“In the Cause of Freedom”
WebQuest: John Brown’s Raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia
Adapted from: http://www.nwlsd.org/polljo/jbweb/index.htm
As an incompetent businessman who frequently defaulted on his debts, John Brown would likely not have
been remembered by History had it not been for his
abolitionist zeal, which peaked just as the nation
was on the brink of a civil war. He first drew
national attention in 1856 during the "Bleeding
Kansas" conflict, when he led a band of men who
killed five proslavery men in response to an attack
on the antislavery settlement at Lawrence. Brown
once again made headlines in October of 1859 as he
led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry,
Virginia. His goal was to arm his small band of
followers and the slaves that would surely join them
as he led "a mighty conquest" down the
Appalachians on the path to destroy slavery. His
raid failed and he was executed soon after, but the
damage had been done.
Abolitionists in the North hailed him while Southern
newspapers vilified him: Massachusetts clergyman
Theodore Parker pronounced him "not only a martyr
. . . but also a SAINT." Henry David Thoreau labeled
him "a crucified hero." A Baltimore newspaper
asked if the people of the South could afford any
longer "to live under a government, the majority of
whose subjects or citizens regard John Brown as a
martyr and Christian hero?" The South answered
with a resounding "NO!" Yet perhaps abolitionist
Frederick Douglass, himself a former slave, put
John Brown in perspective better than anyone else:
"His zeal in the cause of freedom was infinitely superior to mine. . . . Mine was as the taper light; his was as
the burning sun. I could live for the slave; John Brown could die for him."
INTRODUCTION
It has been said that "America was founded on breaking the law." That said, is it ever right to break the
law? If so, when? If not, why not? Many Americans believed that slavery was wrong for a variety of reasons,
but few were willing to resort to violence and treason to end it. John Brown was, and now we will look back
at his actions in late 1859 and how they helped push the United States into a civil war less than eighteen
months later. You will be examining both primary and secondary sources and, with your partner, you will
help decide how John Brown should be remembered.
TASK
The President is undecided as to whether John Brown should be remembered as a hero or reviled as
“America’s original terrorist.” He has given you the task of deciding how John Brown should be
remembered.
Step 1: Read, Watch and Research
Using the websites below, you and your partner will read about John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry.
1. http://www.wvculture.org/History/jnobrown.html
2. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/brown/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0_7ajgv3d4
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjSXWYDKpAY
Step 2: Record Your Findings
As you
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research, answer the following questions/tasks in your composition notebook:
Create a timeline of the 7 most important events of John Brown’s life.
How was John Brown involved in the abolition movement before Harpers Ferry?
What did Brown hope to accomplish with his raid? Why was Harpers Ferry the target of Brown’s
raid?
□ What were the events that unfolded at Harpers Ferry?
□ What was the outcome of Brown’s raid? Was it successful? Were Brown and the raiders
caught/tried?
□ What was the North’s response to the raid? What was the South’s response to the raid?
Step 3: Create
After
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you answer the questions and have completed your research, you must create one of the following
A wanted poster for “America’s Original Terrorist”
A monument to an American abolitionist who gave his life for the cause of ending slavery
A 30 second iMovie version of one of the previous two choices
ALL PROJECTS ARE DUE BY TUESDAY, MARCH 15 AT 2:35 P.M.
PROJECTS ARE WORTH 25 POINTS AND WILL APPLY TOWARDS THE LAST 9-WEEK GRADING PERIOD