Sentence:  Resolved that , while we most decidedly disapprove the methods he adopted to accomplish his objects , yet in his willingness to die in aid of the great cause of human freedom , we still recognize the qualities of a noble nature and the exercise of a <WSD>spirit</WSD> which true men have always admired and which history never fails to honor . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character