Brown was a deeply religious man who spoke his mind. As an abolitionist he found slavery in any form to be immoral. He fathered 20 children and with his wife moved to Kansas Territory to wage a war against slavery. He arrived on October 7, 1855, to help several of his sons who were already there to set up land claims. Along the way he got funds from other abolitionists and bought a large number of guns and swords for the fight he was sure would come. He had spoken out before against the Southern plantations and had called for the execution of slave catchers. Kansas, he thought, would be the perfect place to put his words into action.