William Lloyd Garrison’s Speech Relating to the Execution of John Brown (1859)

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The man who brands him [John Brown] as a traitor is a calumniator.… The man who says that his object was to promote murder, or insurrection, or rebellion, is, in the language of the apostle, “a liar, and the truth is not in him.”… John Brown meant to effect, if possible, a peaceful exodus from Virginia, and had not his large humanity overpowered his judgment in regard to his prisoners, he would in all probability have succeeded, and not a drop of blood would have been shed. But it is asked, “Did he not have stored up a large supply of Sharp’s rifles and spears? What did they mean?” Nothing offensive, nothing aggressive. Only this:—he designed getting as many slaves as be could to join him, and then putting into their hands those instruments for self-defense.…

Was John Brown justified in his attempt? Yes, if Washington was in his; if Warren and Hancock were in theirs. If men are justified in striking a blow for freedom, when the question is one of a three penny tax on...