The Secret Six T-Shirt

The Secret Six were six wealthy and influential men who secretly funded the American abolitionist, John Brown. They were Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Samuel Howe, Theodore Parker, Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, Gerrit Smith, and George Luther Stearns. All Six had been involved in the abolitionist crusade prior to their meeting John Brown, and had gradually become convinced that slavery would not die a peaceful death. During and after Brown's trial, the New York Times and the New York Herald began to link the names of the Six with Brown's. On November 7, Smith had himself confined to an insane asylum, denying that he had been involved in supporting Brown. Howe, Sanborn and Stearns fled to Canada temporarily to avoid arrest. Parker, dying of tuberculosis, remained in Europe until his death in 1860. Higginson was the sole member to remain in America and to publicly proclaim his support for Brown.