Description: Photographic reproduction of a daguerreotype of abolitionist John Brown, ca. 1847. The original daguerreotype was made by African-American photographer Augustus Washington. At the time the daguerreotype was made John Brown was 42 years old and living in Massachusetts. John Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00523
Subjects: Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History John Brown's Raid, 1859;
Places: Massachusetts