Ambivalent Conspirators: John Brown, the Secret Six, and a Theory of Slave Violence

The remarkable relationship among the six conspirators who aided John Brown in his famed 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry is dramatically exposed in this volume. Why did these six abolitionists, who were nominally pacifist, decide to subsidize an act of black violence? Jeffery Rossbach rejects the commonly held belief that Brown dominated them with his charismatic personality. Here he delves into the backgrounds and beliefs of the members of the Secret Six during their three-year involvement with...