Primary sourceSpeech30 October 1859
A Plea for Captain John Brown
Henry David Thoreau · 30 October 1859
Henry David Thoreau's 1859 speech defending John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, the first prominent public defense of Brown.
Thoreau delivered this speech defending John Brown, showing his most radical public stand against slavery.
About this source
What it is
This is an essay by Henry David Thoreau, based on a speech he gave in Concord, Massachusetts on October 30, 1859, just two weeks after John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. He repeated the speech several times before Brown's execution, and it was published in 1860.
Why it matters
At a time when most Americans, including abolitionist newspapers, condemned Brown's raid as foolish or insane, Thoreau argued that Brown was moral, sane, and admirable. Thoreau compared Brown's coming execution to Christ's crucifixion. The speech helped shift Northern opinion and shows how Brown's raid forced even cautious intellectuals to take a public stand on slavery and violence.
Look closer
- Why might Thoreau's neighbors have warned him against giving this speech?
- How does Thoreau's comparison of Brown to Christ try to persuade the audience?
- What does this speech leave out about the deaths caused in the raid?
This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Henry David Thoreau on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
More Henry David Thoreau sources
Meet the AI Henry David Thoreau →
BookPrimary source
Walden
Henry David Thoreau · 1854
BookPrimary source
Civil Disobedience
Henry David Thoreau · 1849
PhotographPrimary source
Daguerreotype Portrait of Henry David Thoreau
Benjamin D. Maxham · 18 June 1856
Primary source
Slavery in Massachusetts
Henry David Thoreau · 4 July 1854
DocumentPrimary source
Walden Manuscript Draft
Henry David Thoreau · 1846–1854
Ready when you are
Start chatting with Henry David Thoreau now.
20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.