John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 was an attempt by abolitionist John Brown to initiate an armed uprising against slavery in the United States. He and a small group seized the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), aiming to arm enslaved people and overthrow the institution of slavery. The plan was quickly suppressed by U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee, and Brown was captured and later executed. The raid intensified tensions between North and South, highlighting the deep divisions over slavery that eventually led to the Civil War.