Life of John Brown by Michael Gold
QR code
Life of John Brown by Michael Gold is a biography and historical account written in the early 20th century. It follows the abolitionist John Brown’s rise from a devout, impoverished Yankee farmer to a militant opponent of slavery, focusing on his battles in “Bleeding Kansas,” the raid on Harpers Ferry, and the powerful moral legacy that followed. The book opens by showing how slavery had become “respectable,” then traces Brown’s frontier childhood,
his tender conscience awakened by witnessing a slave boy’s abuse, and his self-made education and stern leadership. Family hardships and the Fugitive Slave Law push him from aiding fugitives to armed resistance in Kansas—through the sack of Lawrence, the Pottawatomie reprisals, and fights at Black Jack and Osawatomie—while he argues that conscience outranks majorities and that slavery is the “sum of all villainies.” After freeing Missouri slaves and guiding them to Canada, he shapes a daring plan for Virginia, gathers limited Northern support, and leads a small interracial band to seize the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Trapped and battered after two sons are killed, he is captured by U.S. Marines under Robert E. Lee. Questioned by Governor Wise, he invokes the Golden Rule; tried for murder, treason, and inciting insurrection, he answers with calm, prophetic eloquence and writes moving jail letters that turn defeat into moral victory. The narrative ends with his steadfast execution and the shock his deed sends through the nation, quickening Northern resolve, prefiguring Lincoln’s rise, and pointing toward a war in which, as the author suggests, his soul goes marching on. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Download for free
For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.
Kindle → Use Send-to-Kindle
- Download the EPUB3 file above
- Upload it on the Amazon site your Kindle is registered with: amazon.com/sendtokindle for the US, amazon.co.uk/sendtokindle for the UK etc.
- It appears on your Kindle and in the Kindle app
Kobo, Nook etc. → Transfer via USB
- Download the EPUB3 file on your computer
- Connect your e-reader by USB and tap "Connect" on its screen
- Drag the file onto the e-reader drive
Phone, Tablet or Computer → Online or Reading App
Easiest: read online in your browser. Nothing to install.
Or use a reading app:
- Find and install one you like, for example Apple Books, ReadEra or Thorium Reader
- Download the EPUB3 file above
- Open it in the app
More help: iPhone / iPad · Android · Computer
Other formats & older devices
There may be more files related to this item.
About this eBook
| Author | Gold, Michael, 1893-1967 |
|---|---|
| Editor | Haldeman-Julius, E. (Emanuel), 1888-1951 |
| Title | Life of John Brown |
| Original Publication | Girard: Haldeman-Julius Company, 1924. |
| Series Title | Little blue book no. 521 |
| Credits | Tim Miller, Sam Lamb and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | E300: History: America: Revolution to the Civil War (1783-1861) |
| Subject | Brown, John, 1800-1859 |
| Subject | Abolitionists -- Biography |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77258 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-77258-5 |
| Release Date | Nov 17, 2025 |
| Last Update | Feb 11, 2026 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 345 downloads in the last 30 days. |
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!