English Text:
On May 10, 1858, American abolitionist John Brown held the last in a series of clandestine meetings here at First Baptist Church. Brown planned to establish an independent republic within the United States and wage guerrilla war to liberate the South from slavery. He came to Upper Canada to recruit blacks who had fled here in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Law (1850). On October 16, 1859, Brown and 21 supporters seized the government arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and held it against counter-attack for two days. Brown, executed as a traitor, became for many a martyr and hero. His actions escalated the tensions between North and South that led to civil war in 1861.
French Text:
Le 10 mai 1858, l'abolitionniste am?ricain John Brown tient la derni?re r?union d'une s?rie de r?unions clandestines ici ? la First Baptist Church. Brown pr?voit ?tablir une r?publique ind?pendante aux ?tats-Unis et mener une guerre de partisans pour lib?rer le Sud de l'esclavage. Il vient au Haut-Canada recruter des Noirs qui s'?taient enfuis ici apr l'adoption de la loi sur les esclaves fugitifs (1850). Le 16 octobre 1859, Brown et 21 partisans s'emparent de l'arsenal militaire ? Harpers Ferry en Virginie et ristent aux contre-attaques pendant deux jours. Brown, qui est ex?cut? en tant que tra?tre, devient pour beaucoup un martyr et un h?ros. Ses actions intensifient les tensions entre le Nord et le Sud qui aboutissent ? la guerre de S?cession en 1861.
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