Heyward Shepherd monument
The Heyward Shepherd monument is a monument in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It commemorates Haywood Shepherd (1825 – October 17, 1859), a free black man who was the first person killed during John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. It was erected in 1931 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), who sought to promote Shepherd as a "faithful slave" and role model for Blacks. The inscription misrepresents the circumstances of Shepherd's death to imply that he consciously opposed John Brown's plan to spark a slave rebellion; in reality, Shepherd was not aware of the plan and believed he was dealing with robbers.
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