CRP's Blog

Most people know the story of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, but little remembered are the five African Americans who were also among the raiders that day, and whose lives and deaths have long been overshadowed by their martyred leader. In honor of the raid’s 160th anniversary (October 16-18), we’re featuring an excerpt of Five for Freedom, which tells the story of how these five brave African American men (Osborne Perry Anderson, John Anthony Coperland, Shields Green, Lewis Sheridan Leary, and Dangerfield Newby) came together at the fateful time and place.