When it comes to John Brown’s raid, nothing is black and white
John Brown: friend or foe?
| By Mieke Bleeker
“John Brown’s body lies moldering in the grave, While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save; But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave, His soul is marching on.” ‘John Brown’s Body’ […]
February 13, 2020
Crossroads of Abolitionists
| By Mieke Bleeker
Why John Brown opposed slavery in the way he did is hard to say. We know that as a twelve-year-old, he witnessed a slave boy about his age being severely beaten with an iron fire shovel, which shocked him […]
February 10, 2020
Was John Brown’s failed raid still a success?
| By Mieke Bleeker
Just over a week after his capture, John Brown stood trial. He was charged with treason, conspiracy and murder. It must have been quite a sight: the courtroom was packed with witnesses, journalists and spectators, while John Brown was […]
February 6, 2020
The raid: “Men, get on your arms, we will proceed to the Ferry”
| By Mieke Bleeker
John Brown, a white man, was a fierce opponent of slavery who saw the enslavement of black people as a sin against God. At an anti-slavery convention in Canada in 1858, he proposed the creation of a free state […]
February 3, 2020