oct 16, 1859 - John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
Description:
The anti-slavery zealot John Brown, fresh off of raids a part of Bleeding Kansas, organized a small band of men to seize the US arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. There, he believed that he could organize a slave rebellion all throughout the South. The slave rebellion did not happen and Brown soon found his men surrounded by federal troops under Robert E. Lee. He was captured and hanged for treason. As a result, many southerners believed that they were unsafe within the union and that the Republicans (incorrectly) supported the raid.
Added to timeline:
The Impending Crisis: Immediate Causes of the Civil War
Oliver Blum
Becerra
AP US History 3rd Period
Date:
