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 also explains the motives behind the raid, how the attack ended, and the trial that followed. 

Concepts

american history, african american history, slavery, john brown, slave revolts, violence, virginia history, virginia

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Guide a group discussion on the negative impact slavery had on African American families 
• Compare the Raid on Harpers Ferry to other slave revolts

Classroom Considerations

• Resource requires a free C-SPAN Classroom account to access the resource, or use the following login credentials: Username: students, Password: C-SPANCLASSROOM
• Presumes a protocol has been established for a safe, respectful discussion of sensitive topics

Pros

• Provides an opportunity to discuss the issue of slavery in the United States
• Short length of video clips makes it easy to incorporate into a lesson

Cons

• None