Question 1

Northerners supported all of the following EXCEPT
A) public education and temperance laws.
B) the rights of free labor.
C) immigration and trade restrictions.
D) policies favoring industrial growth.

Accepted Answer

Northerners, particularly during the 19th century, were generally supportive of immigration because it provided a labor force for their growing industries. They were less inclined to support trade restrictions since their economy was more industrial and benefited from trade. Choices A, B, and D reflect common interests of Northerners in supporting public education, temperance laws, the rights of free labor, and policies that favored industrial growth.

Question 2

Although Lincoln received less than 40 percent of the popular vote in the election of 1860, he carried every free state except New Jersey.

Accepted Answer

Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election by securing the electoral votes of all free states except New Jersey, despite receiving less than 40% of the popular vote.

Question 3

An effective argument against the Wilmot Proviso was the fact that Congress had never before restricted the extension of slavery into new territories.

Accepted Answer

The argument against the Wilmot Proviso was not that Congress had never restricted the extension of slavery into new territories; in fact, Congress had previously regulated the spread of slavery in new territories, most notably with the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Question 4

Popular sovereignty appealed to some politicians because its ambiguity enabled people to interpret it as they pleased.

Accepted Answer

Popular sovereignty, the idea that the authority of government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives, was appealing because its vague nature allowed politicians and citizens to interpret it in ways that suited their own political agendas or beliefs. This flexibility made it a useful concept in debates over contentious issues like slavery and territorial expansion.

Question 5

Senator Stephen Douglas argued that the provisions of the Compromise of 1850 should be voted on as a package rather than individually to demonstrate national unity.

Accepted Answer

Senator Stephen Douglas advocated for the provisions of the Compromise of 1850 to be voted on individually, rather than as a package, to facilitate their passage through Congress by allowing legislators to support parts they agreed with and oppose those they did not.

Question 6

The Compromise of 1850 delayed but did not prevent the outbreak of more serious sectional conflicts.

Accepted Answer

The Compromise of 1850 temporarily eased tensions between Northern and Southern states by addressing issues related to slavery and territorial expansion, but it did not resolve the underlying conflicts, leading to the outbreak of the Civil War a decade later.

Question 7

Many northerners responded to John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry with sympathy.

Accepted Answer

Many Northerners saw John Brown as a martyr for the abolitionist cause, sympathizing with his goal of ending slavery, even if they did not agree with his methods.

Question 8

The arrival of Irish and German immigrants spurred an anti-Catholic backlash from the Anglo American Protestant core of the nation.

Accepted Answer

The influx of Irish and German immigrants, many of whom were Catholic, in the 19th century led to a significant anti-Catholic backlash among the predominantly Protestant Anglo-American population, resulting in social tensions, discrimination, and the formation of nativist movements.

Question 9

Whites and blacks decreased activity on the Underground Railroad after passage of the Compromise of 1850.

Accepted Answer

The Compromise of 1850 included the Fugitive Slave Act, which made it more difficult for escaped slaves to remain free in the North and incentivized their capture, leading to increased activity on the Underground Railroad as both blacks and whites worked harder to help escaped slaves reach safety in Canada.

Question 10

Frederick Douglass gave a famous Independence Day speech in 1852 that symbolized the increasing stridency of free blacks against slavery.

Accepted Answer

Frederick Douglass delivered his famous speech, "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" on July 5, 1852, in which he criticized the celebration of freedom in a nation that still enslaved millions of African Americans, symbolizing the growing opposition to slavery among free blacks.

Question 11

Over 80,000 gold miners arrived in California in 1849, swelling the American population of the state.

Accepted Answer

The arrival of over 80,000 gold miners in California in 1849, known as the "Forty-Niners," significantly increased the American population in the state due to the Gold Rush.

Question 12

The Free Soilers captured roughly 40 percent of the popular vote in 1848.

Accepted Answer

The Free Soil Party, in the 1848 U.S. presidential election, captured only about 10 percent of the popular vote, not 40 percent.

Question 13

A faction of Democrats in New York bolted the party in 1848 and joined with "conscience" Whigs to form the Free-Soil Party and support ________ for president.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A faction of Democrats in New York...

Question 14

The most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 was the ________, appeasing southerners but infuriating northerners.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The most controversial part of the Compromise...

Question 15

When President Lincoln met ________ in 1863, he is reported to have said, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war."

Accepted Answer

The answer of When President Lincoln met ________ in 1863,...

Question 16

In 1860, southern delegates met in ________, ________ and created the Confederate States of America.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In 1860, southern delegates met in ________,...

Question 17

The Confederate States of America elected ________ from Mississippi as president.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Confederate States of America elected ________...

Question 18

On April 10, 1861, General ________ of the Confederacy demanded the surrender of Ft. Sumter.

Accepted Answer

The answer of On April 10, 1861, General ________ of...

Question 19

The ________-________ party opposed immigration, particularly of Catholics, and especially the Irish.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ________-________ party opposed immigration, particularly of...

Question 20

Ex-slave ________ gave passionate public lectures in the northern states and Midwest against slavery.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ex-slave ________ gave passionate public lectures in...

Quiz 12: The Union in Peril

Northerners supported all of the following EXCEPT