John Brown was an American abolitionist who believed in and advocated armed insurrection as the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States. He is most famous for his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.
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Harpers Ferry Raid: An event in 1859 where John Brown led a small group in a raid against a federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (today West Virginia), intending to start a slave liberation movement.
Bleeding Kansas: A series of violent civil confrontations between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions that occurred in Kansas from 1854-1861, which presaged the Civil War. John Brown was involved in these conflicts.
Martyrdom: The suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause, especially one's religious faith or beliefs. After his execution following the failed Harpers Ferry raid, many viewed John Brown as a martyr for the abolitionist cause.