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John Brown's Raid on Harper’s Ferry

A sheet of lyrics to “Old John Brown: A Song for Every Southern Man,” ca. 1861.

A sheet of lyrics to “Old John Brown: A Song for Every Southern Man,” ca. 1861.

“Old John Brown: A Song for Every Southern Man,” was written from a southern pro-slavery perspective. The term “Old Ossawattomie Brown” in the song’s chorus refers to John Brown’s abolitionist activism in the Kansas Territory (also known as “Bleeding Kansas”) in the mid-1850s. Note that the word “niggers” appears in the chorus and the word “darkie” appears in the last verse.

Citation Information: “Old John Brown: a song for every Southern man,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/409a86384aa96ce59ca061cdabfdc1f0.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Courtesy of Duke University via HathiTrust.

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Item 12 of 15 in the Primary Source Set John Brown's Raid on Harper’s Ferry

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An excerpt from speeches delivered in the US Senate by Senators Clement Clay of Alabama and William Gwin of California, December 13, 1859.

The sheet music to “John Brown’s Body,” published in 1902.

A sheet of lyrics to “Old John Brown: A Song for Every Southern Man,” ca. 1861.

A photograph of John Brown’s tombstone in North Elba, New York, ca. 1900.

Buttons from the clothing of John Brown’s raiders, mounted with a depiction of John Brown.

A photograph of “John Brown’s Fort,” the former engine room of the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, circa 1890.

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