something about slavery during the civil war. A raid of some sort, Brown was an abolitionist. Harpers Ferry was a place, I’m not sure of the details…some sort of armory there? So I have a vague sense but I wouldn’t say I KNOW a whole lot about it.
MLK, I Have A Dream. I’m well aware of this happening and have been since middle school, but had never heard it called “The March on Washington”. I know that particular way of referring to the event from more recent anniversary coverage. Before that, my response would have been “which march?”
30s, female, US, college grad (with minor in American History, some good it did me )
67, and I know both of them. But it’s incorrect to mention “The” March on Washington. I wasn’t at the MLK march, but I have attended two or three LGBT and AIDS marches on Washington. And there have been quite a few others.
Sure there have been others, but it’s the fiftieth anniversary of what is certainly the most famous, in fact searching the March on Washington leads directly to the MLK event on Wikipedia.
John Brown (Northern Abolitionist) attacked Harper’s Ferry Armoury in the South intending to liberate + arm the nearby slaves.
He only had a handful of men, there was a short seige and Brown was captured.
He was then tried and hung.
This made him a martyr, a song* about him became massively popular and it was one of the causes of the Civil War.
I’m female and 57. Educated in the south, if that makes a difference. John Brown did not ring a bell, but it’s possible I’ve just forgotten that history lesson. I’m sure all the current media about the MLK anniversary is why I got the second one.
same response, late 1950’s. My first thought about the march on Washington involved farmers and I forget why but imagine it had something to do with taxes or subsidies.
I probably first heard about John Brown in the fifth grade, when we studied the American Civil War.
Coincidentally, that was at the close of the war’s centennial (1965–66). I may even have heard about Brown earlier, in the context of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Back then, you learned a lot of “patriotic songs” in primary school.
EDIT: I just remembered that I did hear about Brown earlier, from a Little Lulu comic book of all places. They were singing the original version of the song (albeit somewhat sanitized) around a campfire at summer camp.
John Brown’s body lies a mouldering in the grave… he led a slave rebellion and scared the livin’ hell out of lots of southern whitefolks. Got killed eventually, martyr to the cause of freedom and idealism before realistic assessment of risks and whatnot. Umm… yeesh, can’t tell you what state. Or exactly when. pre-Civil War, obviously.
The first of several such, 1963 I think it was, Martin Luther King, pertaining to the treatment and status of blacks in the US. “I have a dream”.
I’m 54.
I’m in my mid-20s. I’d learned but forgotten all about Harper’s Ferry.
But here’s the thing about #2 - I know all about the civil rights movement and the famous events that occurred during it. I know of King’s speech and the events in Washington, but up until a month ago, I’d never heard the phrase “march on Washington”. That descriptor is new to me, and if I didn’t know it was the anniversary this year, I’da thought you meant the Million Man March in '95.
Just wanted to point out that he scared the livin’ hell out of lots of northern whitefolks, too (and back then, that was essentially all northerners). It was the last thing anyone one (even most of the abolitionists, who were definitely a minority in the north) wanted. Nobody wanted a slave revolt, which is why John Brown failed so miserably. At least, that is what I’ve learned (I wasn’t alive at the time).
Per the OP, I would have thought any educated American would have know both, although I was wondering a bit about which “march on Washington” was wanted. But, based on the first question, the which march question wasn’t really much of a wonder.
I just opened the thread & will make my guesses without reading the later entries.
Abolitionist John Brown tried to spark a slave rebellion at Harper’s Ferry. It failed & he was hanged. The Civil War followed. (I’ve visited the charming town of Harper’s Ferry.)
The March on Washington was a huge, peaceful rally for Civil Rights, with the stage on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial & people filling the mall. MLK Jr’s “I Have A Dream” sermon was a highpoint. The anniversary has been celebrated recently–was it 50 years ago?
44, female, US. I knew John Brown was an abolitionist but not what happened at Harper’s Ferry. I assumed the march on Washington was the MLK/civil rights march but only know the year because of the current anniversary celebrations.
No, I was surprised that people didn’t know what the March on Washington was even when prompted that this week was the fiftieth anniversary of it. I realize that other people have marched on Washington, but if you type March on Washington into Wikipedia or Google you get the specific event to which I referenced. It really surprised me that 20 somethings in my office didn’t know what it was. I think you’d really have to not be paying attention to not notice all the talk about the 50th anniversary in the press about the March on Washington.
What prompted my asking my colleagues about the March was that I was in a coffee shop next to my office. There was a flyer on the counter about tomorrow’s events here in DC to mark the anniversary and the guy at the coffee shop didn’t know what it was. I then asked my colleagues who are about his age and many of them also didn’t know what it was, although every black person in the office did.
I wasn’t surprised that non-Americans would think of the war of 1812, because they are not as exposed to all the media this week about the anniversary.
I am British (43) and know all about John Brown and the Harper’s Ferry raid. This is from having read Flashman though. From what I understand it’s a fairly well researched source though clearly has some fictional elements.
As for the march on Washington I have heard of the phrase but would not have known exactly which march it refers to as I know there have been a few.
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