A historian argues that John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was not a cause of the Civil War, but simply a correlated event. Which of the following, if true,
would undermine the historian's conclusion?

A. Few Northerners actively supported John Brown's raid or even the
abolitionism movement generally.

B. John Brown's raid convinced many Southerners that abolitionists
were a threat to their safety.

C. Federal troops, rather than Southern state militias, were used to
suppress John Brown's raid.

D. John Brown acted as an individual without support from any
important Northern leaders.

John Brown was a typical American in the nineteenth century. He was from Torrington, Connecticut, into a family of profoundly pious Congregationalists with a Puritan ancestry and overt antislavery convictions.

Option D is the correct answer because:

The reasons for incorrect options:

Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

For more information regarding John Brown’s raid, refer to the link:

link

B. John Brown's raid convinced many Southerners that abolitionists

were a threat to their safety.

Explanation:

In October 1859, it was recorded that John Brown an abolitionist steers a group of people to attack a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The purpose of the attack is to end slavery by causing an enslaved people to rise against their masters.

When a historian argues that John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was not a cause of the Civil War, but simply a correlated event. The statement if true would undermine the historian's conclusion is "John Brown's raid convinced many Southerners that abolitionists were a threat to their safety."

Because this statement will be interpreted as a confrontation against the southerners. And for southerners to protect their own interest, they need to fight for it.