Abolitionist John Brown leads a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, hoping to spark a war to end slavery.
At a Glance
- Date
- 16 October 1859
- Location
- Harpers Ferry, Virginia
- Key people
- John Brown, Frederick Douglass (consulted)
- Category
- Abolition & Slavery
- Source
- Harpers Ferry accounts (1859) · National Park Service
What It Meant Then
Though it failed, it electrified abolitionists and terrified the slaveholding South.
What It Means Now
The raid is seen as a major catalyst of the Civil War.
Also on 16 October
Cite this page
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- APA
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- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “John Brown Raids Harpers Ferry.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/john-brown-raids-harpers-ferry/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.