Famous Boston abolitionist, Lydia Maria Child, wrote to John Brown in prison just ten days after his raid on the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Her letter and Brown’s reply were published a year later in the National Anti-Slavery Standard, the official newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Like many abolitionists, Child advocated peaceful resolution to the slavery crisis and while she extended her sympathies to Brown’s cause and situation, she admonished his methods. Her emotions of Brown’s plight were so strong that she offered to personally come and nurse him back to health. In his reply, Brown extended his gratitude to Mrs. Child’s concern for his well-being. He told her the urgent need was a financial relief effort for his family and the families of the men who died or were imprisoned due to their participation in the raid and earlier fighting in Kansas.
Child, Lydia Maria. Correspondence between Lydia Maria Child and Gov. Wise and Mrs. Mason, of Viriginia. American Anti-Slavery Society, 1860. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l05-082/. Accessed on November 21, 2024.
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