John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave...

Thus begins one of the most influential songs of the 19th-century, sung by Union soldiers marching off to war as "foot-soldiers of the Almighty."

But just who was John Brown?

This week, you'll find out.

Upcoming Assignments

1.) Watch Monterey Institute, Unit 4, Chapter 11, Lesson 34 - "The Approaching War"

a.) "Consider This - John Brown": How did Julia Ward Howe's song with the apocalyptic message influence religious thinking in the North and the South during the Civil War era?

b.) "The United States had been rapidly expanding westward since the Louisiana Purchase. How did American expansion influence a growing sectional crisis after 1820? Did the war with Mexico put the U.S. on an inevitable road toward the Civil War?"

-These two items are due on Wed., 11/30, at the beginning of class.

2.) John Brown - Historical Marker (Due Mon., 12/5)

-John Brown is one of the most polarizing figures in American History...but how should he be remembered? You have been hired by the West Virginia Historical Society to design a historical marker to designate Harpers Ferry as a National Historic Site. Does it show John Brown as a hero and a martyr for the abolitionist cause, or as a deranged lunatic that plunged the nation into a four-year bloody civil war?

Details to be discussed in class.


3.) Zinn, Ch. 9 - on my website. Give yourself enough time...it's very involved.

Due on Mon., 12/5


4.) Ch. 18-19 Study Guides - on my website.

Due Tues., 12/6