Reacting to the Past: The Fate of John Brown, 1859

When law collides with a moral code (a higher law), which should be obeyed?  Can a political system riven by seemingly irreconcilable conflicts and divisions survive? These are the core questions you will debate as you take part in a fictitious trial of the abolitionist John Brown, after he gathered a small force and attacked the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859. He had planned to use the weapons at the arsenal to distribute to slaves to liberate themselves. His plan failed. Most of Brown's men died or were quickly captured. Now John Brown is wounded and awaiting trial. How should he be punished? You decide.