Back around the time that northern Christians, abolitionists, free blacks, anti-slavery activists and Kansas land owners first formed the Republican party, John Brown, an abolitionist and Baptist preacher, gave his life to put an end to slavery. During the civil war northern soldiers sang this old song as they marched off to battle. After "Julia Ward Howe" heard Union troops singing this, *the original (published Dec. 1861 in the Chicago Tribune) version of the song, she wrote her own words to it's tune. Soon after, her version was published Feb 1862 in the "Atlantic Monthly" as "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic"