John Brown, 150 Years Later

Yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. Brown failed and was subsequently hanged; however, his raid was a spark that helped set in motion events that led to the Civil War.

I've been up to Harper's Ferry a couple of times and may drive up tomorrow, weather permitting, so I'm familiar with the details of John Brown's raid. What I didn't know about is the role that Mary Ellen Pleasant, the first black female millionaire in the U.S. and "the mother of human rights in California", played in bankrolling John Brown's raid.

Here's an NPR segment about Brown and his legacy...



Click here for a Tavis Smiley segment on Mary Ellen Pleasant.