- Brown outraged by pro-slavery violence in Kansas, moves family there in 1856, stopping en-route to purchase two broad swords from trader - After repeated attacks upon antislavery slavery settlements from Pro-Slavery forces Brown looks to react -Moves out with posse and massacres 5 Pro-Slavery men -On October 16 th 1859 Brown carries out radical plan to incite revolution in south -Arming freed slaves with pikes and rifles Brown and company seize Federal Armory in Harpers Ferry Virginia -Raid is crushed by Southern forces and Brown is taken into custody, tried, and executed -John Browns approach to equality was so void of racism, sets him apart from other abolitionists of the period -Lived his life according to morals and values in relation to egalitarianism and freedom -Forced Southerners to seriously consider the fortitude of Northerners in their convictions against slavery -One analysis of Brown -and his actions has concluded the man, insane. -John Brown's seizure of the Federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry was the extraordinary act of a fanatic, if not of a psychopathic crank -Ralph Volney Harlow James C Malin writing in the 1940s argues that Brown was motivated by a desire to steal and kill, not by anti slavery feelings. - More recently though in 2007 David Reynolds describes a sane, logical antislavery activist -Brown had a significant impact upon African Americans -David Reynolds claims No white person in history has arouse such warm admiration -In the early historical record in 1909 W.E.B Dubois wrote that Browns actions were deliberatley for the African American family and its survival -Many prominent intellectuals cite Brown as inspiration -In the 2000s a debate about the originality of Browns violence appears. -Franny Nudelman( 2001) argues abolitionism was moving toward a more violent trend with the approach of the war -This is reflected in James Mcphearsons work which notices an increase in slavery as a justification for the Civil War -In 2007 Reynolds argues to the contrary, that Browns motivation and follow through set him apart from other anti- slavery advocates -While many sources, particularly writing from 1900s-1940s argue insanity, Brown was sane - Brown logically responded to Governments inaction in relation to slavery -Had and still has a profound effect on African Americans due to views and actions void of racism -Set apart from abolitionists at the time due to his use of violent actions and words - Radical because of his preparedness to die for his beliefs