John Brown's Convention 1858
Text from the plaque
On May 10, 1858, American abolitionist John Brown held the last in a series of clandestine meetings here at First Baptist Church. Brown planned to establish an independent republic within the United States and wage guerrilla war to liberate the South from slavery. He came to Upper Canada to recruit blacks who had fled here in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Law (1850). On October 16, 1859, Brown and 21 supporters seized the government arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and held it against counter-attack for two days. Brown, executed as a traitor, became for many a martyr and hero. His actions escalated the tensions between North and South that led to civil war in 1861.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
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The Municipality of Chatham-Kent
In Chatham, on the north side of King Street East
between Princess and Prince Street.
N 42 24.370 W 82 10.513
Recorded September 2011. Check current access before visiting.
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