John Brown

Hello, my name is John Brown. I was born a long, long time ago, on May 9th, 1800. Growing up, my family taught me that every person in the world is important and should be treated with kindness. But when I looked around, I saw that wasn't happening. Some people were forced to be enslaved, which meant they weren't free to live their own lives. I knew in my heart that this was wrong. I believed that everyone, no matter the color of their skin, deserved to be free.

As I got older, I became a father and had a big, loving family. I taught all my children that we had to help others. I couldn't just stand by while people were enslaved. I decided to take action and became part of the Underground Railroad. This was not a real railroad with trains, but a secret path to help brave people escape from slavery and find freedom in the North. Around the year 1855, I even moved my family to a place called Kansas. We wanted to help make sure it would be a free state where slavery wasn't allowed. It was hard work, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

I felt that I had to do something even bigger to end slavery for good. So, in the year 1859, I came up with a very bold plan. My friends and I went to a town called Harpers Ferry in Virginia. We wanted to get weapons from a special army building to give to enslaved people so they could fight for their own freedom. But my plan did not work the way I had hoped. Soldiers came, and we were stopped. It was a very sad day, but I never stopped believing that my fight was for a good reason.

My fight for freedom ended on December 2nd, 1859. I lived to be 59 years old. Even though my plan at Harpers Ferry failed, it made people all over the country talk about slavery. It made them choose a side: for freedom or against it. Soon after, the country fought a great Civil War that finally ended slavery. I am remembered as someone who believed so strongly that all people should be free that I was willing to risk everything for it.