Which historical event is John Brown associated with?

John Brown is prominently associated with the Raid on Harpers Ferry, an event that took place in 1859. This raid was part of his larger mission to initiate an armed slave revolt and is considered a pivotal moment in the lead-up to the American Civil War. Brown aimed to seize weapons stored at the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, with the intention of arming enslaved individuals to fight for their freedom. Although the raid was ultimately unsuccessful and Brown was captured and executed, it intensified the national debate over slavery and contributed to the growing tensions between the North and South.

While the other options relate to significant historical contexts, they do not focus on Brown's primary act of defiance against the institution of slavery or his role as an abolitionist. The Civil War was the broader conflict that arose from issues including slavery, West Virginia Statehood occurred as a result of this conflict and political disagreements, and the Great Depression was a much later economic downturn that is unrelated to Brown’s direct actions.