John Brown (Rhode Island) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

John Brown I was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

merchant, slave trader, and statesman from Providence

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

, Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

. In 1764, John Brown joined his brothers Nicholas Brown

Nicholas Brown (Brown University)

Nicholas Brown, Sr. was a Providence, Rhode Island merchant who co-founded the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, which was renamed Brown University after Brown's son Nicholas Brown, Jr. in 1804...

and Moses Brown

Moses Brown

Moses Brown was a co-founder of Brown University and a New England abolitionist and industrialist, who funded the design and construction of some of the first factory houses for spinning machines during the American industrial revolution, including Slater Mill.-Early life:Brown was the son of...

as well as William Ellery, the Baptist

Baptist

Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

Reverend James Manning, the Baptist Reverend Isaac Backus

Isaac Backus

Isaac Backus was a leading Baptist preacher during the era of the American Revolution who campaigned against state-established churches in New England....

, the Congregationalist Reverend and later Yale College

Yale College

Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...

president Ezra Stiles

Ezra Stiles

Ezra Stiles was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian and author. He was president of Yale College .-Early life:...

, former Chief Justice of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins (politician)

Stephen Hopkins was an American political leader from Rhode Island who signed the Declaration of Independence. He served as the Chief Justice and Governor of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and was a Delegate to the Colonial Congress in Albany in 1754 and to the...

and several others as an original fellow or trustee for the chartering of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

(the original name for Brown University

Brown University

Early life

Born in Providence

Providence, Rhode Island

, Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

on January 27, 1736 to James Brown II and Hope Power, Brown went on to own a successful farming and shipping business with his brothers, Nicholas, Joseph, and Moses Brown

Moses Brown

. He was active in the slave trade and china trade

Old China Trade

The Old China Trade was the name given to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghsia in 1844...

and invested heavily in privateers during the 1760s through 1780s. John Brown sold the United States Navy its first ship, the USS Providence

USS Providence (1775)

Originally chartered by the Rhode Island General Assembly as Katy, USS Providence was a sloop in the Continental Navy.-Service as Katy:...

(previously, the Katy), during the American Revolution in 1775. Brown was named as a delegate for Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

to the Continental Congress

Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....

in 1784-1785 but did not attend.

American revolution

John Brown played a leading role in the Gaspee Affair

Gaspée Affair

The Gaspée Affair was a significant event in the lead-up to the American Revolution. The HMS Gaspée, a British customs schooner that had been enforcing unpopular trade regulations, ran aground in shallow water on June 9, 1772, near what is now known as Gaspee Point in the city of Warwick, Rhode...

of 1772 that increased hostilities between the thirteen colonies and the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

and helped catalyze events

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

leading up to the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

. He was an active Federalist and pushed against Rhode Island's anti-federalist, "Country Party

Country Party (Rhode Island)

The Country Party, Rhode Island's anti-federalist political party, controlled the Rhode Island General Assembly from 1786 and 1790 and opposed the Federalist Party, which supported the U.S. Constitution. The Federalists were largely from the "town," Providence, Rhode Island, while the Country...

" in getting Rhode Island to become part of federal union.

"Providence", the first warship to sail under America’s Continental Navy, was built in 1768 by John Brown. It was purchased by the colony of Rhode Island after British men-of-war began attacking Rhode Island’s shipping lanes. The General Assembly ordered its committee of safety to fit out two ships to defend the lanes, one of which became Providence. The ship — at one time under the command of John Paul Jones, considered the father of the American Navy — went on to participate in 60 battles and to capture 40 British ships before it was dismantled in 1779 to prevent it from falling into the hands of the British.

Political activity

Brown was eventually elected to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

in 1798 and served there from 1799 to 1801. Brown was the first person prosecuted under the federal slave importation laws

Slave Trade Act of 1794

The Slave Trade Act of 1794 was a law passed by the United States Congress that limited American involvement in the trade of human cargo. This was the first of several acts of Congress that eventually stopped the importation of slaves to the United States. The owning of slaves would later be made...

in 1796. John Brown died at Providence

Providence, Rhode Island

, Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

on September 20, 1803, and is buried in the North Burial Ground

North Burial Ground

The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, dating to 1700. Providence had no public burial ground and no Common until the year 1700 because Rhode Island's religious and government institutions were so rigorously kept distinct, dating back to its founding by Roger...

there.

Controversy

John Brown was also an active slavetrader. On March 22, 1794, Congress passed the Slave Trade Act of 1794

Slave Trade Act of 1794

that prohibited making, loading, outfitting, equipping, or dispatching of any ship to be used in the trade of slaves. Then on August 5, 1797, John Brown was tried in federal court as the first American to be tried under the 1794 law. Brown was convicted and was forced to forfeit his ship Hope
Hope (ship)
The Hope was an American brig class merchant ship involved in the Maritime Fur Trade along the northwest coast of North America and discovery in the Pacific Ocean...

.

Brown's involvement in the Triangular Trade

Triangular trade

Triangular trade, or triangle trade, is a historical term indicating among three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come...

in African slaves and financial contribution to the early years of Brown University's development are addressed in the official Response of Brown University to the Report of the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice.

Family ties

John Brown was a descendant of Chad Brown

Chad Brown (minister)

Reverend Chad Brown I was one of the first ministers of the First Baptist Church in America and a co-founder of Providence, Rhode Island...

, a co-founder of Providence and early Baptist minister at the First Baptist Church in America following Roger Williams

Roger Williams (theologian)

Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...

. His wife was Sarah (Smith) Brown (1738–1825).

John Brown's father was James Brown II (1698–1739) of Providence, and his grandfather was Elder James Brown (1666–1716), a pastor at the First Baptist Church; his grandmother by Elder James Brown was Mary (Harris) Brown. James Brown II established himself early in the mercantile business, trading in rum, molasses, slaves and other goods. James Brown II married Hope Power (1702–1792), daughter of Nicholas, in 1723. They had six children. Mary Brown (1731–1795), the one daughter, married Dr. David Vanderlight. James Brown III (1724–1750), the eldest son, was a sea captain who died young. The other four children of James Brown II were Nicholas (1729–1791), Joseph (1733–1785), John (1736–1803) and Moses (1738–1836).

John Brown's uncle was Obadiah Brown I (1712–1762) of Providence and son of Elder James Brown (1666–1716). Obadiah joined his older brother James Brown II (1698–1739) in the mercantile trade in cocoa, rum, molasses and slaves. Obadiah's initial role was as master of his brother's shipping vessels in the West Indies trade. After the death of James Brown II in 1739, Obadiah retired from the sea himself, but continued the business. He also helped to raise James' young children, later forming a partnership with James' four surviving sons as Obadiah Brown & Co. Obadiah died in Glocester, R.I. in 1762. In 1737, Obadiah Brown I married his first cousin, Mary Harris (1718–1805), daughter of Toleration and Sarah Harris. They had eight children. All four of the sons died in early childhood. The four daughters were Phebe (b.1738), Sarah (1742–1800), Anna (1744–1773) and Mary (b.1753). Phebe married John Fenner of Glocester, R.I., brother of Governor Arthur Fenner

Arthur Fenner

Arthur Fenner served as the fourth Governor of Rhode Island from 1790 until his death in 1805 and was a prominent Country Party leader...

. Sarah married Lt. Gov. Jabez Bowen

Jabez Bowen

Jabez Bowen, Jr. was a deputy governor of Rhode Island, militia colonel during the American Revolutionary War and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.-Biography:...

(1739–1815). Anna married her first cousin Moses Brown (1738–1836). Mary married Thomas Arnold

Thomas Arnold

Dr Thomas Arnold was a British educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement...

(1751–1826).

John Brown's younger brother, Moses Brown

Moses Brown

, was a notable abolitionist, and his brother-in-law and business partner, Jabez Bowen

Jabez Bowen

Jabez Bowen, Jr. was a deputy governor of Rhode Island, militia colonel during the American Revolutionary War and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.-Biography:...

was a notable Rhode Island political figure. John Brown's nephew the philanthropist Nicholas Brown, Jr.

Nicholas Brown, Jr.

Nicholas Brown, Jr. , was a Providence, Rhode Island businessman and philanthropist who was the namesake of Brown University.-Biography:...

is the namesake for Brown University. Brown's grandson, John Brown Francis

John Brown Francis

John Brown Francis was a United States Senator from Rhode Island.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended the common schools of Providence, Rhode Island and graduated from Brown University in 1808. He engaged in mercantile pursuits, attended the Litchfield Law School, and was...

was later a U.S. Senator and Governor of Rhode Island.

John Brown's son James Brown III was born on September 22, 1761 and educated at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

where he graduated in 1780. In 1789 James was elected a member of the Board of Fellows of Brown University, and regularly attended meetings until his death. He never married, and died on December 12, 1834.

John Brown's daughter Sarah Brown Herreshoff (1773–1846) was married to Charles Frederick Herreshoff

Charles Frederick Herreshoff

Charles Frederick Herreshoff I was an automobile designer and manufacturer.-Biography:He was born on May 28, 1876 to James Herreshoff. He died on January 31, 1954 in San Diego, California.-References:...

(1763–1819), an engineer derived from Germany. Their son Charles Frederick Herreshoff (1809–1888) and their grandsons, James Brown Herreshoff (1834–1930), John Brown Herreshoff

John Brown Herreshoff

John Brown Herreshoff , was an American yacht and ship builder with his brother, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff.-References:...

(1841–1914) and Nathanael Greene Herreshoff

Nathanael Herreshoff

Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....

(1848–1938) founded the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, a boat-building establishment in Bristol, Rhode Island.

External links

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Early life

American revolution

Political activity

Controversy

Family ties

See also

External links