Final answer:
John Brown was the abolitionist who raided Harper's Ferry in 1859 to incite a slave insurrection; however, the raid ultimately failed and Brown was executed for treason.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1859, the abolitionist who raided Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to incite a slave insurrection was John Brown. On October 16, 1859, John Brown led a group of armed men in a raid on the federal arsenal located in Harper's Ferry, aiming to seize the weapons and distribute them among enslaved people to spark a large-scale rebellion against slavery.
Despite his efforts and the initial success in taking control of the arsenal, Brown's plan ultimately failed. Slaves in the local area did not rally to his cause, and his group was besieged in the armory's engine house. Federal troops, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee, captured Brown and his followers, leading to Brown's execution on December 2, 1859, for treason against the state of Virginia.