Patton Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

11/05/2024

11/05/2024

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02/08/2024

Black History

JOHN ANTHONY COPELAND JR. (1836-1859)


John Anthony Copeland Jr. was born free in Raleigh, North Carolina on August 15, 1834, to John Anthony Copeland Sr., a slave, and Delilah Evans, a free woman. Copeland spent much of his early life in Ohio and attended Oberlin College. While residing in Oberlin, Ohio, Copeland became an advocate for black rights and an abolitionist. In 1858, he participated in assisting John Price, a runaway slave seeking his freedom. This act became famous as the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, where abolitionists boldly aided slaves in violation of the federal Fugitive Slave Law.
Once released from jail, Copeland joined John Brown’s group that planned to attack the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). On October 16, 1859, John Anthony Copeland, along with the rest of Brown’s assemblage, raided Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Copeland and the others were convicted of murder and encouraging slave insurrection and sentenced to death. Twenty-three year-old John Anthony Copeland Jr. was hanged on December 16, 1859.