility for the act of terror, Brown was never caught.

Brown became obsessed by his abolitionist ideals and used his charismatic personality to influence and manipulate others. By 1858, he had the financial backing of many of the more prominent abolitionists in the northern states.

Harpers Ferry, at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers in Virginia, was chosen as the point of attack after months of planning, conspiracy, delay and diversion. Brown hoped to establish a base of operation in the mountains, where slaves and free blacks could come to form an army against slavery.

In nearby Maryland, Brown assembled 21 armed men. On October 16, 1859, this armed force seized the town of Harpers Ferry and occupied the federal arsenal located there. Within a few hours, local militia from nearby towns surrounded them.

Robert E. Lee and a force of federal troops arrived the next day. In the resulting skirmish, ten of Brown's "army" were killed and Brown himself was wounded. Oddly enough, the first casualty of the affair was a free black man.

After his capture and arrest, Brown was charged with treason. Held and tried in nearby Charles Town, he conducted himself with courage and displayed great skill in arousing anti-slavery sentiment. He was hailed by many as being a noble martyr, although southern whites were outraged and considered him a fanatical lunatic.

After being convicted, Brown was hanged near Charles Town, in what is now West Virginia, on December 2, 1859. These events greatly foreshadowed what was to come for the United States, as less than eighteen months later the nation was embroiled in a bitter civil war.