Just before he was hanged for treason in December 1859, Brown wrote in a letter, “I, John Brown, am now quite certain, that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with blood." Brown’s hatred of slavery led him and his five sons to Kansas, where Brown made good on his belief that the sins of slavery could only be washed away with blood. On May 21, 1856, a band of proslavery men under the command of Sheriff Samuel Jones raided the town of Lawrence, burning the Free State Hotel, destroying the printing presses, and ransacking homes and stores. Three days later, Brown and his sons retaliated by leading an attack at Pottawatomie Creek, where they dragged five proslavery men from their homes and hacked them to death with broadswords. The sacking of Lawrence and the Pottawatomie Killings ignited warfare throughout eastern Kansas. In June, Brown engaged in the Battle of Blackjack, and at the end of August, joined in the fighting at Osawatomie, in which one of his sons was killed. Brown left Kansas for the last time in early 1859 while leading 11 slaves taken in raids in Missouri to freedom in Canada. On Oct. 16, Brown led 21 men in an attack on the United States arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, hoping to gather weapons to arm slaves for an insurrection. Armed citizens and federal troops under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, however, soon arrived. When the fighting ended, ten of Brown’s followers, including two of his sons, lay dead. Brown was tried and convicted of treason. On Dec. 2, 1859, he was taken to a place of execution and hanged. Condemned as a madman or hailed as a martyr, Brown helped plunge Kansas into violence, and forcibly divided a nation over the issue of slavery, bringing it to the brink of civil war.
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park
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Constitution Hall John Brown
Listen to the history of Topeka's first Statehouse and how it relates to John Brown.
Date created:
06/07/2023
Audio Transcript
Just before he was hanged for treason in December 1859, Brown wrote in a letter, “I, John Brown, am now quite certain, that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with blood." Brown’s hatred of slavery led him and his five sons to Kansas, where Brown made good on his belief that the sins of slavery could only be washed away with blood. On May 21, 1856, a band of proslavery men under the command of Sheriff Samuel Jones raided the town of Lawrence, burning the Free State Hotel, destroying the printing presses, and ransacking homes and stores. Three days later, Brown and his sons retaliated by leading an attack at Pottawatomie Creek, where they dragged five proslavery men from their homes and hacked them to death with broadswords. The sacking of Lawrence and the Pottawatomie Killings ignited warfare throughout eastern Kansas. In June, Brown engaged in the Battle of Blackjack, and at the end of August, joined in the fighting at Osawatomie, in which one of his sons was killed. Brown left Kansas for the last time in early 1859 while leading 11 slaves taken in raids in Missouri to freedom in Canada. On Oct. 16, Brown led 21 men in an attack on the United States arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, hoping to gather weapons to arm slaves for an insurrection. Armed citizens and federal troops under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, however, soon arrived. When the fighting ended, ten of Brown’s followers, including two of his sons, lay dead. Brown was tried and convicted of treason. On Dec. 2, 1859, he was taken to a place of execution and hanged. Condemned as a madman or hailed as a martyr, Brown helped plunge Kansas into violence, and forcibly divided a nation over the issue of slavery, bringing it to the brink of civil war.
Constitution Hall John Brown
Listen to the history of Topeka's first Statehouse and how it relates to John Brown.
Date created:
06/07/2023
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service