Resistance Leaders and Heroes -

Leaders and Heroes Against Corruption and Oppression

Everyone Should Know About These Men and Women

The abolitionist John Brown was hanged in 1859 after leading a raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, which failed. His goal was to take the town, the arsenal, the armory, and the rifle factory; to free slaves; and to start a slave uprising.

Brown had fought slavery most of his life and was a man who didn’t just “talk the talk” but rather “walked the walk.” (Illustration by Dean Kane)
“Ain’t I a Human?”

This drawing shows one of countless Africans who were stolen from their lands by slave catchers and enslaved for life in various countries, including the U.S.

These enslaved people’s survival against such oppression shows their strength and will to live in the face of extreme brutality.

Illustration by Dean Kane
Read about the abolitionist Benjamin Lay – a David against Goliath story.
During the 1968 My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, U.S. soldiers abused and massacred hundreds of elderly men, women, and children.

Helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson Jr. saw the massacre going on below and tried to rescue the civilians.

At one point, Thompson ordered his crew to fire on their fellow U.S. soldiers if they shot at a group of Vietnamese villagers. We need more soldiers like this today.

Photo Credit: US Army, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
John Rankin was an early abolitionist and conductor on the Underground Railroad. It is believed that he may have helped 2,000 or more enslaved people escape to freedom. Click here to learn more.