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Events on Saturday 24 May 1856 1
1856Pottawatomie MassacreJohn Brown leads a deadly raid against pro-slavery settlersOn the night of 24-25 May 1856, John Brown and a small band of followers killed five pro-slavery settlers along Pottawatomie Creek in Kansas Territory. The killings were retaliation for the Sack of Lawrence and escalated the violent conflict known as Bleeding Kansas. Brown became a polarizing figure, later leading the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry.