|
|
Article: From Civil War to Civil Rights; 150 Years Ago, John Brown -- Seen as Part-Saint, Part-Villain -- Led a Raid In Now-Pastoral Harpers Ferry, W.Va., That Fueled the Effort to End Slavery
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- October 15, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Washington Post. This material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
He had a safe house, weapons and a mole planted among
unsuspecting residents.
He had wealthy backers, a juicy military target near Washington
and fanatical followers ready to die for their cause.
He was a religious zealot who hated what he saw as an evil and
corrupt system. And 150 years ago this week, in what is now the
quaint tourist town of Harpers Ferry, W.Va., he fueled the
smoldering fires of the Civil War, helped doom slavery in the United
States and prepared the way for the civil rights movement and
beyond.
He was John Brown, an abolitionist patriarch who sired 20
children, directed his share of the bloodletting in "Bleeding
Kansas" and hoped to start a slave insurrection that would ...