John Brown's last speech, so called by his first biographer,

James Redpath James Redpath (August 24, 1833 in Berwick upon Tweed, England – February 10, 1891, in New York, New York) was an American journalist and anti-slavery activist. Life In 1848 or 1849, Redpath and his family emigrated from Scotland to a farm nea ...

, was delivered on November 2, 1859. John Brown was being sentenced in a courtroom packed with whites in

Charles Town, Virginia Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and is also the county seat. The population was 5,259 at the 2010 census. It is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of President George Washingto ...

, after his conviction for murder,

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

against the Commonwealth of Virginia, and inciting a

slave insurrection A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by enslaved people, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of enslaved people have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freedo ...

. According to

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...

, the speech's only equal in American oratory is the

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...

. As was his custom, Brown spoke extemporaneously, without notes, although he had evidently thought about what he would say; he knew the opportunity was coming. Transcribed by a phonographer (reporter- stenographer) such as newspapers used for important speeches, it was on the front page of countless newspapers nationwide, including the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', the next day. The

American Anti-Slavery Society The American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS; 1833–1870) was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, had become a prominent abolitionist and was a key leader of this socie ...

then predicted that his execution would begin his

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

dom, or that potential clemency would remove "so much capital ..out of the abolition sails".

Content

Virginia court procedure required that defendants found guilty should be asked if there was any reason sentence should not be imposed. Asked this by the clerk, Brown immediately rose, and in a clear, distinct voice said this:

Courtroom reaction

While Brown was speaking, there was "perfect quiet" in the courtroom. Under Virginia law, one month must elapse between a death sentence and its execution, so the judge, Richard Parker, then sentenced Brown to be hanged one month later, on December 2, and specified that, for the sake of example, the execution would be made more public than usual. The courtroom continued silence after the reading of the death sentence. "One indecent fellow, behind the Judge's chair, shouted and clapped hands jubilantly; but he was indignantly checked, and in a manner that induced him to believe that he would do best to retire." "This undecorum was promptly suppressed and much regret was expressed by citizens at its occurrence."

Publication of the speech

There were multiple reporters covering Brown's trial. Thanks to the recently invented

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

, they sent out immediate copy. Brown's speech was distributed by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

and was the next day, November 3, on the front page of the ''

'', the ''

Richmond Dispatch The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatch'' has the second- ...

'', the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primar ...

'', the ''

Milwaukee Daily Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'', and other newspapers. Over the next few days, the full text appeared in approximately 50 other papers across the country.

Wm. Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper '' The Liberator'', which he foun ...

printed it

broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...

as a poster and sold it in The Liberator's office in Boston. The

published it in a pamphlet, with extracts from Brown's letters. A verse on the title page, "He, being dead, yet speaketh" (), compares Brown with Abel, killed by Cain.

Immediate reactions

Supporting Brown

In the evening of December 1, as many of the papers reported together with Brown's speech, the

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

Wendell Phillips gave a speech in Brooklyn, in

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His r ...

's Plymouth Church, an important abolitionist center and

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

station. Though the talk had been scheduled in advance, on "The Lesson of the Hour", the topic of John Brown had not been announced, and was a surprise to those present. According to Phillips, in the lead story on page 1 of the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. Hi ...

'':

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

, having escaped to Canada from a Virginia warrant, also referred to "the thing calling itself the Government of Virginia, but which in fact is but an organized conspiracy by one party of the people against the other and weaker". On November 1, in Boston, the executive committee of the

resolved to observe "that tragical event" of Brown's forthcoming execution. The yet undefined action of observation would be "the first step towards making Brown a

Martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

, but should Governor Wise see fit to reprieve him, so much capital will be taken out of the abolition sails".

Hostile to Brown

Andrew Hunter, the Prosecuting Attorney

The Prosecuting Attorney, Andrew Hunter, published 30 years later his recollections of the speech:

Rev. Samuel Leech

In his firsthand account written and published 50 years later, Leech stated the following. "Brown's statement was not exactly sustained by the facts. Why had he collected the Sharpe's rifles, the pikes, the kegs of powder, many thousands of caps and much war-like material at the Kennedy farm? Why did he and other armed men break into the United States Armory and Arsenal, make portholes in the engine house, shoot and kill citizens, and surround their own imprisoned persons with prominent men as hostages? But everybody in the court house believed the old man when he said that he did everything with a solitary motive, the liberation of the slaves."

Modern commentary

Brown's speech contains what two modern writers have called "lies"; Alfred Kazin called it Brown's "great, lying speech". It is not correct that he helped slaves escape from Missouri "without the snapping of a gun on either side". One man, David Cruise, was killed. And his statement that he was not trying to start a slave insurrection does not jibe with many other comments he made before the raid. Yet according to Brown's biographer David S. Reynolds, "the Gettysburg Address similarly glossed over disturbing details in the interest of making a higher point. Lincoln left out the bloody horrors of the Civil War, just as Brown minimized his bloody tactics." Also according to Reynolds, with this speech, both North and South stopped seeing Brown as only an irritating extremist. It was clear that he was a Christian and an American. The South scrambled to denounce him as simply a villain. The North began to regard him as a hero. The need to abolish slavery immediately was no longer a fringe position in the North. The cross † indicates that the speech appears on page 1.
The asterisk * indicates that speech is accompanied by discussion or other related news. *Free states ** Connecticut *** ''East Haddam Journal'', November 5 ** Illinois *** ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', November 3 ** Indiana *** *''Belvidere Standard'', November 8 *** †*''Dawson's Fort Wayne Weekly Times'', November 5 *** *''Evansville Daily Evening Inquirer'', November 3 *** *''Evansville Daily Journal'', November 3 *** *'' Indiana Daily State Sentinel'', November 5 *** †*''Seymour Times'', November 10 *** *''Sullivan Democrat'', November 10 *** *''Terre Haute Wabash Express, November 9 *** '' Weekly Vincennes Western Sun'', November 4 ** Iowa *** ''Muscatine Evening Journal'', November 4, ** Kansas *** *''Elwood Free Press'', November 5 *** †*''Kansas Herald of Freedom, November 12 ** Massachusetts *** ''Fall River Daily Evening News, November 3 *** *'' The Liberator'', November 4 ** Michigan *** *''Cass County Republican'', November 10 *** †*''

'', November 3 ** New York *** *'' Douglass' Monthly'', November *** *''

Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper ''Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper'', later renamed ''Leslie's Weekly'', was an American illustrated literary and news magazine founded in 1855 and published until 1922. It was one of several magazines started by publisher and illustrator Frank ...

'', November 12 *** †*''

'', November 3 *** *''Rensselaer Gazette'', November 9 ** Ohio *** *''Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph'', November 5 *** *'' Pomeroy Weekly Telegraph'', November 8 *** *''Summit County Beacon'', November 9 *** '' Western Reserve Chronicle'', November 9 ** Pennsylvania *** ''Bradford Reporter'', November 10 *** *''Carlisle Weekly Herald'', November 8 *** *''Erie Observer'', November 10 *** *''Lancaster Examiner and Herald'', November 9 *** *''Montrose Independent Republican'', November 7 *** *''

National Anti-Slavery Standard The ''National Anti-Slavery Standard'' was the official weekly newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society, established in 1840 under the editorship of Lydia Maria Child and David Lee Child. The paper published continuously until the ratifica ...

'', November 6 *** *''Raftsman's Journal'', November 9 *** *''Towanda Bradford Reporter'', November 10 ** Rhode Island *** *''Bristol Phenix'', November 5 ** Vermont *** *''Aurora of the Valley'', November 12 *** *''Montpelier Green Mountain Freeman'', November 10 *** *''The St. Johnsbury Caledonian'', November 12 *** *''Vermont Journal'', November 12 ** Wisconsin *** *''Grant County Witness'', November 10 *** *'' Janesville Daily Gazette'', November 4 *** *''

'', November 3 *** *''Wausau Daily Wisconsin'', November 10 *** *''Weekly Gazette and Free Press'', November 11 * Slave states ** District of Columbia *** *''

National Era ''The National Era'' was an abolitionist newspaper published weekly in Washington, D.C., from 1847 to 1860. Gamaliel Bailey was its editor in its first year. ''The National Era Prospectus'' stated in 1847: Each number contained four pages of ...

,'' November 10 ** Georgia *** *'' Athens Southern Banner,'' November 10 ** North Carolina *** ''

Fayetteville Observer ''The Fayetteville Observer'' is an American English-language daily newspaper published in Fayetteville, North Carolina. As the oldest North Carolina newspaper, the paper was founded in 1816 as the ''Carolina Observer''. It was locally owned by ...

'', November 7 *** *''The Greensboro Times'', November 12 *** ''Wilmington Daily Herald'', November 4 ** Virginia *** †*''

'', November 4 *** *''Shepherdstown Register'', November 5 *** '' Wheeling Daily Intelligencer'', November 3 * Foreign ** England *** *''

Illustrated Times ''The Illustrated Times Weekly Newspaper'' was a British newspaper and rival to ''The Illustrated London News'' published between 1855 and 1872. The publisher was the Fleet Street bookseller David Bogue and the editor was Henry Vizetelly. Origin ...

'' (London), November 26

References

{{John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry 1859 speeches 1859 in Virginia November 1859 events John Brown (abolitionist) Charles Town, West Virginia Farewell addresses John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry Trials in the United States

Content

Courtroom reaction

Publication of the speech

Immediate reactions

Supporting Brown

Hostile to Brown

Andrew Hunter, the Prosecuting Attorney

Rev. Samuel Leech

Modern commentary

See also

References