Final answer:
John Brown raided Harpers Ferry on October 16, 1859, in an attempt to start a slave rebellion by seizing the federal arsenal there. The raid accelerated tensions leading to the American Civil War and made Brown a martyr in the eyes of many abolitionists.
Step-by-step explanation:
The town that John Brown raided is known as Harpers Ferry. On October 16, 1859, Brown and his men captured a federal arsenal there in an attempt to incite a slave rebellion.
John Brown was a fervent abolitionist who led a small mixed-race group in this daring raid. The town of Harpers Ferry was chosen because it was the site of a large federal arsenal, from which Brown planned to arm enslaved people and spark a major uprising. Despite initial success in capturing the arsenal, the raid quickly unraveled. Local militia and eventually federal troops under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee responded, and after fierce fighting, the insurrection was thwarted.
John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry became a historical flashpoint, exacerbating sectional tensions and serving as a prelude to the American Civil War. While it failed to start the broad revolt Brown envisioned, the raid succeeded in further galvanizing the abolitionist movement, especially as Brown became seen by many as a martyr for the antislavery cause.