Shields Green, born around 1836, was an African American man who played a significant role in the fight against slavery in the United States. He is best known for his participation in John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Shields Green was born into slavery in Charleston, South Carolina. At the age of 20, he escaped from bondage and made his way north, eventually settling in Rochester, New York. In Rochester, Green became involved in the abolitionist movement and joined the local community of free African Americans who were actively working to end slavery.
In 1859, John Brown, a prominent abolitionist, organized a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). The plan was to seize weapons and spark a slave rebellion. Shields Green, along with other abolitionists, joined Brown’s cause. Green was one of the raiders who successfully captured the armory. However, the raid was quickly suppressed by U.S. Marines led by Colonel Robert E. Lee, and several raiders, including Shields Green, were captured. Green was wounded during the raid and was subsequently tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. He was executed by hanging on December 16, 1859.
The raid on Harpers Ferry and the subsequent execution of Shields Green and John Brown had a significant impact on the escalating tensions between the North and South in the United States. It is often seen as one of the events that foreshadowed the American Civil War, which began two years later in 1861. Shields Green’s involvement in the raid exemplifies the bravery and sacrifices made by African Americans and white abolitionists in the fight against slavery.