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Primary sourceSpeech2 November 1859

John Brown's Last Speech to the Court

John Brown · 2 November 1859

Brown's own address to the Virginia court at his sentencing in 1859, defending the Harpers Ferry raid on moral and religious grounds.

Brown's own words at his sentencing, defending the raid and shaping his legacy as a martyr.

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Printed broadside titled 'Address of John Brown to the Virginia Court, when about to receive the Sentence of Death', with two columns of text and John Brown's handwritten signature at the bottom. Printed by C. C. Mead, Boston.
John Brown, Address to the Virginia Court, 2 November 1859. Printed by C. C. Mead, Boston, sold through The Liberator.

About this source

What it is

This printed broadside reproduces the speech John Brown gave on November 2, 1859, when he was sentenced to death for the raid on Harpers Ferry. It was sold through William Lloyd Garrison's abolitionist newspaper The Liberator and bears Brown's signature at the bottom.

Why it matters

Brown used the courtroom to justify his actions through the Golden Rule and the Bible, denying intent to commit murder or treason while admitting he meant to free enslaved people. Reprinted across the North, the speech helped turn Brown into a martyr for the antislavery cause and sharpened the national divide over slavery.

Look closer

  • Why might Brown's words have been printed and sold as a broadside rather than just reported in newspapers?
  • How does Brown distinguish between what he admits doing and what he denies intending?
  • Why would this speech make some Northerners see Brown as a hero rather than a criminal?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Brown on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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