Harpers Ferry and John Brown's Raid

At the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers lies Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a small town whose dramatic setting became the stage for one of the most consequential events in the struggle over slavery. Historian Christopher Hamner leads a day-long exploration of the site of John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, an attempt by the radical abolitionist to spark a nationwide slave uprising. Though the raid lasted little more than 36 hours, its repercussions reverberated across the nation and helped propel the United States toward civil war.