Buchanan’s Role In John Brown’s Plot

He tried to convince Kansas voters to approve the unpopular Lecompton Constitution, which would have allowed slavery there, while embroiled in the violent conflict over the expansion of slavery in Kansas (1854–59). The 1857 financial crisis and the abolitionist John Brown's 1859 raid on the Harpers Ferry, Virginia, arsenal both contributed to the unrest in the country. Abolitionist John Brown specifically led a group of roughly twenty men on a perilous trip in October 1859. They intended to seize possession of the Virginian town of Harper's Ferry's armory. Brown's plan was to incite a spontaneous uprising among the villagers that would eventually erupt into a fight against slavery on a national scale.

As the danger grew, Buchanan dispatched the US Marines, led by their battle-tested field commander Robert E. Lee, to put an end to Brown's makeshift raid. Less than three minutes were spent in the skirmish, which was met with minimal opposition from the insurgents. In the end, Brown was executed after being accused of murder, high treason, and conspiring against the government.