A Connecticut-born farmer with Calvinist roots, Brown (1800–1859) was a lifelong opponent of slavery. In the 1850s, amid the heated debate over the admission of Kansas as a slave vs. a free state, the increasingly zealous Brown moved there and led a guerrilla band in the murder of five pro-slavery settlers that came to be known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. Later, Brown hatched a plan to capture the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry and distribute the weapons to slaves. The violent plot failed when he was captured by Robert E. Lee, tried, and hanged. Rare ink signature, 'John Brown & Lady, Springfield Mass,' on an off-white 9 x 1 slip. Several vertical folds through signature, a bit of scattered light toning, and some stray ink flecks to right side, otherwise fine condition. Brown resided in Springfield, Massachusetts from 1846 -1849. Rare in any form. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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