What are the particulars of John Browns life?
A. John Brown was born in West Torrington, Connecticut, on May 9, 1800. His parents were Owen and Ruth (Mills) Brown. Owen was a tanner by trade and an abolitionist by disposition. He served as a stationmaster on the underground railroad, hiding slaves seeking freedom in the North. Undoubtedly, he taught his son John that slavery was a great evil. When John grew to manhood, he took up the tannery business but failed to make a success of it. Then he tried land speculation, sheep herding, and opened a wholesale wool business in Springfield, Massachusetts. All these endeavors failed, leaving John and his family impoverished. But John and his family always managed to get back on their feet and start new projects. Johns last project was one involving the freeing of slaves in the upper South, hoping to move on into the lower South. This project ended in Harpers Ferry when John and his recruits were either killed or captured. He turned it into a kind of victory when he was hanged on December
