Hartford Gives Aid to John Brown

In greater Connecticut history: on March 21, 1857, an impassioned editorial was printed in the Hartford Daily Courant decrying the actions of Southern Democrats for their support of the institution of slavery and encouragement of Border Ruffians encroachment into the newly established territory Kansas. Border ruffians were pro-slavery settlers who frequently clashed with Free Staters,  settlers who opposed slavery. The editorial gives a heartfelt plea to abolitionists to take action in Kansas– by aiding none other than the radical abolitionist John Brown in his battles against the border ruffians. The Hartford based bank and cashier managing Brown’s funds is named.

Jaime Pettit

Jaime Pettit serves as an Assistant Archivist at the Bridgeport History Center at the Bridgeport, Connecticut Public Library. She received a Masters' in Information Science at the University of Michigan and a Certification in Museum Studies at Harvard University. She has previously worked with the University of Michigan and Arizona State University's departments of archeology. Pettit's current projects combine her love for both history and writing to highlight interesting and lesser-known stories from Bridgeport and Connecticut.