John Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry in 1859 highlighted the nation's division on the issue of slavery. With a series of three engaging video clips, young historians learn about the abolitionist John Brown and his followers. The resource...

Scholars write letters as if they were someone who heard the story of John Brown's raid. The resource, a standalone, covers information from primary sources that is important to West Virginian history: the Harpers Ferry Letters.

Fourth graders discover facts about John Brown. In this Harper's Ferry Raid lesson, 4th graders evaluate the lyrics to the song "John Brown's Body", and write a descriptive obituary  about John Brown. Students also view pictures of John...

Fourth graders discuss John's Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry. In this John Brown lesson plan, 4th graders analyze a newspaper article about the raid, and write a descriptive obituary about John Brown. Students view pictures of John Brown...

Sixth graders investigate John Brown's fight to end slavery. In this slavery lesson, 6th graders read Harpers Ferry, The Story of John Brown's Raid and then research his life as well as the life of slave Osbourne Perry Anderson. Students...

Young scholars create timelines of the Harper's Ferry Raid. For this Civil War lesson, students analyze information and music related to John Brown and his abolitionist work. Young scholars design timelines that document the events that...

"Love it or leave it." "You're either for us or against us." Rhetoric and it's polarizing effects are the focus of a lesson that uses John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry as an exemplar. Groups examine primary source documents,...

How did the raid on Harper's Ferry contribute to the start of the Civil War? Curated for high school historians, the activity explains John Brown's contribution to the start of the Civil War by using violence to demand an end to slavery....

High schoolers explore the life of John Brown to fight slavery. In this Civil War lesson, students listen to a lecture regarding Brown's work to free slaves through rebellion. High schoolers conduct further research in order to write...

Students investigate the events of the Harper's Ferry raid. Using primary source documents, they complete a chart showing the different view points of the raid. They discuss the possible biases of the authors and the effect of this...

Students read the history of John Brown. Using the internet, they research commentaries on the raid at Harper's Ferry. After observing a painting, "The Last Moments of John Brown," students analyze and write about what they see, think...

Students examine the impact that John Brown had on American history. In this human rights lesson, students discover details about the raid on Harpers Ferry and the implications it held for the American Civil War.     

Students investigate the actions and motives of John Brown. In this abolition lesson, students discover details about Brown's background as a free-state and abolition supporter. Students discuss his role as that of a martyr or terrorist....

Free the slaves! Scholars research primary documents and videos while working together to create abolitionist posters. They examine the John Brown raid as a template to creating their own demonstration. 

Young scholars investigate John Brown.  For this U.S. history slavery lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation about John Brown.  Young scholars discuss the North's and South's reaction to John Brown's raid, and determine whether...

Eleventh graders identify some of the ways that the raid at Harper's Ferry influenced the Civil War. They articulate the different ways that people though about John Brown in the 1800's and how his persona may or may not have changed...

Discuss the differences between the North and the South and how those differences led to the Civil War. Middle schoolers examine and analyze a famous speech or writing by President Lincoln in order to better understand the speaker's...

Did he die for a cause, or was he crazy? Although the resource discusses John Brown and West Virginia history, many historical figures have the same reputation. Teach learners about different perspectives and highlight the importance of...

John Brown is considered by many to be a martyr for abolition and civil rights. The resource covers an important event in West Virginian history, the raid by John Brown, as a standalone that discusses Brown's last words and his reaction...

High schoolers write about the impact of the Underground Railroad. They examine primary documents as they conduct independent research to explore the role of the Underground Railroad during the fight for abolition. They compose essays...

For this online interactive Civil War worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions about John Brown's Raid. Students may check their answers immediately.

Students research the people and events involved in the abolitionist movement prior to the U.S. Civil War. They read about and discuss the roles of Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown. Students complete a word splash, Venn...

Students read primary source newspaper articles from mid 19th century United States. The topics of the articles are slavery, abolitionism and colonization. Students are given several options for activities based on the readings.

In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer questions about the American Civil War. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet.