Life and Activities of John Brown, 1800–1859
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1. Torrington,
Connecticut
Indian
May 1800:
John BrownAR
is born.
Territory
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VA
KY
2. Hudson, Ohio
June 1805: Brown’s parents move the family to Hudson,
Ohio, an area where many anti-slavery advocates are
settling.
3. Randolph Township, Pennsylvania
May 1826: John Brown moves with his wife and
children—of which he would eventually have 20—to
run a tannery.
4. Franklin Mills, Ohio
1836: Struggling financially, Brown borrows money
to purchase land in Franklin Mills, Ohio, only to lose
everything in the Panic of 1837. In 1842 Brown files
for bankruptcy.
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8. Boston, Massachusetts
January 4, 1857: Notorious after the murders at
Pottawatomie Creek, Brown travels to Boston,
Massachusetts, and begins fundraising with Franklin
Sanborn for abolitionist activities.
9. New York, New York
January 24, 1857: Sanborn and Brown travel to New
York to meet with the National Kansas Committee, a
group working to raise resources for antislavery
groups in Kansas.
10. New England
1857–1859: Brown travels through New England—
including New Haven, New York, Springfield, Syracuse,
and Worcester—to garner support and raise money
0
200 miles
200 km
SC
11. Boston, Massachusetts
February 18, 1857: Speaking before a joint
committee of the Massachusetts legislature, Brown
asks for $100,000 for the Free State (antislavery)
Party in Kansas.
12. Collinsville, Connecticut
March 1, 1857: Brown meets with blacksmith Charles
Blair about making some weapons.
13. Concord, Massachusetts
March 12, 1857: At the Concord Town Hall, Brown
lectures about the necessity of violence in the fight
against slavery.
February 22, 1858: Brown tells Franklin Sanborn and
Gerrit Smith of his plan to raid a weapons arsenal in
Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and incite a slave revolt. A
meeting of the ”Secret Six“ is called for.
May 8, 1857: Brown tells a group of AfricanAmerican leaders of his plan to incite a slave revolt.
16. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
August 16, 1859: Brown meets with Frederick
Douglass in Pennsylvania to solicit Douglass’s
support and participation in the Harpers Ferry raid.
Douglass refuses.
17. Harpers Ferry, Virginia
1859: In July, using the alias Isaac Smith, Brown rents
a farmhouse a few miles away from Harpers Ferry.
On October 16, Brown leads 21 men in the raid on
the Federal Armory and Arsenal, but within 36 hours
almost all of Brown’s men are captured or killed by
local militia and the U.S. Marines.
18. Charlestown, Virginia
November–December 2, 1859: Authorities bring
Brown to Charlestown, Virginia, where he is tried
and convicted of treason. On December 2 Brown is
hanged.
19. North Elba, New York
December 1859: Brown’s second wife, Mary, buries
John Brown in the free black community of North
Elba, New York.
Source: Data from American Experience: “John Brown’s Holy War,” PBS Online.
© Infobase Learning
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
NCcause. A group of welathy white
for the abolitionist
abolitionists known as the ”Secret Six“ provide
funding.
15. Chatham, Canada
1855: John Brown and five of his adult sons travel to
Kansas, a state in the midst of conflict surrounding
its slavery status. In retribution for the destruction of
Lawrence, Kansas, by proslavery militants, Brown
leads a group of men to Pottawatomie Creek where
they murder five proslavery settlers.
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6. Springfield, Ohio
7. Osawatomie, Kansas
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14. Peterboro, New York
1851: Brown meets Frederick Douglass in Springfield,
Ohio. Brown helps establish the League of
Gileadites, which works with the Underground
Railroad to assist fugitive slaves.
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PA
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5. North Elba, New York
1849: Brown and his family move to North Elba, New
York, where a wealthy abolitionist had given 120,000
acres of land to free blacks. The land is difficult to
farm and Brown offers to assist.
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Minnestota
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