Question 1

The presidential election of 1856 revealed the

Accepted Answer

A)  weakness of the Democratic party in the South. 
B)  strength of the new Republican party. 
C)  indifference of southern voters. 
D)  fundamental flaws in the electoral college system. 
A)  weakness of the Democratic party in the South. 
B)  strength of the new Republican party. 
C)  indifference of southern voters. 
D)  fundamental flaws in the electoral college system. B

Question 2

Which Senator argued that,when it came to ending slavery,there was "a higher law than the Constitution"-the law of God?

Accepted Answer

A)  William Seward 
B)  Henry Clay 
C)  Daniel Webster 
D)  John C.Calhoun 
A)  William Seward 
B)  Henry Clay 
C)  Daniel Webster 
D)  John C.Calhoun A

Question 3

What made Abraham Lincoln an attractive candidate for the Republican nomination?

Accepted Answer

A)  He supported high tariffs. 
B)  He represented the crucial state of Illinois. 
C)  His extreme racial views appealed to antislavery southerners. 
D)  He was good friends with powerful Democrats. 
A)  He supported high tariffs. 
B)  He represented the crucial state of Illinois. 
C)  His extreme racial views appealed to antislavery southerners. 
D)  He was good friends with powerful Democrats. B

Question 4

Identify the chief factors that prompted Republicans to select Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for Illinois senator in 1858.

Accepted Answer

Answer would ideally include:
Lincoln's

Question 5

Why did the slave states of the Upper South initially reject secession?

Accepted Answer

A)  They believed the North would quickly send invading armies to the Upper South. 
B)  They had great difficulty in getting together a quorum of legislators to debate the issue. 
C)  They feared that secession would lead to a great slave rebellion. 
D)  They did not have as great a stake in slavery as the states in the Lower South. 
A)  They believed the North would quickly send invading armies to the Upper South. 
B)  They had great difficulty in getting together a quorum of legislators to debate the issue. 
C)  They feared that secession would lead to a great slave rebellion. 
D)  They did not have as great a stake in slavery as the states in the Lower South.

Question 6

Which issue in the debate of 1849-50 led to the Compromise of 1850?

Accepted Answer

A)  The balance of power between the North and the South in Congress 
B)  Whether or not the nation should engage in a civil war 
C)  Stricter interstate commerce regulations 
D)  Whether or not Congress should raise taxes on imports 
A)  The balance of power between the North and the South in Congress 
B)  Whether or not the nation should engage in a civil war 
C)  Stricter interstate commerce regulations 
D)  Whether or not Congress should raise taxes on imports

Question 7

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

Lincoln believed that black people were

Question 8

This Know-Nothing cartoon promoted stereotypes of which two groups?

Accepted Answer

A)  The abolitionists and slaveholders 
B)  Democrats and Republicans 
C)  Irish and German immigrants 
D)  Slaves and poor southern whites 
A)  The abolitionists and slaveholders 
B)  Democrats and Republicans 
C)  Irish and German immigrants 
D)  Slaves and poor southern whites

Question 9

What happened to John Brown after his raid on Harper's Ferry?

Accepted Answer

A)  He escaped to Massachusetts. 
B)  He was deported to Canada. 
C)  He was pardoned by the Republican governor. 
D)  He was executed. 
A)  He escaped to Massachusetts. 
B)  He was deported to Canada. 
C)  He was pardoned by the Republican governor. 
D)  He was executed.

Question 10

What was the result of the Lincoln-Douglas debates?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Democrats shunned Douglas. 
B)  Douglas scored a landslide victory against Lincoln. 
C)  Lincoln became nationally known. 
D)  Lincoln defeated Douglas and became a U.S.senator. 
A)  The Democrats shunned Douglas. 
B)  Douglas scored a landslide victory against Lincoln. 
C)  Lincoln became nationally known. 
D)  Lincoln defeated Douglas and became a U.S.senator.

Question 11

What happened to most fugitive slaves once they were captured after the Fugitive Slave Act was enacted?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were peacefully returned to their masters. 
B)  Abolitionists broke them out of jail. 
C)  Commissioners granted them freedom. 
D)  Masters declined to obtain them. 
A)  They were peacefully returned to their masters. 
B)  Abolitionists broke them out of jail. 
C)  Commissioners granted them freedom. 
D)  Masters declined to obtain them.

Question 12

How did Stephen A.Douglas respond in 1857 when proslavery forces in Lecompton,Kansas,drafted a constitution that many felt was fraudulent?

Accepted Answer

A)  He stood solidly behind southern Democrats in supporting the document. 
B)  He demanded that the votes be recounted before he would take a stand on that issue. 
C)  He came out against the constitution. 
D)  He ignored the issue because he feared it would ruin his career. 
A)  He stood solidly behind southern Democrats in supporting the document. 
B)  He demanded that the votes be recounted before he would take a stand on that issue. 
C)  He came out against the constitution. 
D)  He ignored the issue because he feared it would ruin his career.

Question 13

How did more moderate southern Democrats respond to the choice of John C.Breckenridge as presidential nominee?

Accepted Answer

A)  They joined Republicans in an effort to preserve the Union. 
B)  They attempted to revive the Whig party. 
C)  They backed Breckenridge once he offered support for a federal slave code. 
D)  They organized the Constitutional Union party. 
A)  They joined Republicans in an effort to preserve the Union. 
B)  They attempted to revive the Whig party. 
C)  They backed Breckenridge once he offered support for a federal slave code. 
D)  They organized the Constitutional Union party.

Question 14

In the mid-1850s,Abraham Lincoln's search for a political home was based on his

Accepted Answer

A)  commitment to the abolition of slavery throughout the United States. 
B)  belief that nothing short of war would settle the slavery issue in the country. 
C)  desire to fight the Dred Scott decision. 
D)  opposition to the extension of slavery in the United States. 
A)  commitment to the abolition of slavery throughout the United States. 
B)  belief that nothing short of war would settle the slavery issue in the country. 
C)  desire to fight the Dred Scott decision. 
D)  opposition to the extension of slavery in the United States.

Question 15

Who did the Democrats nominate as their presidential candidate in the election of 1856?

Accepted Answer

A)  James Buchanan 
B)  John C.Frémont 
C)  Stephen Douglas 
D)  Millard Fillmore 
A)  James Buchanan 
B)  John C.Frémont 
C)  Stephen Douglas 
D)  Millard Fillmore

Question 16

In 1854,Illinois senator Stephen A.Douglas sponsored the Kansas-Nebraska Act and included a section repealing the Missouri Compromise because

Accepted Answer

A)  he had never supported the Missouri Compromise in the first place. 
B)  he needed southern support to pass his legislation. 
C)  he pocketed bribes from southern legislators in return for supporting their causes. 
D)  he did not think the plan would cause controversy. 
A)  he had never supported the Missouri Compromise in the first place. 
B)  he needed southern support to pass his legislation. 
C)  he pocketed bribes from southern legislators in return for supporting their causes. 
D)  he did not think the plan would cause controversy.

Question 17

Why did the Democrats remain a national organization after 1854?

Accepted Answer

A)  They made inroads into the North. 
B)  Gains in the South offset losses in the North. 
C)  They abandoned popular sovereignty in favor of a free-soil platform. 
D)  They welcomed former Whigs into their ranks. 
A)  They made inroads into the North. 
B)  Gains in the South offset losses in the North. 
C)  They abandoned popular sovereignty in favor of a free-soil platform. 
D)  They welcomed former Whigs into their ranks.

Question 18

Why did the United States negotiate the Gadsden Purchase in 1853?

Accepted Answer

A)  To secure mining rights in the Southwest 
B)  To remove troublesome Native Americans from the area ceded by Mexico 
C)  To support the dream of a southern route for the transcontinental railroad 
D)  To establish James Gadsden as a territorial governor 
A)  To secure mining rights in the Southwest 
B)  To remove troublesome Native Americans from the area ceded by Mexico 
C)  To support the dream of a southern route for the transcontinental railroad 
D)  To establish James Gadsden as a territorial governor

Question 19

Explain the basic northern arguments for and southern arguments against the Wilmot Proviso.

Accepted Answer

Answer would ideally include:
Northern S

Question 20

According to Map 14.3: The Kansas-Nebraska Act,1854,which modern-day state was reserved for Indian habitation in the mid-nineteenth century?

Accepted Answer

A)  Kansas 
B)  Oklahoma 
C)  Colorado 
D)  Arkansas 
A)  Kansas 
B)  Oklahoma 
C)  Colorado 
D)  Arkansas

The presidential election of 1856 revealed the

Which Senator argued that,when it came to ending slavery,there was "a higher law than the Constitution"-the law of God?

What made Abraham Lincoln an attractive candidate for the Republican nomination?

Identify the chief factors that prompted Republicans to select Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for Illinois senator in 1858.

Why did the slave states of the Upper South initially reject secession?

Which issue in the debate of 1849-50 led to the Compromise of 1850?

This Know-Nothing cartoon promoted stereotypes of which two groups?

What happened to John Brown after his raid on Harper's Ferry?

What was the result of the Lincoln-Douglas debates?

What happened to most fugitive slaves once they were captured after the Fugitive Slave Act was enacted?

How did Stephen A.Douglas respond in 1857 when proslavery forces in Lecompton,Kansas,drafted a constitution that many felt was fraudulent?

How did more moderate southern Democrats respond to the choice of John C.Breckenridge as presidential nominee?

In the mid-1850s,Abraham Lincoln's search for a political home was based on his

Who did the Democrats nominate as their presidential candidate in the election of 1856?

In 1854,Illinois senator Stephen A.Douglas sponsored the Kansas-Nebraska Act and included a section repealing the Missouri Compromise because

Why did the Democrats remain a national organization after 1854?

Why did the United States negotiate the Gadsden Purchase in 1853?

Explain the basic northern arguments for and southern arguments against the Wilmot Proviso.

According to Map 14.3: The Kansas-Nebraska Act,1854,which modern-day state was reserved for Indian habitation in the mid-nineteenth century?

Ancient America Before 1492

Europeans Encounter the New World 1492-1600

The Southern Colonies in the Seventeenth Century 1601-1700

The Northern Colonies in the Seventeenth Century 1601-1700

Colonial America in the Eighteenth Century 1701-1770

The British Empire and the Colonial Crisis 1754-1775

The War for America 1775-1783

Building a Republic 1775-1789

The New Nation Takes Form 1789-1800

Republicans in Power 1800-1824

The Expanding Republic 1815-1840

The New West and the Free North 1840-1860

The Slave South 1820-1860

The Crucible of War 1861-1865

Exploring Key Themes and Turning Points in American History

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Exam 14: The House Divided 1846-1861

The presidential election of 1856 revealed the

Which Senator argued that,when it came to ending slavery,there was "a higher law than the Constitution"-the law of God?

What made Abraham Lincoln an attractive candidate for the Republican nomination?

Identify the chief factors that prompted Republicans to select Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for Illinois senator in 1858.

Why did the slave states of the Upper South initially reject secession?

Which issue in the debate of 1849-50 led to the Compromise of 1850?

This Know-Nothing cartoon promoted stereotypes of which two groups?

What happened to John Brown after his raid on Harper's Ferry?

What was the result of the Lincoln-Douglas debates?

What happened to most fugitive slaves once they were captured after the Fugitive Slave Act was enacted?

How did Stephen A.Douglas respond in 1857 when proslavery forces in Lecompton,Kansas,drafted a constitution that many felt was fraudulent?

How did more moderate southern Democrats respond to the choice of John C.Breckenridge as presidential nominee?

In the mid-1850s,Abraham Lincoln's search for a political home was based on his

Who did the Democrats nominate as their presidential candidate in the election of 1856?

In 1854,Illinois senator Stephen A.Douglas sponsored the Kansas-Nebraska Act and included a section repealing the Missouri Compromise because

Why did the Democrats remain a national organization after 1854?

Why did the United States negotiate the Gadsden Purchase in 1853?

Explain the basic northern arguments for and southern arguments against the Wilmot Proviso.

According to Map 14.3: The Kansas-Nebraska Act,1854,which modern-day state was reserved for Indian habitation in the mid-nineteenth century?

Ancient America Before 1492

Europeans Encounter the New World 1492-1600

The Southern Colonies in the Seventeenth Century 1601-1700

The Northern Colonies in the Seventeenth Century 1601-1700

Colonial America in the Eighteenth Century 1701-1770

The British Empire and the Colonial Crisis 1754-1775

The War for America 1775-1783

Building a Republic 1775-1789

The New Nation Takes Form 1789-1800

Republicans in Power 1800-1824

The Expanding Republic 1815-1840

The New West and the Free North 1840-1860

The Slave South 1820-1860

The Crucible of War 1861-1865

Exploring Key Themes and Turning Points in American History

Filters