John Brown (1800-1859) was a radical US abolitionist leader. He is still the subject of much controversy in the US. Unlike most white abolitionist leaders of the time Brown regarded black people as equals. In the 1850s, before the US Civil War, the state of Kansas had a civil war between pro and anti-slavery factions.In 1856 Brown led what is called the Pottawatomie Massacre near Lawrence, Kansas in which he, his sons, and several of is comrades hacked to death members of a pro-slavery guerrilla band. As I understand it this particular guerrilla group had plans to kill Brown and other anti-slavery activists and the attack was to forestall this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottawatomie_Massacre

In 1859 Brown led the famous "Raid on Harper's Ferry", a raid on a town in what is now West Virginia in an attempt to ignite a slave uprising.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Br..._Harpers_Ferry

The alternate history novel by the SF writer and activist Terry Bisson, (the forward of the recent edition is by Mumia) speculates on what would have happened if Brown's raid had succeeded with a black republic being formed in the US, which later becomes socialist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_on...81988_novel%29

Brown appears to be something of a religious fanatic. Interestingly some extremist anti-abortion and anti-gay Xtian fundamentalists seem to like him.

Marxists generally like him. Liberals seem very mixed abut him. Last summer a small town in Vermont had a John Brown historical reenactment which elicited a lot of local controversy.

Anyway, what are people's thoughts on John Brown?