Question

frederick douglass, 1857
i ask, then, any man to read the constitution, and tell me where, if he can,
in what particular that instrument affords the slightest sanction of
slavery?
where will he find a guarantee for slavery? will he find it in the
declaration that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law?
these all strike at the root of slavery, and any one of them, but faithfully
carried out, would put an end to slavery in every state in the american
union.
douglass, frederick. \speech on the dred scott decision 1857.\
teachingamericanhistory.org
abraham lincoln, 1857
...our declaration of independence was held sacred by all, and thought to
include all; but now, to aid in making the bondage of the negro universal
and eternal, it is assailed, and sneered at, and construed, and hawked at,
and torn, till, if its framers could rise from their graves, they could not at
all recognize it.
...the declaration is of no practical use now—mere rubbish...
and now i appeal to all—are you really willing that the declaration shall
be thus frittered away? ...shorn of its vitality, and practical value; and left
without the germ or even the suggestion of the individual rights of man in
it?
the sentiments expressed in the excerpts above most likely inspired which of the
following events?
select one answer
a the publication of uncle tom’s cabin.

b the attack on fort sumter.

c the kansas-nebraska act.

d john brown’s raid on harper’s ferry.

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Explanation:

The 1857 excerpts from Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln critique the Dred Scott Decision (which denied Black people citizenship and protected slavery) and argue for upholding constitutional/liberty principles against slavery. John Brown’s 1859 Raid on Harper’s Ferry was an abolitionist attempt to arm enslaved people, inspired by growing anti-slavery sentiment from figures like Douglass and Lincoln. Other options are misdated: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852, before 1857), Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854, before 1857), Fort Sumter (1861, start of Civil War, later than the 1857 sentiments).

Answer:

D. John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry.