CHAPTER 18

Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854

Use the following to answer questions 1-15: Identify and state the historical significance of the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Lewis Cass Stephen A. Douglas Franklin Pierce Zachary Taylor John C. Calhoun Winfield Scott Martin Van Buren Daniel Webster Matthew C. Perry Harriet Tubman William H. Seward James Gadsden Henry Clay Millard Fillmore William Walker

Use the following to answer questions 16-17: Define and state the historical significance of the following: 16. 17. popular sovereignty filibustering

Use the following to answer questions 18-30: Describe and state the historical significance of the following: 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. Free Soil party Fugitive Slave Law conscience Whigs personal liberty laws Underground Railroad Compromise of 1850 fire eaters Clayton-Bulwer Treaty Ostend Manifesto higher law Kansas-Nebraska Act Gadsden Purchase Treaty of Wanghia

221 Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854

Use the following to answer questions 31-36: Locate the following places by reference number on the map:

31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37.

_____ Nashville Ans: 10 _____ Gadsden Purchase Ans: 1 _____ Kansas Territory Ans: 6 _____ California Ans: 2 _____ Washington, D.C. Ans: 9 _____ Nebraska Territory Ans: 5 In order to maintain the two great political parties as vital bonds of national unity, party leaders a) decided to ban slavery from all United States territories. b) decided to allow slavery into all United States territories. c) avoided public discussion of slavery. d) banished abolitionists from membership in either national party. e) worked to make third parties almost impossible. Ans: c Page: 416

Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854 38. The United States' victory in the Mexican War resulted in all of the following except a) renewed controversy over the issue of extending slavery into the territories. b) a possible split in the Whig and Democrat parties over slavery. c) the cession by Mexico of an enormous amount of land to the United States. d) a rush of settlers to new American territory in California. e) acquisition of the Oregon territory. Ans: e Page: 416,418 The Wilmot Proviso, if adopted, would have a) prevented the taking of any territory from Mexico. b) required California to enter the Union as a slave state. c) overturned the Fugitive Slave Law. d) prohibited slavery in any territory acquired in the Mexican War. e) acquired Cuba as a slave territory. Ans: d Page: 416 The debate over slavery in the Mexican Cession a) threatened to split national politics along North-South lines. b) nearly resulted in the return of the territory to Mexico. c) resulted in the formation of the Republican party. d) resulted in strong hostility to further expansionism. e) caused clashes between proslavery and antislavery settlers in California. Ans: a Page: 416

222

39.

40.

41.

The Free Soil party of 1848 harbored many northerns who stood squarely against slavery in the territories primarily on the grounds that a) further expansion of slavery might break up the union. b) it destroyed the chances of free white workers to rise up from wage-earning dependence. c) slavery was a moral evil contrary to American principles. d) slave labor would be unproductive in the West. e) the southern fire-eaters were already planning further expansion into Central America. Ans: b Page: 418 In 1848, the Free Soil party platform advocated all of the following except a) support of the Wilmot Proviso. b) federal aid for internal improvements. c) free government homesteads for settlers. d) opposition to slavery in the territories. e) giving women the right to vote. Ans: e Page: 417 According to the principle of popular sovereignty, the question of slavery in the territories would be determined by a) the most popular national leaders. b) a national referendum by the Electoral College. c) congressional legislation. d) a Supreme Court decision. e) the people in any given territory. Ans: e Page: 417 The public liked popular sovereignty because it a) stopped the spread of slavery. b) fit in with the democratic tradition of self-determination. c) provided a national solution to the problem of slavery. d) supported the Wilmot Proviso. e) upheld the principles of white supremacy. Ans: b Page: 417

42.

43.

44.

223 Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854

45. In the 1848 presidential election, the Democratic and Whig parties a) lost to the Free Soil party. b) addressed the issue of slavery. c) remained silent on the issue of slavery. d) abandoned the tactic of nominating military leaders. e) were divided on the issue of admitting California. Ans: c Page: 418 The two major parties kept the focus on the 1848 presidential election campaign on a) the personalities of Senator Cass and General Taylor. b) addressing the slavery issue through popular sovereignty. c) further expansion into Cuba and Central America. d) Indian removal and homesteading. e) the poor state of the economy and protective tariffs. Ans: a Page: 418 The event that threatened to destroy the longstanding equality of free and slave states in the United States Senate was the a) passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. b) potential admission of Oregon as a free state. c) attempt to acquire Cuba as a slave state. d) proposed building of a southern transcontinental railroad. e) discovery of gold in California. Ans: e Page: 418 The event that brought turmoil to the administration of Zachary Taylor was the a) passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. b) influx of immigrants to the west coast. c) attempt to acquire Cuba. d) growth of lawlessness in California. e) discovery of gold in California. Ans: e Page: 418 The South grew increasingly worried about the future of slavery because a) it was unsuited to the West. b) the admission of California might permanently tip the political balance against them. c) the Supreme Court might issue rulings against slavery. d) President Taylor was the first president openly critical of slavery. e) popular sovereignty would almost certainly prevent the spread of slavery. Ans: b Page: 420 Which of the following was not among the issues that concerned southerners in 1849-1850? a) The political balance in the Senate might tip against them. b) The admission of California as a free state might set a precedent for Utah and New Mexico. c) Northern abolitionists were agitating against slavery in the District of Columbia. d) The loss of runaway slaves through the Underground Railroad. e) There was a growing chance that a constitutional amendment would abolish slavery. Ans: e Page: 420 The issue of runaway slaves was important because a) the South was losing a significant portion of its labor force. b) the Underground Railroad might encourage a slave rebellion. c) the loss of property was significant, but the loss of honor was felt more. d) escaped slaves might establish free colonies in the West. e) free blacks demonstrated that the racist theory of slavery was wrong. Ans: c Page: 422

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854 52. The Free Soilers argued that slavery a) was unsuited to the West. b) would cause more costly wage labor to wither away. c) would, through its profits, enable small farmers to buy more land. d) should be gradually abolished. e) was an immoral institution. Ans: b Page: 418 Of those people going to California during the gold rush a) the majority had come from foreign nations. b) slaves constituted a sizable minority. c) the majority gained considerable financial rewards. d) most were interested in free-soil farming. e) a distressingly high proportion were lawless men. Ans: e Page: 419 The Free Soilers condemned slavery because a) of the harm it did to blacks. b) of moral principles. c) it destroyed the chances of free white workers to rise to self-employment. d) it was the only way they had of combating the appeal of the Democratic party. e) it damaged the national economy. Ans: c Page: 418

224

53.

54.

55.

By 1850, the South was losing perhaps ________ runaways a year out of its total of some 4 million slaves. a) 200 b) 500 c) 800 d) 1,000 e) 2,000 Ans: d Page: 422 By 1850, the South a) was experiencing economic difficulties. b) feared that slavery might be abolished in states where it already existed. c) remained concerned about its weak voice in national government. d) was relatively well off, politically and economically. e) recognized that slavery's expansion was over. Ans: d Page: 420 Harriet Tubman gained fame a) by helping slaves to escape to Canada. b) in the gold fields of California. c) as an African American antislavery novelist. d) as an advocate of the Fugitive Slave Law. e) by urging white women to oppose slavery. Ans: a Page: 421 During the 1850s, slaves probably gained their freedom most frequently by a) running away. b) being emancipated in their masters' will. c) rebellion. d) appeal to the courts. e) self-purchase or voluntary emancipation. Ans: e Page: 422

56.

57.

58.

225 Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854

59. John C. Calhoun's plan to protect the South and slavery involved all of the following except a) leave the issue of slavery alone. b) return runaway slaves back to the south. c) give the South its rights as a minority. d) restore the political balance in the Senate of free states and slave states. e) prevent the spread of slavery in the California territory. Ans: e Page: 422 John C. Calhoun's plan to protect the South and slavery involved a) a constitutional amendment permanently guaranteeing equal numbers of slave and free states. b) southern secession from the Union. c) support of Henry Clay's proposed concessions by both the North and the South. d) repealing the president's veto power. e) the election of two presidents, one from the North and one from the South. Ans: e Page: 422 Daniel Webster's famed Seventh of March speech in 1850 resulted in a) the celebration of Webster as an antislavery leader. b) visibly strengthened Union sentiment and especially pleased northern banking and commercial centers. c) condemnation by northern commercial interests. d) charges that he had accepted bribes from proslavery interests. e) a movement to draft him for the presidency. Ans: b Page: 422-423 In his Seventh of March speech, Daniel Webster a) attacked Henry Clay's compromise proposals. b) called for a new, more stringent fugitive-slave law. c) advocated a congressional ban on slavery in the territories. d) proposed a scheme for electing two presidents, one from the North and one from the South, each having veto power. e) became a hated figure in the South. Ans: b Page: 422 For his position in his Seventh of March speech, Daniel Webster was viciously condemned by a) northern Unionists. b) northern banking and commercial interests. c) abolitionists. d) Henry Clay. e) John C. Calhoun. Ans: c Page: 423 The Young Guard from the North a) regarded preserving the Union as their top priority. b) agreed fully with the Old Guard on the issue of slavery. c) saw expansionism as a solution to the slavery question. d) gave support to John C. Calhoun's plan for rescuing the Union. e) were most interested in purging and purifying the Union. Ans: e Page: 423 In the debates of 1850, Senator William H. Seward, as a representative of the northern Young Guard, argued that a) the Constitution must be obeyed. b) John C. Calhoun's compromise plan must be adopted to preserve the Union. c) Christian legislators must obey God's moral law. d) compromise must be achieved to preserve the Union. e) African Americans should be granted their own territory. Ans: c Page: 423

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

65.

Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854 66.

226

During the debate of 1850, _________________ argued that there was a higher law than the Constitution that compelled him to demand the exclusion of slavery from the territories. a) William H. Seward b) Henry Clay c) Daniel Webster d) Stephen A. Douglas e) Zachary Taylor Ans: a Page: 423 An event that helped the cause of compromise in 1850, was when President Zachary Taylor a) led an invasion of Texas to halt its attempts to take part of New Mexico. b) supported fellow southerner John C. Calhoun's plan for union. c) died suddenly and Millard Fillmore became president. d) ushered in a second Era of Good Feelings. e) decided not to run for re-election. Ans: c Page: 423 Southern delegates met at a convention in Nashville in the summer of 1850 to a) plan southern secession. b) plan ways to acquire more slave territory. c) propose a series of constitutional amendments. d) denounce Daniel Webster as a traitor to the South. e) condemn the compromises being worked out in Congress. Ans: e Page: 424 In the Compromise of 1850, Congress determined that slavery in the New Mexico and Utah territories was a) to be banned. b) protected by federal law. c) to be decided by popular sovereignty. d) to be ignored until either territory applied for admission to statehood. e) to be decided by the Supreme Court. Ans: c Page: 424 The most alarming aspect of the Compromise of 1850 to northerners was the decision concerning a) slavery in the District of Columbia. b) slavery in the New Mexico and Utah territories. c) the new Fugitive Slave Law. d) settlement of the Texas-New Mexico boundary dispute. e) continuation of the interstate slave trade. Ans: c Page: 425 The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 included all of the following provisions except a) the requirement that fugitive slaves be returned from Canada. b) denial of a jury trial to runaway slaves. c) denial of fleeing slaves' right to testify on their own behalf. d) the penalty of imprisonment for northerners who helped slaves to escape. e) a higher payment if officials determined blacks to be runaways. Ans: a Page: 425-426 Many northern states passed personal liberty laws in response to the Compromise of 1850's provision regarding a) slavery in the District of Columbia. b) slavery in the territories. c) restrictions on free blacks. d) the interstate slave trade. e) runaway slaves. Ans: e Page: 426

67.

68.

69.

70.

71.

72.

227 Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854

73. Many Northern states passed personal liberty laws in response to the Compromise of 1850 that a) offered asylum to slaves fleeing the District of Columbia. b) set up state-sponsored stations on the Underground Railroad. c) prohibited their citizens from identifying runaway slaves. d) guaranteed personal liberty to all runaway slaves. e) interfered with federal enforcement of the fugitive slave laws. Ans: e Page: 426 In light of future evidence, it seems apparent that in the Compromise of 1850 the South made a tactical blunder by a) allowing a ban on the slave trade in Washington, D.C. b) demanding a strong fugitive-slave law. c) not insisting on federal protection of slavery in the territories. d) allowing the admission of California as a free state. e) allowing popular sovereignty in Nebraska territory. Ans: b Page: 426 The fatal split in the Whig party in 1852 occurred over a) the nomination of General Winfield Scott or Daniel Webster. b) slavery. c) the Gadsden Purchase. d) homestead laws. e) the transcontinental railroad route. Ans: b Page: 428 The election of 1852 was significant because it a) saw the victory of a pro-South northerner. b) marked the return of issues-oriented campaigning. c) saw the rise of purely national parties. d) marked the end of the Whig party. e) saw the emergence of an antislavery third party. Ans: d Page: 428 For a short time in the 1850s, William Walker, an American adventurer, seized control of a) Nicaragua. b) Cuba. c) Japan. d) El Salvador. e) Puerto Rico. Ans: a Page: 429 The man who opened Japan to the United States was a) William Walker. b) Franklin Pierce. c) Lafcadio Hearn. d) Clayton Bulwer. e) Matthew Perry. Ans: e Page: 431 The primary objective of Manifest Destiny expansionists in the 1850s was a) Panama. b) Nicaragua. c) Cuba. d) Hawaii. e) the Dominican Republic. Ans: c Page: 429-430

74.

75.

76.

77.

78.

79.

Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854 80. The Pierce administration's secret scheme to gain control of Cuba was stopped when a) Spain threatened a preemptive war against the United States. b) the secret Ostend Manifesto was leaked to the public. c) United States leaders signed the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty. d) Spain declared that it would abolish slavery in Cuba. e) United States adventurers bungled their invasion. Ans: b Page: 430

228

81.

Some Southerners felt Cuba would be an enticing prospect for annexation for all of the following reasons except it a) was not controlled by any European power and would be easily acquired. b) was a sugar-rich and economically productive territory. c) already had a large population of enslaved blacks. d) could be carved into several states, restoring political balance in the Senate. e) was located just off the nation's southern doorstep. Ans: a Page: 429 On July 3, 1844, the first formal diplomatic agreement between the United States and China was the a) Ostend Manifesto. b) Clayton-Bulwer Treaty. c) Chinese Open-Door Treaty. d) Treaty of Wanghia. e) Hong Kong/Chinese Treaty. Ans: d Page: 430 A scheme to acquire Cuba from Spain in the 1850s was known as the a) Clayton-Bulwer Treaty. b) Wilmot Proviso. c) Kansas-Nebraska Act. d) Gadsden Purchase. e) Ostend Manifesto. Ans: e Page: 430 Most American leaders believed that the only way to keep the new Pacific Coast territories from breaking away from United States control was to a) allow slavery in these areas. b) build a canal across Central America. c) grant the territories quick statehood. d) construct a transcontinental railroad. e) establish large naval bases in San Diego and Seattle. Ans: d Page: 432 A southern route for the transcontinental railroad seemed the best because a) northern areas were organized territories. b) slave labor could be used to construct it. c) the railroad would be easier to build in this area. d) Mexican leader Santa Anna agreed to contribute money for the project. e) it would firmly tie southern California to the Union. Ans: c Page: 432 Stephen A. Douglas proposed that the question of slavery in the Kansas-Nebraska Territory be decided by a) popular sovereignty. b) making Kansas a free territory and Nebraska a slave territory. c) the Supreme Court. d) admitting California, Kansas, and Nebraska to the Union as free states. e) the winner of the next presidential election. Ans: a Page: 433

82.

83.

84.

85.

86.

229 Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854

87. Stephen A. Douglas's plans for deciding the slavery question in the Kansas-Nebraska scheme required repeal of the a) Compromise of 1850. b) Fugitive Slave Act. c) Wilmot Proviso. d) Northwest Ordinance. e) Missouri Compromise. Ans: e Page: 433 Undoubtedly the most durable offspring of the Kansas-Nebraska blunder was a) the resurgence of the Whig political party. b) the new Republican political party. c) a constitutional amendment banning slavery in any new territories. d) rejection of popular sovereignty. e) the death of the Democratic political party. Ans: b Page: 435 One of Stephen Douglas's mistakes in proposing the Kansas-Nebraska Act was a) not securing the transcontinental railroad for the North. b) overestimating the protest to the bill. c) allowing slavery to spread into new territory. d) underestimating the depth of northern opposition to the spread of slavery. e) believing that slavery could not survive in Kansas. Ans: d Page: 434

88.

89.

Use the following to answer questions 90-95: Each of the following questions may have two, three, four, or five correct answers. Mark all correct answers for each question. 90. Presidential candidates in the 1848 election included a) Martin Van Buren. b) Henry Clay. c) Lewis Cass. d) Zachary Taylor. e) Winfield Scott. Ans: a, c, d Page: 417 The new Free Soil party in 1848 found major support from those who a) favored high tariffs. b) had wanted all of Oregon up to the 54 40' line. c) condemned slavery as immoral. d) wanted to keep slavery out of the territories. e) believed that slavery harmed white labor. Ans: a, b, c, d, e Page: 417-418 In 1850, the South was deeply worried because a) the Underground Railroad was carrying away hundreds of slaves each year. b) the price of cotton was low. c) the Supreme Court had a northern majority. d) California sought admission as a free state. e) U.S. presidents were favoring the North. Ans: a, d Page: 420

91.

92.

Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854 93. Southerners insisted that the first transcontinental railroad should run through the Southwest because a) construction would be less difficult there. b) the railroad would pass through already organized territory of the United States. c) it was a shorter distance. d) southern states were prepared to pay the full cost of construction. e) it would provide a barrier against Mexican incursions. Ans: a, b Page: 432 The impact of the Kansas-Nebraska Act was to a) bring a final solution to the question of slavery in the territories. b) give the North the upper hand in the debate on slavery. c) enrage the antislavery abolitionists. d) lessen the prospects for future compromises between North and South. e) make Stephen Douglas the most controversial national politician. Ans: c, d Page: 434 The consequences of the Kansas-Nebraska Act included the a) organization of the Know-Nothing party. b) splitting of the Democratic party. c) demise of the Whig party. d) organization of the Republican party. e) rise of the Free Soil party. Ans: b, c Page: 434-435

230

94.

95.

Use the following to answer questions 96-108: Please answer the following questions in essay format. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. To what extent was there a reassertion of Manifest Destiny in the 1850s? What were the goals of America's diplomacy at the time? Explain the widespread popularity of the concept of popular sovereignty as a way to resolve the issue of slavery in the territories. Then explain why it ultimately failed. Explain the relationship between the Ostend Manifesto and the slavery controversy in the United States. Write your definition of compromise. Then use this definition to argue that popular sovereignty was or was not a reasonable compromise between the sections on the slavery expansion issue. Do you believe that there is a higher law than the Constitution? What is it? Why is this concept dangerous to republican government? Assess the validity of the following statement, The Compromise of 1850 contributed to the Union victory in the Civil War. To what extent was the Kansas-Nebraska Act a serious mistake for southern interests. Compare and contrast the views of Clay, Webster, and Calhoun in the congressional debate that produced the Compromise of 1850. To what extent did the building of the first transcontinental railroad linking the East and the West contribute to the wrenching apart of the North and the South? The text's authors observe that during the debate of 1850, John C. Calhoun, hoping to save the Union, proposed an utterly unworkable scheme of electing two presidents, one from the North and one from the South, each wielding a veto. Explain why such an arrangement would have been utterly unworkable. The authors argue that the North got the better of the Compromise of 1850. Do you agree? Why or why not? It has been said that the historian who searches for examples of intelligent and tolerant statesmanship in the period 18501854 seeks almost in vain. Citing the statesmanship of men like Clay, Douglas, Webster, Calhoun, Pierce, and Fillmore, demonstrate that this argument is or is not supportable. Do you think that by the end of 1854 the two sections had reached an impasse and that Civil War was inevitable sooner or later? Why or why not?