Explanation: Just before the US Civil War, John Brown, an anti-slavery partisan, attempted to raise a slave revolt at Harpers Ferry to eradicate slavery once and for all. As the quote shows, frustration over the national compromises and a strong sense of justice fueled John Brown - and he had previously fought in ‘Bloody Kansas’ to prevent slavery from spreading there.

Unfortunately, logistical issues of starting a nationwide revolt aside, circumstances caused the local authorities to catch on to him too quickly for the revolt to actually ignite, and he and his comrades were killed or captured. John Brown would end up hanged by the state of Virginia. While his revolt failed in practical terms, his martyrdom became a rallying cry for the antislavery North, and “John Brown’s Body” was a popular song amongst Union troops during the subsequent Civil War.

Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may,

The death blow of oppression in a better time and way,

For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day,

And his soul is marching on!

Yeah, I guess John Brown was kind of RoboCop.