Unit 8: Part 1: The Impending Crisis

Question 1

I. Looking Westward

Answer 1

A. Aspects of Manifest Destiny
B. Background Factors of Manifest Destiny
C. Reasons for Relocating
D. Traits of the Westward Migrants
E. Life on the Trail
F. Traits of the California Gold Rush
G. Results of the Gold Rush

Question 2

A. Aspects of Manifest Destiny

Answer 2

1. Reflected Pride of American Life
2. Idealistics Vision of Social Perfection
3. Altruistic: Extend America’s Liberty
4. Racial Justification
5. Spread a Political & Racially-defined society
6. Opposition Centered on Spread of Slavery

Question 3

B. Background Factors of Manifest Destiny

Answer 3

1. Transportation Revolution
2. Strengthened by Reform Spirit
3. Communication Revolutions

Question 4

C. Reasons for Relocating

Answer 4

1. Quick Riches: Gold, Silver
2. Cheap Land at Low Prices
3. Merchants saw “built-in” markets
4. Escape Noise, Disease of Eastern cities

Question 5

D. Traits of the Westward Migrants

Answer 5

1. Most came from Old Northwest
2. Seeking Economic Opportunities
3. Relatively young, prosperous
4. Miners, Trappers, and Cowboys: Young, Single Men
5. Farmers: Families

Question 6

E. Life on the Trail

Answer 6

1. Travled the great Overland trails
2. Traveled in Wagon Trains led by hired guides
3. Encountered Hardships
4. Duration of Journey: 5-6 months
5. High Mortality Rates
6. Positive Relations with the Native American tribes
7. Recreation of conventional American society
8. Highly Collective Experience

Question 7

F. Traits of the California Gold Rush

Answer 7

1. Atmosphere charged with Greed, Excitement
2. 49ers left jobs, homes, families
3. Majority were men
4. Mining Towns Rough, Violent

Question 8

G. Results of the Gold Rush

Answer 8

1. Labor Shortage in California
2. Long-term Population Growth
3. Increase in Cultural Diversity
4. Annexation Pressure
5. Increased Sectionalism: Spread of Slavery

Question 9

IV. Increasing Sectionalism

Answer 9

A. Slavery and the Territories
B. The Compromise of 1850s: Henry Clay
C. Election of Franklin Pierce
D. Uneasy Truce: Opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act
E. The Railroad Issue Increases Sectionalism

Question 10

A. Slavery and the Territories

Answer 10

1. Wilmot Proviso
2. Two Competing Plans for Expansion
   a. Polk
   b. Calhoun

Question 11

1. Wilmot Proviso

Answer 11

Prohibit Slavery in all territory acquired from Mexico

Question 12

a. Polk

Answer 12

Extend Missouri Compromise Line thru to the Pacific

Question 13

b. Calhoun

Answer 13

Adoption of Popular Sovereignty

Question 14

B. The Compromise of 1850s: Henry Clay

Answer 14

1. Admission of California as a free state
2. No restriction on slavery in the rest of the land acquired from Mexico
3. Abolition of Slave Trade (Not Slavery) in D.C
4. More effective Fugitive Slave Law

Question 15

C. Election of Franklin Pierce

Answer 15

1. Election a Referendum on 1850s Compromise
2. Democrats: Ignore slavery issue to maintain the union
3. Pierce strongly Expansionist: sets stage for increasing controversy
4. The Gadsden Purchase: (Southern Arizona and New Mexico)
   a. Ended continental expansion of the U.S

Question 16

D. Uneasy Truce: Opposition to the Figitive Slave Act

Answer 16

1. Pierce avoids slavery issue to keep peace
2. North angered when Southerner came North to retrieve slaves
3. Northern mobs formed to prevent return of the slaves

Question 17

E. The Railroad Issue Increase Sectionalism

Answer 17

1. Broad support building for a Transcontinental Railroad
2. Location of Terminus? North or South

Question 18

V. Tensions Grow During the 1850s

Answer 18

A. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (Stephen Douglas)
B. Implicaitions of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
C. North Reacts with Fury
D. Political Results of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
E. The “Free-Soil” Ideology

Question 19

A. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (Stephen Douglas)

Answer 19

1. Open up Nebraska territory to white settlement
2. Proposal: Divide territory into two regions Kansas and Nebraska
3. Slavery to be decided by Popular Sovereignty

Question 20

B. Implications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act

Answer 20

1. Deny Congress power to decide slave/free status of new territory
2. Repeal of the Missouri Compromise
3. Slavery could be admitted from the very first

Question 21

C. North Reacts with Fury

Answer 21

1. Bitter that important issues decided by first comers
2. Despised voiding of the Missouri Compromise
3. Began to see a “Southern Slavocracy” Conspriracy

Question 22

D. Political Results of the Kansas-Nebraska Act

Answer 22

1. Divided, destroyed the Whigs
2. Divided N. Democrats, driving many from the party
3. Led to Creation of the New Republican Party

Question 23

E. The “Free-Soil” Ideology

Answer 23

1. Uphold American rights of Labor, Property, Opportunity
2. Slavery threatened whites as much as blacks
3. Southern system seen as opposite of Demoracy, Closed and Stagnant
4. Served as Basis for Republican Party

Question 24

F. “Bleeding Kansas”

Answer 24

1. Settlers pour in from both North and South
2. Pro-slavery Missourians flood in to swell ranks of legal voters
3. The resulting pro-slavery legislature quickly legalizes slavery
4. Angry-free-staters exclude slavery at their own state convention
5. Pierce rejects anti-slavery faction’s petition for statehood
6. Civil-war like “Events Tear the Region Apart”

Question 25

G. Aftermath of the Kansas-Nebraska Issue

Answer 25

1. Sack of Lawrence 2. John Brown and Pottawatomie Massacre 3. Resulting Guerrilla warfare 4. The Summer Attack

Question 26

VI. The Impending Storm

Answer 26

A. South Feels Need to Justify their "Peculiar Institution" B. The Pro-Slavery Arguments C. The Dred Scott Case D. Justice Roger Taney's Decision E. The Emergence of Lincoln: The Lincoln/Douglas Debates F. Consequences of the Lincoln/Douglas Debates G. Lincoln's Position on Slavery H. John Brown's Raid I. Results of John Brown's Raid J. The Election of Abraham Lincoln

Question 27

A. South Feels Need to Justify their "Peculiar Institution"

Answer 27

1. Nat Turner Uprising of 1831 2. Expansion of Cotton: Lucrative 3. Reaction against Garrison's radical Abolitionism 4. Reaction to Uncle Tom's Cabin

Question 28

B. The Pro-Slavery Arguments

Answer 28

1. Slavery a positive good, not a necessary evil 2. Slaves better off than free Northern whites 3. Slavery best way for the races to cohabit peacefully 4. S. Economy, based on slavery, was key to national prosperity 5. Southern society, based on slavery, superior to Northern society 6. Biological Inferiority Argument

Question 29

C. The Dred Scott Case

Answer 29

1. Scott, A Missouri slave, taken by owner to Illinois, a free state 2. Scott sued his master's widow for freedom, as he now resided in free territory 3. Circuit court judge in Missouri declared him free 4. Meanwhile, Scott's former owner's brother claiming ownership 5. An appeal by Sanford to the state supreme court reversed earlier ruling 6. Scott's appeal to federal courts got no clear answer

Question 30

D. Justice Roger Taney's Decisions

Answer 30

1. No African-American could claim citizenship 2. African-American had no rights under Constitution 3. Slaves were property, protected by the Constitution 4. Congress had no power to exclude slavery; up to state government 5. Bottom Line: Missouri Compromise unconstitutional

Question 31

E. The Emergence of Lincoln: The Lincoln/Douglas Debates

Answer 31

1. Not well-known outside of Illinois 2. Spurred into action by Kansas-Nebraska issue 3. Entered Senate race; 1858; opposing the spread of slavery

Question 32

F. Consequences of the Lincoln/Douglas Debates

Answer 32

1. Douglas wins re-election, suffer in reputation 2. Lincoln elevated to national attention 3. Lincoln becames the Republican front-runner

Question 33

G. Lincoln's Position on Slavery

Answer 33

1. Feared precedent of denying rights 2. Disliked both slavery and abolitionists 3. Believed blacks to be inferior 4. Slavery built into, protected by Constitution 5. Opposed spread of slavery into territories 6. Did not challenge slavery where it existed 7. Thought slavery would die of own accord

Question 34

H. John Brown's Raid

Answer 34

1. Seized control of Harper's Ferry 2. Hoped to foment slave uprising 3. Quickly besieged by militia, Lee 4. Hung after surrendering

Question 35

I. Results of John Brown's Raid

Answer 35

1. Crystallized emotions, North and South 2. South gave more credence to the "fire-eaters" and Secession 3. Growth of Southern Nationalism

Question 36

J. The Election of Abraham Lincoln

Answer 36

1. Democrat Divided: South want Slave Endorsement, North and West wanted Popular Sovereignty 2. Republicans: Broadened Political Base 3. Lincoln's slavery views alienated the least 4. Active, positive image, campaign 5. Won by strategic distribution of Votes 6. Election sent the South into secession

Question 37

1. Democrat Divided:

Answer 37

South want Slave Endorsement, North and West wanted Popular Sovereignty

Question 38

2. Republicans:

Answer 38

Broadened Political Base