12. Document Project 12: Visions of John Brown

Quiz for Document 12.9 Currier and Ives, John Brown on His Way to Execution, 1863

Quiz for Document 12.9: Currier and Ives, John Brown on His Way to Execution, 1863

Document 12.9: Currier and Ives, John Brown on His Way to Execution, 1863

Choose the best answer to each question.

Question 1

1. Examine the Currier and Ives lithograph account of John Brown’s execution. What does the illustration demonstrate about the legacy of John Brown?

Only abolition perspectives are preserved

Proslavery perspectives dominated the media

The power of cultural memory of the incident was strong

The incident was used as an indictment of capital punishment

Question 2

2. Why might the Currier and Ives image have been made four years after the execution of John Brown?

To reignite the debate over Brown

To motivate abolitionists during the Civil War

To sell more copies of the print

To criticize the actions of John Brown

Question 3

3. Why would the artist have included the Virginia state flag with its motto, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” or “Thus always to tyrants,” in such a prominent position in the image?

Because Brown was executed in Virginia

To imply that John Brown was a tyrant

To reference the tyranny of slavery against which Brown fought

To motivate more Virginians to enlist in the war

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