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Primary sourceDocument1858

Provisional Constitution

John Brown · 1858

Brown's handwritten plan for a new antislavery government, adopted at the 1858 Chatham Convention and used as evidence of treason at his trial.

Brown's own blueprint for a new antislavery state, written by him and used as evidence of treason at his trial.

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About this source

What it is

Written by John Brown in February 1858 while staying at Frederick Douglass's house in Rochester, New York, this document laid out a provisional government and laws for a planned state of freed and escaped enslaved people in the Appalachian Mountains. It was adopted at a convention of mostly Black delegates in Chatham, Ontario, in May 1858.

Why it matters

The constitution shows Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was meant to be the start of a political revolution, not just a raid. Hundreds of copies were found among his papers after his capture and used at his trial as evidence of sedition, though none were ever distributed, even to nearby enslaved people. Officers under the document included John Henry Kagi and others who joined Brown's raid.

Look closer

  • Why might Brown have written a whole constitution instead of simply planning an attack?
  • What does the preamble's language about the Declaration of Independence and the Dred Scott decision tell us about how Brown saw his cause?
  • Why do you think the document was never distributed, even to the enslaved people it was meant for?

This document 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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