Americans: The Spirit of a Nation - Set of 2

Frederick Douglass

In September 1838, Frederick Douglass jumped aboard a train leaving Baltimore. He faced a long and dangerous journey as a runaway slave, but Douglass believed freedom was worth the risk. When he reached New York City, Douglass basked in his newfound freedom. He worked hard and risked his life to end slavery in the United States, and he became one of the most famous abolitionists, writers, and orators in American history.

John Brown

John Brown hated slavery. On October 16, 1859, he and his armed followers took a violent stand against it. John Brown led his raiding party to the armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, with the intent of inciting slave rebellions throughout the South. However within two days, ten of his men would be killed and Brown was arrested. Although the Harpers Ferry raid failed, John Brown had struck a blow against slavery. A staunch abolitionist his entire life, John Brown gave his life to end an evil that had existed in the United States for over two hundred years.