Question 1

Who was the "great pacificator" who established the Compromise of 1850?

Accepted Answer

A)  John C. Calhoun 
B)  Henry Clay 
C)  Lewis Cass 
D)  Zachary Taylor 
E)  Roger B. Taney 
A)  John C. Calhoun 
B)  Henry Clay 
C)  Lewis Cass 
D)  Zachary Taylor 
E)  Roger B. Taney

Question 2

What made the Compromise of 1850 so difficult to pass?

Accepted Answer

A)  President Taylor opposed the compromise, and congressmen kept granting key concessions to rival parties. 
B)  President Taylor was for the compromise, but congressmen kept granting key concessions to rival parties. 
C)  The compromise was broken into too many small and ineffective measures. 
D)  President Taylor died and was succeeded by Millard Fillmore, who opposed the compromise. 
E)  President Taylor supported the compromise, but key senators kept proposing new compromises before a vote could be taken. 
A)  President Taylor opposed the compromise, and congressmen kept granting key concessions to rival parties. 
B)  President Taylor was for the compromise, but congressmen kept granting key concessions to rival parties. 
C)  The compromise was broken into too many small and ineffective measures. 
D)  President Taylor died and was succeeded by Millard Fillmore, who opposed the compromise. 
E)  President Taylor supported the compromise, but key senators kept proposing new compromises before a vote could be taken.

Question 3

What were the different stands Democrats and Whigs took on annexation and slavery in new territories?

Accepted Answer

A)  Democrats endorsed expansion and both free and slave states, while Whigs opposed annexation to avoid the slavery debate. 
B)  Democrats opposed annexation to avoid the slavery debate, while Whigs endorsed expansion and both free and slave states. 
C)  Both Democrats and Whigs endorsed expansion, but Democrats wanted the new territories to allow slavery while the Whigs did not. 
D)  Both Democrats and Whigs endorsed expansion, but Whigs wanted the new territories to allow slavery while the Democrats did not. 
E)  Neither party endorsed expansion, but if it was inevitable, the Whigs encouraged the spread of slavery while the Democrats did not. 
A)  Democrats endorsed expansion and both free and slave states, while Whigs opposed annexation to avoid the slavery debate. 
B)  Democrats opposed annexation to avoid the slavery debate, while Whigs endorsed expansion and both free and slave states. 
C)  Both Democrats and Whigs endorsed expansion, but Democrats wanted the new territories to allow slavery while the Whigs did not. 
D)  Both Democrats and Whigs endorsed expansion, but Whigs wanted the new territories to allow slavery while the Democrats did not. 
E)  Neither party endorsed expansion, but if it was inevitable, the Whigs encouraged the spread of slavery while the Democrats did not.

Question 4

A small-scale civil war over slavery broke out in the late 1850s between rival regimes of which state?

Accepted Answer

A)  Missouri 
B)  Kansas 
C)  South Carolina 
D)  Tennessee 
E)  Texas 
A)  Missouri 
B)  Kansas 
C)  South Carolina 
D)  Tennessee 
E)  Texas

Question 5

What was true about the sectional quarrel between North and South during the 1840s and early 1850s?

Accepted Answer

A)  It was primarily expressed in political terms. 
B)  It was entirely expressed in legal, constitutional terms. 
C)  It had little impact on the common man. 
D)  It was increasingly seen in cultural and intellectual terms. 
E)  It had reached an uneasy but peaceful stalemate by 1860. 
A)  It was primarily expressed in political terms. 
B)  It was entirely expressed in legal, constitutional terms. 
C)  It had little impact on the common man. 
D)  It was increasingly seen in cultural and intellectual terms. 
E)  It had reached an uneasy but peaceful stalemate by 1860.

Question 6

What was revealed by the Republican Party's nominating convention for the 1856 presidential election?

Accepted Answer

A)  The party received broad-based support throughout the nation. 
B)  It was primarily a sectional party. 
C)  The party was made up of farmers and laborers. 
D)  The party was made of southern planters. 
E)  The party had to struggle in its first years of existence. 
A)  The party received broad-based support throughout the nation. 
B)  It was primarily a sectional party. 
C)  The party was made up of farmers and laborers. 
D)  The party was made of southern planters. 
E)  The party had to struggle in its first years of existence.

Question 7

Which does NOT help explain why Whig Party candidate General Winfield Scott was crushed in the 1852 presidential campaign?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Compromise of 1850 weakened the political differences between Whigs and Democrats. 
B)  The Whigs did not succeed in rallying public interest in a major political issue. 
C)  The Whigs alienated nativists by actively seeking the immigrant vote. 
D)  The Whig nominee lost northern support by allying himself with the antislavery wing of the party. 
E)  The Whig nominee lost southern support by allying himself with the antislavery wing of the party. 
A)  The Compromise of 1850 weakened the political differences between Whigs and Democrats. 
B)  The Whigs did not succeed in rallying public interest in a major political issue. 
C)  The Whigs alienated nativists by actively seeking the immigrant vote. 
D)  The Whig nominee lost northern support by allying himself with the antislavery wing of the party. 
E)  The Whig nominee lost southern support by allying himself with the antislavery wing of the party.

Question 8

Under the Compromise of 1850,who would determine whether a territory would have slavery,per the principle of squatter sovereignty,or popular sovereignty as it was later called?

Accepted Answer

A)  Congress 
B)  territorial legislatures 
C)  the state's constitutional convention 
D)  the Supreme Court 
E)  the House of Representatives 
A)  Congress 
B)  territorial legislatures 
C)  the state's constitutional convention 
D)  the Supreme Court 
E)  the House of Representatives

Question 9

How did the people of each section increasingly view each other during the 1850s? What events intensified their fears and resentments? How did this lead to the breakup of the Union?

Accepted Answer

During the 1850s, the people of the Nort

Question 10

What happened in 1859 in Harpers Ferry,Virginia?

Accepted Answer

A)  The federal arsenal was attacked in an unsuccessful attempt to start an uprising against slavery. 
B)  A slave rebellion resulted in the deaths of eighteen participants. 
C)  A group of white men raided a southern abolitionist office and killed five white and black anti-slavery protestors. 
D)  White men and women seized eighteen slaves in order to forcibly emancipate them in Mexico. 
E)  A group of white and black abolitionists killed three slave owners and wounded five others. 
A)  The federal arsenal was attacked in an unsuccessful attempt to start an uprising against slavery. 
B)  A slave rebellion resulted in the deaths of eighteen participants. 
C)  A group of white men raided a southern abolitionist office and killed five white and black anti-slavery protestors. 
D)  White men and women seized eighteen slaves in order to forcibly emancipate them in Mexico. 
E)  A group of white and black abolitionists killed three slave owners and wounded five others.

Question 11

Which notable Southern author wrote proslavery polemics?

Accepted Answer

A)  Edgar Allan Poe 
B)  Henry David Thoreau 
C)  Herman Melville 
D)  James Russell Lowell 
E)  Ralph Waldo Emerson 
A)  Edgar Allan Poe 
B)  Henry David Thoreau 
C)  Herman Melville 
D)  James Russell Lowell 
E)  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Question 12

Which part of the Compromise of 1850 was most opposed by Northerners?

Accepted Answer

A)  admission of California as a free state 
B)  opening of New Mexico and Utah territories to slavery under popular sovereignty 
C)  reduction of Texas to its present boundaries 
D)  enactment of the new Fugitive Slave Law 
E)  prohibition of slavery in the District of Columbia 
A)  admission of California as a free state 
B)  opening of New Mexico and Utah territories to slavery under popular sovereignty 
C)  reduction of Texas to its present boundaries 
D)  enactment of the new Fugitive Slave Law 
E)  prohibition of slavery in the District of Columbia

Question 13

What was the impact of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry?

Accepted Answer

A)  It increased southern fears of northern hostility. 
B)  It was condemned by most Northerners. 
C)  It had little effect on sectional tensions. 
D)  It united North and South in their condemnation of Brown. 
E)  It has been exaggerated by historians. 
A)  It increased southern fears of northern hostility. 
B)  It was condemned by most Northerners. 
C)  It had little effect on sectional tensions. 
D)  It united North and South in their condemnation of Brown. 
E)  It has been exaggerated by historians.

Question 14

Harriet Beecher Stowe published her abolitionist novel ______ in 1852,and it was enormously successful.

Accepted Answer

A)  Uncle Tom's Cabin 
B)  The Impending Crisis of the South 
C)  Tom Sawyer 
D)  Up from Slavery 
E)  Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl 
A)  Uncle Tom's Cabin 
B)  The Impending Crisis of the South 
C)  Tom Sawyer 
D)  Up from Slavery 
E)  Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Question 15

During the presidential election of 1856,what did the Republican Party platform call for?

Accepted Answer

A)  popular sovereignty in the territories 
B)  prohibition of slavery in the territories 
C)  election of Fillmore, who opposed Buchanan 
D)  secession from the United States 
E)  election of Buchanan, who opposed Fillmore 
A)  popular sovereignty in the territories 
B)  prohibition of slavery in the territories 
C)  election of Fillmore, who opposed Buchanan 
D)  secession from the United States 
E)  election of Buchanan, who opposed Fillmore

Question 16

What was true of most Northerners during the 1840s?

Accepted Answer

A)  They disliked slavery, but opposed abolition. 
B)  They were fierce and loyal abolitionists. 
C)  They supported the institution of slavery. 
D)  They were apathetic about the slavery issue. 
E)  They felt that slavery was starting to spread to the North. 
A)  They disliked slavery, but opposed abolition. 
B)  They were fierce and loyal abolitionists. 
C)  They supported the institution of slavery. 
D)  They were apathetic about the slavery issue. 
E)  They felt that slavery was starting to spread to the North.

Question 17

In the first House vote on the Wilmot Proviso,party lines crumbled and the vote split ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  along party lines 
B)  along sectional lines 
C)  along religious lines 
D)  along socioeconomic lines 
E)  along gender lines 
A)  along party lines 
B)  along sectional lines 
C)  along religious lines 
D)  along socioeconomic lines 
E)  along gender lines

Question 18

Why did the doctrine of popular sovereignty fail in the 1854 Kansas territorial government elections?

Accepted Answer

A)  voter apathy 
B)  illegal voting by Missouri residents 
C)  a lack of enthusiasm from voters 
D)  a lack of compelling candidates 
E)  extremists' destruction of polling centers 
A)  voter apathy 
B)  illegal voting by Missouri residents 
C)  a lack of enthusiasm from voters 
D)  a lack of compelling candidates 
E)  extremists' destruction of polling centers

Question 19

How did Abraham Lincoln argue about slavery in his debates with Stephen Douglas during the 1858 Senate race?

Accepted Answer

A)  He favored abolishing slavery in all the states and territories. 
B)  He favored restricting slavery to the states where it was most profitable. 
C)  He favored restricting slavery to the states where the Constitution protected it. 
D)  He favored using popular sovereignty to decide the slavery issue in new territories. 
E)  He favored allowing slavery in newly acquired territories. 
A)  He favored abolishing slavery in all the states and territories. 
B)  He favored restricting slavery to the states where it was most profitable. 
C)  He favored restricting slavery to the states where the Constitution protected it. 
D)  He favored using popular sovereignty to decide the slavery issue in new territories. 
E)  He favored allowing slavery in newly acquired territories.

Question 20

What was one of the effects of the new Fugitive Slave Law that was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850?

Accepted Answer

A)  It became easier for escaped slaves to stay free. 
B)  It became easier to kidnap and enslave free African Americans. 
C)  It became easier for slaves to sue for their freedom. 
D)  It became easier for slaves to purchase their freedom. 
E)  It became more difficult for plantation owners to reclaim their escaped slaves. 
A)  It became easier for escaped slaves to stay free. 
B)  It became easier to kidnap and enslave free African Americans. 
C)  It became easier for slaves to sue for their freedom. 
D)  It became easier for slaves to purchase their freedom. 
E)  It became more difficult for plantation owners to reclaim their escaped slaves.

Who was the "great pacificator" who established the Compromise of 1850?

What made the Compromise of 1850 so difficult to pass?

What were the different stands Democrats and Whigs took on annexation and slavery in new territories?

A small-scale civil war over slavery broke out in the late 1850s between rival regimes of which state?

What was true about the sectional quarrel between North and South during the 1840s and early 1850s?

What was revealed by the Republican Party's nominating convention for the 1856 presidential election?

Which does NOT help explain why Whig Party candidate General Winfield Scott was crushed in the 1852 presidential campaign?

Under the Compromise of 1850,who would determine whether a territory would have slavery,per the principle of squatter sovereignty,or popular sovereignty as it was later called?

How did the people of each section increasingly view each other during the 1850s? What events intensified their fears and resentments? How did this lead to the breakup of the Union?

What happened in 1859 in Harpers Ferry,Virginia?

Which notable Southern author wrote proslavery polemics?

Which part of the Compromise of 1850 was most opposed by Northerners?

What was the impact of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry?

Harriet Beecher Stowe published her abolitionist novel ______ in 1852,and it was enormously successful.

During the presidential election of 1856,what did the Republican Party platform call for?

What was true of most Northerners during the 1840s?

In the first House vote on the Wilmot Proviso,party lines crumbled and the vote split ________.

Why did the doctrine of popular sovereignty fail in the 1854 Kansas territorial government elections?

How did Abraham Lincoln argue about slavery in his debates with Stephen Douglas during the 1858 Senate race?

What was one of the effects of the new Fugitive Slave Law that was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850?

New World Encounters

New World Experiments: England’s Seventeenth-century Colonies

Putting Down Roots: Opportunity and Oppression in Colonial Society

Experience of Empire: Eighteenth Century America

The American Revolution: From Elite Protest to Popular Revolt 1763–1783

The Republican Experiment

Democracy and Dissent: The Violence of Party Politics 1788–1800

Republican Ascendancy: The Jeffersonian Vision

Nation Building and Nationalism

The Triumph of White Men’s Democracy

Slaves and Masters

The Pursuit of Perfection

an Age of Expansionism

Secession and the Civil War

The Agony of Reconstruction

Filters

Exam 14: The Sectional Crisis

Who was the "great pacificator" who established the Compromise of 1850?

What made the Compromise of 1850 so difficult to pass?

What were the different stands Democrats and Whigs took on annexation and slavery in new territories?

A small-scale civil war over slavery broke out in the late 1850s between rival regimes of which state?

What was true about the sectional quarrel between North and South during the 1840s and early 1850s?

What was revealed by the Republican Party's nominating convention for the 1856 presidential election?

Which does NOT help explain why Whig Party candidate General Winfield Scott was crushed in the 1852 presidential campaign?

Under the Compromise of 1850,who would determine whether a territory would have slavery,per the principle of squatter sovereignty,or popular sovereignty as it was later called?

How did the people of each section increasingly view each other during the 1850s? What events intensified their fears and resentments? How did this lead to the breakup of the Union?

What happened in 1859 in Harpers Ferry,Virginia?

Which notable Southern author wrote proslavery polemics?

Which part of the Compromise of 1850 was most opposed by Northerners?

What was the impact of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry?

Harriet Beecher Stowe published her abolitionist novel ______ in 1852,and it was enormously successful.

During the presidential election of 1856,what did the Republican Party platform call for?

What was true of most Northerners during the 1840s?

In the first House vote on the Wilmot Proviso,party lines crumbled and the vote split ________.

Why did the doctrine of popular sovereignty fail in the 1854 Kansas territorial government elections?

How did Abraham Lincoln argue about slavery in his debates with Stephen Douglas during the 1858 Senate race?

What was one of the effects of the new Fugitive Slave Law that was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850?

New World Encounters

New World Experiments: England’s Seventeenth-century Colonies

Putting Down Roots: Opportunity and Oppression in Colonial Society

Experience of Empire: Eighteenth Century America

The American Revolution: From Elite Protest to Popular Revolt 1763–1783

The Republican Experiment

Democracy and Dissent: The Violence of Party Politics 1788–1800

Republican Ascendancy: The Jeffersonian Vision

Nation Building and Nationalism

The Triumph of White Men’s Democracy

Slaves and Masters

The Pursuit of Perfection

an Age of Expansionism

Secession and the Civil War

The Agony of Reconstruction

Filters