CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
In October 1859, abolitionist John Brown and a small group of white and Black men slipped across the border between Maryland and Virginia (now West Virginia) with a plan to occupy the federal arsenal, armory, and rifle factory at Harper's Ferry. Brown hoped to provoke an uprising by enslaved and free Black men that would lead to a war to abolish slavery.
The raiders seized the federal buildings and cut the telegraph wires. Expecting Black men in the vicinity to join him, Brown and his men waited in the armory while the townspeople surrounded the building and fired on the raiders. By daybreak on October 18, U.S. Marines under the command of Brevet Colonel Robert E. Lee stormed Brown's position in the arsenal's engine house and captured or killed most of his force. Brown was tried and convicted of treason against Virginia. He accepted the sentence and declared that he had acted in accordance with God's commandments. The state's governor, Henry A. Wise, refused pleas to treat John Brown with leniency and he was hanged on December 2, 1859.
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry inflamed public opinion about slavery and the abolitionist movement. Many Southern slaveholders feared that other abolitionists would also incite insurrections of enslaved people and spread violence throughout the South.
Artist David Hunter Strother (1816–1888), from Martinsburg, Virginia (now part of West Virginia), created this drawing of John Brown in 1859. Strother was one of the best-known illustrators in the United States at that time, having had achieved fame as "Porte Crayon" for a series of illustrated articles on Virginia in Harper's New Monthly Magazine.
Citation: Strother, David Hunter. Portrait of John Brown. 1859. Pierre Morand Memorial, Special Collections, Library of VirginiaStandards
Art: 4.1, 5.1
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Artistic Exploration: Study the portrait of John Brown. In other depictions of the time period he was often portrayed as an unkempt radical and even a madman. From your perspective, what does this depiction of him reveal? Look at his profile, facial expression, and environmental setting; what, if anything, can you conclude?
Post Activities
Another Perspective: Why would some abolitionists join John Brown? Why would other abolitionists choose not to join in Brown’s plan? Consider the risks and political landscape of the period.
Current Connections: Compare Brown's actions to recent protests and challenges to government systems or decisions in the U.S. Which situations have the most in common with what happened at Harper's Ferry?