Sentence:  Resolved that , while we most decidedly disapprove the methods he adopted to accomplish his objects , yet in his willingness to die in <WSD>aid</WSD> of the great cause of human freedom , we still recognize the qualities of a noble nature and the exercise of a spirit which true men have always admired and which history never fails to honor . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose