John Brown led a raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 with the intent of inciting a slave uprising.

He aimed to seize the federal arsenal there, distribute weapons to enslaved people, and encourage them to rebel against their masters. Brown's actions were part of his broader abolitionist philosophy, which believed in using violent means to end slavery. The raid ultimately failed, and Brown was captured, tried, and executed, but it heightened tensions between the North and South and contributed to the mounting conflict that would lead to the Civil War.