John+Brown's+Raid+on+Harper's+Ferry,+WV

= __John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry, WV__ = By: Andrew Zelano

__Key Terms__
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 * Harper's Ferry~** A United States Armory and Arsenal in West Virginia.
 * Abolitionists~** A person who advocated or supported the abolition of slavery in the U.S.
 * Arsenal~** An establishment for the manufacturing of arms and military equipment.

__What Happened?__
On October 16, 1859 John Brown and 21 other men set out on their raid. The plan was to raid the federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, and arm slaves with the weapons from the arsenal. The plan seemed like it would work, but within 36 hours of the raid most of John Brown's men were either captured or killed. Local farmers, militiamen, and marines led by Robert E. Lee took out Brown's raiders. John Brown was one of the first men to be wounded and captured. He was quickly transported to Charlestown, Virginia. He was given a trial and was sentenced to death for treason. John Brown was hung December 2nd, 1859. !~AZ~!

__How Does it relate to the Civil War?__
John Brown's raid was a spark in the Civil War. It showed Abolitionist across the country that it was time for action. It also set a spark for confederates. it made them believe that war was right around the corner, so both sides were getting angry and violent. John Brown's raid was one of the first planned attacks of the Civil War.

!~AZ~! **__Questions__** What was the main mission of the raid on Harper's Ferry? !~AZ~!



__Primary Source__
"I believe to have interfered as I have done, . . . in behalf of His despised poor, was not wrong, but right. Now, if it be 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."

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 * Before John Brown's sentence he was allowed to make an address to the court. This is his famous words to Charlestown's court.**

**__Helpful Links__**

http://www.wvculture.org/history/jnobrown.html This link is an all around summary on John Brown and his raid on Harper's Ferry. It is a decent sized summary, that has good details on John's life and the raid.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1550.html This is a quick, easy summary on the raid. It gives many details and mainly talks about what happened on the raid and what happened after the raid. !~AZ~!

__Works Cited__
"John Brown." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. Web. 13 June 2011. .

"John Brown." //Encyclopedia of World Biography 2004//. Gale Group, 2004. Print.

"John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid." //West Virginia Division of Culture and History//. Web. 13 June 2011. .

Reynolds, David S. //John Brown, Abolitionist: the Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights//. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Print.

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