As an abolitionist leader, John Brown is a complicated figure in American history. In the wake of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the state of Kansas became awash with pro-slavery “border ruffians” from Missouri and “Jayhawkers” from the east, with a mission to influence the state’s stance on slavery. After a rash of violence on abolitionist structures in Lawrence, Kansas, Brown led an attack on the pro-slavery instigators, attacking them with broadswords, leaving five dead. Three years later, Brown led a failed assault on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry…
