Raid on Harper's Ferry
On October 16, 1859 John Brown, an abolitionist, and a group of his supporters left their farmhouse hide-out heading to Harper's Ferry. closing on the town in the early hours of October 17th, John Brown and his men captured citizens and seized the federal armory and weapons. John had hopes that the local slave population would join the raid. but it didn't happen. First, they were blocked in by the local militia on the 17th, and Brown took refuge in the arsenal’s engine house. However, this safe zone from the fight did not last, when in the late afternoon US Marines, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived and stormed the engine house, killing many of the attackers and capturing Brown. Brown was quickly placed on trial, and was charged with treason against the state of Virginia, murder, and slave insurrection. Brown was sentenced to death for his crimes and hanged on December 2, 1859.
the Raid on Harper's Ferry was important to the antebellum era because it was one of the important fights that led to the freedom of slaves, which was a huge jump for the united states in freedom and belief of the idea of freedom to all the people. The raid showed how far abolitionists from the north were willing to try and get slaves out of the south and into the north so that they could be free, and know what they thought the true image of the United States was meant to be.