Day-19-A-Revolt-Against-Slavery
[00:02.99] In this conversation,
[00:06.74] the family visits Harpers Ferry in West Virginia, the site of a famous revolt against slavery.
[00:13.98] Claudine: This is the place where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet?
[00:21.74] Paul: Yes. We're in West Virginia, but the borders of Maryland and Virginia are right over there.
[00:28.98] Gina: But Harpers Ferry is most famous for John Brown's raid on an armory in 1859.
[00:36.99] Sam: One man raided an armory?
[00:39.99] Gina: He wasn't alone. There were about 20 men with him.
[00:44.74] And he expected others to join him in his cause.
[00:48.49] Claudine: What was his cause?
[00:50.74] Paul: Well, this was right before the American Civil War,
[00:55.23] and there were people who were very opposed to slavery.
[00:59.74] And John Brown was a staunch abolitionist. His raid was a revolt against slavery.
[01:06.74] Gina: And he hoped slaves and freedom fighters would join the raid.
[01:11.38] But that didn't happen, and he was defeated.
[01:14.63] Now let's review the vocabulary.
[01:20.88] A border is a line that divides one country, state, etc., from another.
[01:30.13] A raid is a planned attack that is done suddenly in order to destroy something, search for something and/or take something.
[01:42.63] An armory is a place where weapons are kept. The Harpers Ferry Armory was the second government armory in the country.
[01:55.14] As a noun, the word cause has different meanings.
[02:01.90] In this conversation, a cause means something (such as an idea or goal) that people support or fight for.
[02:11.63] The adjective staunch means very strong and loyal to a belief or cause.
[02:20.39] An abolitionist is a person who wants to abolish (completely end) slavery.
[02:30.88] A revolt is a protest against authority, especially a government, that often involves violence.
[02:41.64] A freedom fighter is a person who fights against what they think is an unfair government or system.
[02:51.89] During the time period of John Brown's raid, a freedom fighter
[02:56.14] was someone who fought to end the system of slavery
