Harper's Ferry Raid

Harper's Ferry Raid was a 1859 attempt by abolitionist John Brown to initiate a slave uprising. Brown and his followers seized the federal armory in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), hoping to arm slaves for rebellion. The plan failed when local forces and the U.S. Marines, led by Robert E. Lee, quickly suppressed the raid. Brown was captured, tried for treason, and executed. The incident heightened tensions over slavery in the United States, intensifying the divide that eventually led to the Civil War.