AP Success - AP US History: John Brown's Raid & Civil War Prelude
John Brown’s Final Speech, 1859."…I deny everything but what I have all along admitted, the design on my part to free the slaves…That was all I intended. I never did intend murder, or treason, or the destruction of property, or to excite or incite slaves to rebellion, or to make insurrection… This court acknowledges, as I suppose, the validity of the law of God. I see a book kissed here which I suppose to be the Bible, or at least the New Testament. That teaches me…to \"remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them\" [Hebrews 13:3]. I endeavored to act up to that instruction…Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I submit; so let it be done!"
Question 1
Which of the following best describes John Brown's objective as stated in his final speech?
To overthrow the federal government and establish a new nation.
To free the slaves and act according to his moral beliefs.
To gain personal wealth and power through the liberation of slaves.
To incite a nationwide slave rebellion that would topple the Southern economy.
Question 2
John Brown's reference to the 'law of God' and the New Testament in his speech suggests that his actions were motivated by:
Political ambitions and a desire for legislative reform.
Economic interests in disrupting the Southern plantation system.
Religious convictions and a sense of moral duty.
A strategic military objective to weaken the South before the Civil War.
Question 3
John Brown's speech and actions contributed to the sectional tensions between the North and South by:
Encouraging the Southern states to adopt immediate emancipation.
Demonstrating the willingness of some abolitionists to use violence.
Leading to a widespread slave uprising that the South had to suppress.
Proving that the South could peacefully resolve the issue of slavery.
Question 4
The phrase 'the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments' in John Brown's speech is indicative of his:
Condemnation of the institution of slavery and the laws that supported it.
Support for the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act.
Acceptance of the legal status quo regarding slavery in the United States.
Belief in the economic benefits of slavery for the Southern states.
Question 5
John Brown's readiness to 'forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice' exemplifies which of the following themes in American history?
The widespread support for abolitionist violence in the antebellum North.
The common preference for legal reform over violent confrontation.
The effectiveness of pacifism in the abolitionist movement.
The role of individual sacrifice in the pursuit of social and political change.
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