The correct answer is D) defended their freedom and responded eagerly to the cause of abolitionism.
During the Antebellum period, many African Americans in the north defended their freedom and responded eagerly to the cause of abolitionism.
In the history of the United States, the Antebellum period is considered the time between the War of 1812 and the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. During this period, different ideas and beliefs separated the Northern States from the Southern States. Of course, the issue of slavery was part of the differences. The Southern States supported slavery because they depended on slaves to produce crops in the southern plantations. On the other hand, the Northern States supported abolitionism.