Brown's Raid

Brown's Raid was a planned attack in 1859 by abolitionist John Brown to seize the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), intending to arm enslaved people and start a widespread uprising against slavery. Brown and his small group took control of the armory but were quickly surrounded by U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee. After a brief firefight, Brown was captured. His raid heightened tensions over slavery, escalating national divisions that eventually contributed to the Civil War. Brown was later tried, convicted of treason, and executed, becoming a symbol of militant anti-slavery effort.