Barrie Stavis (June 16, 1906 – February 2, 2007) is best known for his plays portraying historic figures whose controversial or radical ideas and actions present a challenge to contemporary authority. These plays depict the actions of men who set an ethical course from which they cannot be turned, while their determination changed the world even though they themselves were made to suffer or even executed for their beliefs. John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry was an event Stavis explored over an extended period of time.
