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VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.

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Throughout most of the eighteen-fifties, war between north andsouth over the issue of slavery remained a continuing threat. Then,in the autumn of eighteen-fifty-nine, the American crisis seemed tocool.

There had been elections in most states of the north and south.The people had rejected candidates of extreme ideas and electedmoderate men. Only in a few states of the north did anti-slaveryextremists rule. And pro-slavery extremists held power in only a fewstates of the deep south.

People saw the elections as a sign of hope that reasonable menmight find a way to settle the bitter dispute over slavery.

But these hopes fell on October seventeenth, eighteen-fifty-nine,with the news that a group of Abolitionists had attacked theVirginia town of Harper's Ferry.

VOICE TWO:

The attack was led by John Brown,an old anti-slavery extremist. Many believed him insane. He had goneto Kansas and fought bitterly against pro-slavery forces. Once, toanswer an attack on the town of Lawrence, Brown and his men pulledfive men and boys from their homes amd murdered them.

The wife of one of the men said brown told her: "If a man standsbetween me and what I believe to be right, I will take his life ascoolly as I would eat my breakfast."

Brown lost a son in a pro-slavery attack on his home atOsawatomie, Kansas. Brown and his friends were forced to flee. Theywatched as the pro-slavery men burned the town.

Brown shook with grief and anger. "I have only a short time tolive," he said, "only one death to die. And I will die fighting forthis cause. There will be no more peace in this land until slaveryis done for. I will give them something else to do than to extendslave territory. I will carry this war into the south."

VOICE ONE:

To fight a war against slavery, Brown needed money and guns. Hewent to Massachusetts and New York. He spoke at town meetings andmet privately with Abolitionist leaders.

In these private talks, Brown said it was too late to settle theslave question through politics or any other peaceful way. He saidthe only answer was a slave rebellion. It would be bloody, Brownsaid, and this was terrible. But slavery itself was a terrible wrong-- the same as murder. Only blood, he said, would wash away thewrongs of slavery.

Brown said God meant for him to begin this rebellion by invadingVirginia with a military force he already was organizing. Brown saideven if the rebellion failed, it would probably lead to a civil warbetween north and south. In such a war, he said, the north wouldbreak the chains of the black man on the battlefield.

VOICE TWO:

Brown won the support of a group of Abolitionist leaders. Theyformed a secret committee and called themselves the "Secret Six. "They agreed to advise Brown and, more importantly, to raise onethousand dollars for him.

From New England, Brown went to Chatham, Canada. He went therefor a secret convention he had called to form a revolutionarygovernment. This government would rule all the slave territory thatBrown and his men could capture.

Forty-six representatives went to the convention -- thirty-fourNegroes and twelve whites. Brown told them of his plan. He said hewas sure that southern slaves were ready for rebellion. He said theywould rise up at the first sign of a leader who wished to breaktheir chains.

VOICE ONE:

"But what if troops are brought against you," one man asked.

Brown answered that his men would fight in the mountains, where asmall force could stop a much larger one. He said his men would bewell-trained in mountain fighting. Brown said he expected his smallforce to grow much larger. He would invite the slaves he freed tojoin his army. And, he said he thought that all the free Negroes ofthe north would come to fight slavery with him.

The representatives approved Brown's constitution. And they namedhim commander-in-chief.

VOICE TWO:

Brown had decided to strike at Harpers Ferry, a town of abouttwenty-five-hundred people. It was in northern Virginia about onehundred kilometers north of Washington. Harpers Ferry was built on anarrow finger of land where the Shenandoah River flowed into thePotomac River. There were two bridges. One crossed the Shenandoah.The other, a railroad bridge, crossed the Potomac to Maryland.

John Brown chose Harpers Ferry because there was a factory therethat made guns for the army. There also was an arsenal where severalmillion dollars' worth of military equipment was kept. Brown neededthe guns and equipment for the slave army he hoped to form.

VOICE ONE:

Old Brown arrived at Harpers Ferryearly in July, eighteen-fifty-nine. Two of his sons, Owen andOliver, and another man came with him. They rented an old house on afarm in Maryland not far from Harpers Ferry. Brown told people thathe was a cattle buyer from New York.

Brown's men joined him, one or two at a time, over the nextseveral months. They traveled at night so no one would see them.Once they reached the farm house, they had to stay in hiding.

Week by week, the little force grew. But it grew too slowly. Bythe end of summer, there were still less than twenty men hiding inthe old house.

Brown wrote letters to his supporters in the north. He asked formore money and more men. He got little of either. His supporterswere afraid. Too many people knew of Brown's plans. The "Secret Six"feared they would face criminal charges if Brown attacked HarpersFerry.

Brown's men grew tired of the small, crowded rooms of the farmhouse. Brown knew he must act soon or his young men would beginleaving.

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On Saturday, October fifteenth, three men arrived to join thegroup. One of them brought six-hundred dollars in gold for Brown'suse. Brown saw the gold as a sign that God wanted him to act. Hetold his men they would strike the next night.

Brown held religious services Sunday morning and prayed for Godto help him free the slaves. Then he called his men around him toexplain to them his battle plan.

They would seize the two bridges at Harpers Ferry and close them.Next, they would capture the armory and the rifle factory. Theywould capture as many people as possible. They would use the peopleas hostages for protection against any soldiers that might be sentagainst them.

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The army had no men near Harpers Ferry. Brown believed he wouldhave all the time he needed. He believed his only opposition mightbe local groups of militia. He did not fear these civilian soldiers.

The old man thought he and his men could hold Harpers Ferry untilslaves in the area rebelled and joined them. Brown knew thatMaryland and western Virginia were full of people opposed toslavery. He expected many of them to come to his aid.

The twenty-two men rested until dark, listening to rain hit theroof of the farm house.

VOICE TWO:

About eight o'clock, Brown called his group. "Men," he said, "getyour weapons. We are going to the Ferry."

A wagon was brought out and a horse tied to it. In the wagon werea few tools and some extra guns. Brown climbed into the wagon andstarted it toward town. Two of his men stepped out in front of thewagon, leading the way. The others walked behind.

It was a dark and cold night. A light rain was falling. There wasno one else on the road. After a time, they reached the high groundabove the Potomac. Below them, across the river, lay the town ofHarpers Ferry. Most of the town was sleeping. Only a few lightsshone through the rain.

John Brown was ready for his final struggle against slavery.

That will be our story in the next program of THE MAKING OF ANATION.

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VOICE ONE:

You have been listening to the Special English program, THEMAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Harry Monroe and JackMoyles. Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. THE MAKING OF ANATION can be heard Thursdays.