Harpers Ferry, WV

Place: Harpers Ferry, WV
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 46/66F
Route: From The Greenbrier 215 miles NE on I-64 E and I-81 N.

Significance: Harpers Ferry is an historic town situated at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. It is basically frozen in time - looking as it did in the 19th century. The most important event to happen here was John Brown's raid on the town's arsenal in 1859. His plan was to take the guns from the arsenal and then lead an uprising of slaves to finally end slavery.  But he and his 21 followers never made it out of the town.  A contingent of marines led by future confederate general Robert E. Lee captured the men in a fire house two days after the raid.  Brown survived the battle, but he was soon tried and hanged for treason.

Southern slave owners were enraged and scared.  Northern abolitionists had a new hero. The song "John Brown's Body" became popular in the north - the tune which would later be used during the Civil War for "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."  Southerners used the raid and the reaction of many people in the north to it as evidence that the north planned on forcing southern states to end slavery.  Succession of southern states may have occurred just after the election of Abraham Lincoln, but it was set in motion with Brown's raid.  Brown himself was a little crazy - we will talk more about him when we're in Kansas - but from today's perspective he certainly is in the right when it comes to slavery.  However, he has been mentioned by people like Timothy McVeigh, perpetrator of the Oklahoma City bombings as having inspired him. The danger of making people heroes who use violent means to advance politics we agree with is that we are implicitly stating it's okay for people to use violent means to advance politics we disagree with.

Website: National Park Service.
Images:

View of Harpers Ferry from across the Potomac (from theculturetrip.com)

Painting The Last Moments of John Brown, by Thomas Hovenden (from metmuseum.org)

Video:

Virginia Museum of History and Culture video on John Brown's raid.