Question 1

What was the relationship between westward expansion and slavery? How did the Mexican-American War contribute to the sectional conflict, and what compromises were created?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What was the relationship between westward expansion...

Question 2

Although morally opposed to slavery, Abraham Lincoln held the same opinion of African Americans as most white Americans did in the 1850s. Discuss how Lincoln was able to separate his personal feelings about African Americans from his convictions about slavery. How did he believe these views could keep the Union from breaking apart?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although morally opposed to slavery, Abraham Lincoln...

Question 3

By 1856, the Republican party had organized around the premise that the South was a profound threat to "free soil, free labor, and free men." Discuss how Republican fears were reflected in the violence in Kansas and the Senate as well as in decision-making in the Supreme Court.

Accepted Answer

The answer of By 1856, the Republican party had organized...

Question 4

The Compromise of 1850 began to come apart almost immediately, and the most contentious issue was the new Fugitive Slave Act. Discuss its effects on fugitive slaves as well as reactions to it in the North and South.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Compromise of 1850 began to come...

Question 5

Match the term with the definition.
-Antislavery party formed in 1854 following passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Members attempted to unite all those who opposed the extension of slavery into any territory of the United States.

Accepted Answer

The Republican Party was formed in 1854 as an antislavery party following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Its members attempted to unite all those who opposed the extension of slavery into any territory of the United States.

Question 6

Match the term with the definition.
-1857 Supreme Court decision that ruled the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. The decision denied the federal government the right to exclude slavery in the territories and declared that African Americans were not citizens.

Accepted Answer

The Dred Scott decision was the 1857 Supreme Court ruling that denied the federal government the power to prohibit slavery in the territories and declared that African Americans, whether slave or free, were not U.S. citizens.

Question 7

Match the term with the definition.
-Enormously popular 1852 antislavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It helped to solidify northern sentiment against slavery and to confirm white southerners' sense that no sympathy remained for them in the free states.

Accepted Answer

Uncle Tom's Cabin is the only term that matches the given definition.

Question 8

Match the term with the definition.
-Series of debates during the 1858 Illinois senatorial race concerning slavery and freedom.

Accepted Answer

The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas during the Illinois senatorial race in 1858 which focused on issues of slavery and freedom.

Question 9

Match the term with the definition.
-A law included in the Compromise of 1850 to help attract southern support for the legislative package. Its strict provisions for capturing runaway slaves provoked outrage in the North and intensified antislavery sentiment in the region.

Accepted Answer

The Fugitive Slave Act, included in the Compromise of 1850, had strict provisions for capturing runaway slaves that outraged the North and intensified antislavery sentiment in the region.

Question 10

Match the term with the definition.
-Term referring to work conducted free from constraint and according to the laborer's own inclinations and will.

Accepted Answer

Free labor refers to the idea of work being conducted free from constraint and according to the laborer's own inclinations and will.

Question 11

Match the term with the definition.
-Term for the bloody struggle between proslavery and antislavery factions in Kansas following its organization in the fall of 1854. Corrupt election tactics led to a proslavery victory, but free-soil Kansans established a rival territorial government and violence quickly ensued.

Accepted Answer

"Bleeding Kansas" specifically refers to the violent conflict between proslavery and antislavery forces in Kansas in the 1850s.

Question 12

Match the term with the definition.
-Government formed by Lower South states on February 7, 1861, following their secession from the Union. Secessionists argued that the election of a Republican to the presidency imperiled slavery and that the South no longer had political protection within the Union.

Accepted Answer

The Confederate States of America refers to the government formed by Southern states following their secession from the Union.

Question 13

Match the term with the definition.
-Laws meant to resolve the dispute over the spread of slavery in the territories. Key elements included the admission of California as a free state and the Fugitive Slave Act.

Accepted Answer

The Compromise of 1850 was passed in an attempt to find a solution to the issue of slavery in the territories, which was causing tension between the North and South. It included the admission of California as a free state, which angered the South, and the Fugitive Slave Act, which angered the North.

Question 14

Match the term with the definition.
-1854 law that divided Indian Territory into Kansas and Nebraska, repealed the Missouri Compromise, and left the new territories to decide the issue of slavery on the basis of popular sovereignty. The measure led to bloody fighting in Kansas.

Accepted Answer

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, repealed the Missouri Compromise by letting the new territories decide the issue of slavery on the basis of popular sovereignty. This led to the violent conflicts in Kansas, which became known as "Bleeding Kansas."

Question 15

Match the term with the definition.
-The idea that government is subject to the will of the people. Applied to the territories, this idea meant that the residents of a territory should determine, through their legislatures, whether to allow slavery.

Accepted Answer

The term "popular sovereignty" refers to the idea that government is subject to the will of the people. It also applied to the territories and played a significant role in the debate over whether to allow slavery in new territories.

Question 16

Match the term with the definition.
-Proposal put forward in August 1846 to ban slavery in territory acquired from the Mexican-American War. It enjoyed widespread support in the North, but southerners saw it as an attack on their interests.

Accepted Answer

The Wilmot Proviso was the proposal put forward in August 1846 to ban slavery in territory acquired from the Mexican-American War. It enjoyed widespread support in the North, but southerners saw it as an attack on their interests.

Question 17

Explain how America's political parties realigned between the late 1840s and mid-1850s. What were the most important issues behind this realignment?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how America's political parties realigned between...

Quiz 14: The House Divided

What was the relationship between westward expansion and slavery? How did the Mexican-American War contribute to the sectional conflict, and what compromises were created?

By 1856, the Republican party had organized around the premise that the South was a profound threat to "free soil, free labor, and free men." Discuss how Republican fears were reflected in the violence in Kansas and the Senate as well as in decision-making in the Supreme Court.

The Compromise of 1850 began to come apart almost immediately, and the most contentious issue was the new Fugitive Slave Act. Discuss its effects on fugitive slaves as well as reactions to it in the North and South.

Match the term with the definition. -Antislavery party formed in 1854 following passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Members attempted to unite all those who opposed the extension of slavery into any territory of the United States.

Match the term with the definition. -1857 Supreme Court decision that ruled the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. The decision denied the federal government the right to exclude slavery in the territories and declared that African Americans were not citizens.

Match the term with the definition. -Enormously popular 1852 antislavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It helped to solidify northern sentiment against slavery and to confirm white southerners' sense that no sympathy remained for them in the free states.

Match the term with the definition. -Series of debates during the 1858 Illinois senatorial race concerning slavery and freedom.

Match the term with the definition. -A law included in the Compromise of 1850 to help attract southern support for the legislative package. Its strict provisions for capturing runaway slaves provoked outrage in the North and intensified antislavery sentiment in the region.

Match the term with the definition. -Term referring to work conducted free from constraint and according to the laborer's own inclinations and will.

Match the term with the definition. -Laws meant to resolve the dispute over the spread of slavery in the territories. Key elements included the admission of California as a free state and the Fugitive Slave Act.

Match the term with the definition. -1854 law that divided Indian Territory into Kansas and Nebraska, repealed the Missouri Compromise, and left the new territories to decide the issue of slavery on the basis of popular sovereignty. The measure led to bloody fighting in Kansas.

Match the term with the definition. -The idea that government is subject to the will of the people. Applied to the territories, this idea meant that the residents of a territory should determine, through their legislatures, whether to allow slavery.

Match the term with the definition. -Proposal put forward in August 1846 to ban slavery in territory acquired from the Mexican-American War. It enjoyed widespread support in the North, but southerners saw it as an attack on their interests.

Explain how America's political parties realigned between the late 1840s and mid-1850s. What were the most important issues behind this realignment?