Secret Six
© Library of Congress
The Secret Six, also known as the Committee of Six, was a group of six wealthy men
that provided financial funding for John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. The secret
committee formed in March of 1858. Together they funded Brown’s activities, and
some members actively participated. After the disastrous raid on Harpers Ferry most
of the Secret Six abandoned Brown. Some pledged their support after he was hanged,
but Thomas Wentworth Higginson was the only one to publicly stand by him through
the entire ordeal.
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The Secret Six, also known as the Committee of Six, was a group of six wealthy men
that provided financial funding for John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Samuel
Howe, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Theodore Parker, Franklin Sanborn, Gerrit
Smith and George Luther Stearns all opposed slavery, but their prominence in
abolitionist circles and their contributions to Brown’s cause varied. After meeting
with John Brown and Gerrit Smith, Franklin Sanborn contacted the other four men,
and the committee was formed in March of 1858 (Sanborn 463). Smith and Stearns
were the wealthiest of the six; each donated a large amount of money—Smith was
also a very well known abolitionist. Parker and Higginson were the most radical
members of the committee; Howe was the least enthusiastic among them.
The secret committee formed in March of 1858 (Sanborn 463). Brown’s radicalism
made him a dangerous person to socialize with, even amongst abolitionists. When
Brown began making plans for his raid on Harpers Ferry many abolitionists,
including Frederick Douglass, tried to convince him not to go through with it, but
the Secret Six backed him without question. Stearns went so far as to provide
weapons.
The Raid on Harpers Ferry was disastrous. Most of his men, including two of his
sons, were killed and Brown was arrested. As word spread of his arrest, each
member of the Secret Six reacted differently. Fearing the repercussions of being
associated with Brown, Howe published a disclaimer and fled the United States,
Smith burned all correspondence that would link him to Brown and Stearns fled to
Canada but returned after Brown’s execution. Higginson was the only member of
this committee to publicly stand by Brown immediately following the raid.
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Works Cited & Further Reading
Parker, Theodore. John Brown’s Expedition Reviewed in a Letter from Rev. Theodore
Parker at Rome, to Francis Jackson, Boston. Boston: The Fraternity, 1860.
Renehan, Edward. The Secret Six: The True Tale of the Men who Conspired with John
Brown. University of South Carolina Press, 1997.
Sanborn, Franklin. The Life and Letters of John Brown: Liberator of Kansas, and
Martyr of Virginia. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1891.
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