John Brown

First published in 1909, this biography by W. E. B. Du Bois is a literary and historical classic.

Du Bois defends John Brown against those who saw him as a fanatic, fiend, or traitor, portraying him as a rich personality with a deeply religious outlook and a devotion to the cause of freedom for slaves.

The book explores Brown's life, from his ancestry and childhood to his infamous raid at Harper's Ferry, and frames his actions within the broader context of African American history and white abolitionist efforts.

Du Bois emphasizes the connections between Brown's struggle and the plight of African Americans during the period of slavery and civil rights, highlighting his care and deliberation in the anti-slavery battle and his relationships with other abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison.