Civil War Flashcards
What is the best definition of secession?
Withdrawing from a group; secession is choosing to withdraw from a group, for example when the Southern states chose to secede from the U.S.
Why was there a series of compromises whenever new states were added to the Union?
To maintain equal voting power in the Senate between slave and free states; Southern states were worried they would be forced to give up slavery if there were more sSenators from free states than slave states. Free states didn’t want the slave states to have an advantage in the Senate either so the only way to get enough people to support more states coming into the Union was if the balance was being maintained.
What is the best definition of abolition?
The elimination of slavery; abolition was the goal of completely eliminating slavery
How did the election of Abraham Lincoln lead to the secession of the southern states?
- because Lincoln had been elected without any southern votes, southern states felt they had no voice in the federal governmet
- Lincoln promised to prevent the spread of slavery into western territories
How did the abolitionist movement cause tensions between southern states and the federal government before the war?
- southerners felt their way of life was being threatened
- increased northern support for abolition
