John Brown Hanged; Becomes Abolitionist Martyr

John Brown was tried for treason, murder, and conspiring with slaves, and hanged at Charles Town, Virginia. His composed demeanor during trial and execution — "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood" — made him a martyr in the North. Bells tolled in Northern cities. In the South, the raid intensified fears of slave revolt and hardened secession sentiment.