SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 17
Questions 12-22 refer to the following information.
The Ferry Godfather
[1] For much of the early part of American history, Pennsylvania and Virginia, two major early colonies and states, shared a border. [2] This part of Virginia became the modern state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. [3] Then came the Civil War. [4] Amid the furor of secession and conflict, President Abraham Lincoln granted a special provision for that part of Virginia that was loyal to the Union. 12
Although this region is not in the news quite so often today, in America's early history one part of it was on the tip of everyone's tongue. The town of Harpers Ferry played a crucial role in the pre–Civil War era. George Washington proposed that the United States station one of 13 their two major armories there, and by 1799, Harpers Ferry became 14 one of the major industrial towns, in the United States. Its position about 60 miles from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore put it close enough to major cities, but its place 15 in the hills at the meeting of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers made it difficult to access and easy to defend.
Because it was situated on the borderline between the Union and the Confederacy, and because its armory was full of the weapons being manufactured to fight the Civil War, 16 the Confederacy took it four times and the Union did also, and both sides saw it as a pivotal strategic base.
In the popular imagination today, Harpers Ferry is still seen as a crucial 17 place of great importance during the Civil War but mainly for events that occurred there before the war had even started. In 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led a raid on Harpers Ferry, seeking to free slaves and begin a guerilla campaign to free slaves all over the country. While Brown's raid was ultimately a dismal failure and Brown was executed for treason, 18 his raid began a national conversation.
Abolitionists in the North saw him as a hero and a freedom fighter, while those in the South saw him as a 19 filthy terrorist. 20 The Civil War and the nation's movement toward it used John Brown's name as both sides' rallying cry.
Today, Harpers Ferry is a sleepy town in the mountains of West Virginia. Much of its heritage remains 21 intact. Historical tours run every day. Above all, Harpers Ferry is a living reminder that the crucial events in history are not limited to the big places and the major players. Without the catalyzing effect of this small 22 town: American history as we know it might have been much different.
