A radical abolitionist who believed that he was chosen by God to destroy slavery in the United States, John Brown led a failed raid on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia ). He became a martyr in the eyes of antislavery Northerners. Brown was born on May 9, 1800, one of sixteen children of Owen and Ruth Brown. Brown's father taught his children that slavery was evil and Brown became a lifelong opponent of slavery.

Brown's life was frequently marked by tragedy. His mother died when he was eight; his first wife died young; and seven of his twenty children from two marriages died in childhood. He worked as a cattle driver, leather tanner, stock grower, wool merchant, and farmer, but all of his ventures ended in failure. He was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1842 and failed in subsequent efforts to recover financially.

As he...