On this day, October 16, in 1859

White American Abolitionist John Brown led an attack on Harper's Ferry, a U.S. arsenal in Virginia. With a group of about 20 men, five of whom were black, John Brown attacked and captured the arsenal with the intention of distributing the weapons and inspiring a slave revolt throughout the South. Although they managed to get into the arsenal, the raid was short-lived because Southern citizens and militia soon cornered Brown and his followers. When the US Marines arrived they stormed the arsenal, killing many of the rebels. The rest of them were captured and eventually hanged, including John Brown. John Brown was the first white Abolitionist in America to engage in an insurrection against the institution of slavery.