Movement1859
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), hoping to incite an armed revolt against slavery. The raid was suppressed by U.S. Marines under Colonel Robert E. Lee, and Brown was later tried and executed.
Why It Matters
Brown's raid intensified the national debate over slavery and deepened the sectional crisis that would lead to the Civil War less than two years later.