[BroJoeK]

rockrr to central_va on John Brown: "Except that you are wrong.
He would not support or vote for Lincoln."

I can find no evidence that either John Brown supported Republicans or that Republican officials (i.e., Lincoln) supported Brown.
The fact is that Brown was an extremist beyond the pale of normal political discourse.

[central_va]

It is safe to say the John Brown was not a Democrat. Ask 10 historians and you will 10 affirmations on that.

[DiogenesLamp]

Wool Merchant, bankrupted by Cotton. His raid was financed by wealthy Massachusetts wool merchants. Can't imagine why they would want to wreck the Cotton industry.

Milk of human kindness. Had nothing to do with money. That would have just been a fortunate side-effect of mass slave revolts in the South.

They would have made a fortune though. :)

Probably did anyways once the war started.