The Legend of John Brown

This fall marks the 150th anniversaries of John Brown’s anti-slavery raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, and his December 2, 1859 execution. To commemorate this famous Akron resident, the Akron Art Museum presents selections from Jacob Lawrence’s celebrated print series The Legend of John Brown. Lawrence, one of the most significant American artists of the 20th century, was also the first African American to depict the story of the controversial white abolitionist. Lawrence's screenprints, which are owned by the museum, will be joined by related images and artifacts from the Summit County Historical Society and the Akron-Summit County Public Library Special Collections Division. A Northerner, Brown (1800-1859) worked on farms in Northeast Ohio before moving in 1844 into a two-room cottage across from the mansion of Simon Perkins, Jr., for whom he worked in the wool trade. Brown's religious convictions led him to oppose slavery. He regularly housed slaves moving through the Underground Railroad in his Akron home. Now part of the Summit County Historical Society, it houses a permanent display about Brown's life. In contrast with the northern pacifist attitude, Brown believed that militant actions were the only way to end slavery. In the mid-1850s, he organized covert attacks in an attempt to liberate slaves and bring down the pro-slavery establishment. In 1859, with a company of 21 men - white and black - he led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He was captured and hanged for treason. While historians agree that Brown's actions helped spark the Civil War, his dogged determination and the violence of his methods have been hailed as both heroic and foolhardy.