Question 1

On matters related to citizenship, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Dred Scott that:

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) essentially stated that persons of African descent could not be, and were never intended to be, U.S. citizens, regardless of whether they were free or enslaved. This ruling implied that citizenship was effectively limited to white persons.

Question 2

The 1860 Republican platform stated all of the following EXCEPT that:

Accepted Answer

The 1860 Republican platform did not call for the abolition of slavery in the nation's capital; it focused on preventing the expansion of slavery into new territories.

Question 3

Unlike most previous presidents, James Polk was not a slaveholder.

Accepted Answer

James Polk was a slaveholder; he owned slaves during his lifetime and presidency.

Question 4

In the 1860 election, how many different presidential candidates won electoral votes?

Accepted Answer

In the 1860 election, four different presidential candidates won electoral votes: Abraham Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen A. Douglas.

Question 5

In the presidential election of 1860, the two candidates who received the most votes in the southern states were:

Accepted Answer

John Breckinridge and John Bell were the two candidates who received the most votes in the southern states during the 1860 presidential election. Breckinridge represented the Southern Democrats, while Bell was the candidate for the Constitutional Union Party.

Question 6

The Texas independence movement was sparked in part because the Mexican government, alarmed that its grip on the area was weakening, annulled existing land contracts and barred future emigration from the United States in 1830.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The Mexican government's actions in 1830 were one of the factors that led to the Texas independence movement.

Question 7

During his debate with Abraham Lincoln in Freeport, Illinois, Stephen Douglas:

Accepted Answer

During the debate, Stephen Douglas insisted that popular sovereignty, the principle that the status of slavery in a territory should be decided by its residents, was compatible with the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which ruled that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories. Douglas argued that residents could still choose to protect or exclude slavery through their territorial laws.

Question 8

The famous Lincoln-Douglas debates took place during the campaign for:

Accepted Answer

The Lincoln-Douglas debates occurred during the campaign for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois in 1858. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, challenged incumbent Democrat Stephen A. Douglas in a series of seven debates across Illinois. The debates primarily focused on the issue of slavery and its expansion into new territories. Although Lincoln lost the Senate race, the debates raised his national profile and helped him win the presidency two years later in 1860.

Question 9

In spite of the controversy over the Statute of Freedom, Thomas Crawford refused to change his original design of the statue.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In spite of the controversy over the...

Question 10

The Dred Scott decision of the U.S. Supreme Court:

Accepted Answer

The Dred Scott decision ruled that Congress lacked the authority to prohibit slavery in U.S. territories, effectively nullifying the Missouri Compromise.

Question 11

The American Civil War began in April 1861, when:

Accepted Answer

Confederate forces fired upon and captured Fort Sumter was the event that initiated the American Civil War.

Question 12

In the 1850s, Tennessee-born William Walker became famous for:

Accepted Answer

William Walker is most famous for his failed attempt to establish a slaveholding colony in Nicaragua. He led several expeditions to Central America in the 1850s and eventually managed to take control of the government of Nicaragua in 1856. He declared himself president of Nicaragua and implemented proslavery policies, but his rule was short-lived as neighboring countries launched an attack and expelled him in 1857.

Question 13

During the secession winter of 1860-1861, who offered the most widely supported compromise plan in Congress, which allowed the westward extension of the Missouri Compromise line?

Accepted Answer

John Crittenden of Kentucky offered the most widely supported compromise plan in Congress, which involved the westward extension of the Missouri Compromise line. The plan was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the secession of many Southern states.

Question 14

Which event sparked Abraham Lincoln to reenter politics?

Accepted Answer

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed for the possibility of slavery expanding into new territories, prompted Lincoln to reenter politics and oppose the spread of slavery.

Question 15

Which 1854 document called for the United States to seize Cuba?

Accepted Answer

The Ostend Manifesto was a document written in 1854 by American diplomats urging the United States government to acquire Cuba from Spain by any means necessary, including by force if necessary.

Question 16

The Democratic Party split in 1860 over the question of whether to:

Accepted Answer

The Democratic Party split in 1860 over the issue of whether to protect slavery in the territories or allow popular sovereignty in them. The Northern Democrats were in favor of popular sovereignty, while the Southern Democrats wanted to protect slavery in the territories. This split allowed Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party to win the presidential election with less than 40% of the popular vote.

Question 17

In 1860, which state became the first to pass an ordinance of secession and declare itself separated from the Union?

Accepted Answer

South Carolina became the first state to pass an ordinance of secession and declare itself separate from the Union on December 20, 1860.

Question 18

The Lecompton Constitution was the:

Accepted Answer

The Lecompton Constitution was the proslavery constitution proposed for Kansas, which was a major point of contention in the lead up to the Civil War. It was ultimately rejected by Congress, but its creation added fuel to the already heated debate over the expansion of slavery in the United States.

Question 19

Which of the following puts these events in the proper chronological order, from first to last? I. Virginia seceded from the Union.
II) Abraham Lincoln was elected president.
III) Confederate States of America formed.
IV) South Carolina seceded from the Union.

Accepted Answer

Abraham Lincoln was elected president in November 1860, South Carolina seceded in December 1860, the Confederate States of America was formed in February 1861, and Virginia seceded in April 1861.

Question 20

Who was responsible for the 1856 Pottawatomie Creek Massacre in Kansas and led the raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859?

Accepted Answer

John Brown was responsible for the Pottawatomie Creek Massacre in Kansas and led the raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859. He was an abolitionist who believed in the use of violence to overthrow slavery. His actions ultimately led to his execution and became a major factor leading to the American Civil War.

Quiz 13: A House Divided, 1840-1861