Apush First Semester Exam
"The question, whether an act, repugnant to the constitution, can become the law of the land, is a question deeply interesting to the United States, but, happily, not of an intimacy proportioned to its interest. It seems only necessary to recognize certain principles, supposed to have been long and well established to decide it... Thus, the particular phraseology of the constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written constitutions, that a law repugnant to the constitution is void; and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument..." Chief Justice John Marshall, 1803 Marbury v. Madison According to the Constitution,
any act contrary to the Constitution can be declared unconstitutional by the courts
Of all the hardships faced by the soldiers during the Civil War, the greatest was
disease
"And yet again, in his message of December 7, 1847, that "the Mexican Government refused even to hear the terms of adjustment which he [our minister of peace] was authorized to propose, and finally, under wholly unjustifiable pretexts, involved the two countries in war, by invading the territory of the State of Texas, striking the first blow, and shedding the blood of our citizens on our own soil." And whereas this House is desirous to obtain a full knowledge of all the facts which go to establish whether the particular spot on which the blood of our citizens was so shed was or was not at that time our own soil:" Abraham Lincoln, 1848 By 1848 and the end of the Mexican War, the United States...
had boundaries stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.This answer is correct.
"The question, whether an act, repugnant to the constitution, can become the law of the land, is a question deeply interesting to the United States, but, happily, not of an intimacy proportioned to its interest. It seems only necessary to recognize certain principles, supposed to have been long and well established to decide it... Thus, the particular phraseology of the constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written constitutions, that a law repugnant to the constitution is void; and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument..." Chief Justice John Marshall, 1803 Marbury v. Madison In this excerpt, a law...
has to abide by the constitution
President Lincoln hoped that a Union victory at Bull Run (Manassas Junction) in 1861 would
lead to the capture of the Confederate capital at Richmond.
A supposed asset for the South at the beginning of the Civil War that never materialized to its real advantage was
naval/military intervention from Britain and France.This answer is correct.
Lincoln's declaration that the North sought to preserve the Union with or without slavery
revealed the influence of the Border States on his policies.
The most significant job of a "republican mother" was to
teach her children the values of liberty and equality
"There are a few focal points upon which Jackson's modern reputation has turned for better or for worse. One is his attack on corporate privilege and on the concentrated political influence of wealth. In his famous Bank Veto of 1832, Jackson juxtaposed "the rich and powerful" against "the humble members of society—the farmers, mechanics, and laborers," and lamented that the former "too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes." No president before and few since have spoken so bluntly of economic antagonisms between Americans. Jackson went on, in his Farewell Address in 1837, to warn of an insidious "money power," made up of banks and corporations, that would steal ordinary citizens' liberties away from them. (It said something of Jackson's sense of his own importance that he presumed to deliver a Farewell Address, an example set by Washington that no previous successor had dared to follow.)" Daniel Feller, Professor of History at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2008 "Jackson's ideological conviction about the flexible nature of the law and Constitution in the face of dangers confronting the still-fledgling nation can be seen in many subsequent Jacksonian battles. When President Jackson confronted the Bank of the United States in 1832, he did so with the belief that it was a corrupt fiscal monster threatening the nation's economic security. He not only vetoed the Bank's re charter, which was within his right as chief executive, but went a step further by removing federal deposits even after Congress had deemed them safe. Jackson transferred one secretary of the treasury and fired another in order to secure the deposit removals. His actions were questionable, if not completely illegal, and the Senate censured him by making a notation in their journal. They didn't attempt impeachment for lack of support." Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, 2008 According to Daniel Feller, Andrew Jackson's main criticism of the Bank of the United States was that
the Bank did not operate in the interest of the "common man".
(picture on 1840s quiz) The insurrection depicted above occurred as a result of
the Dred Scott decision by the Supreme Court declaring slaves to be property.
Napoleon III's attempt to install Maximilian on the Mexican throne was a clear violation of
the Monroe Doctrine
In 1861, many Northerners were willing to allow Southern states to leave the Union until
the South attacked Fort Sumter.
During the Civil War, Britain and the United States were nearly provoked into war by
the Trent affair, involving the removal of Southern diplomats from a British ship by a Union warship in 1861.
America's reaction to the French Revolution and the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars marks the beginning of a period characterized by
the United States' attempts at maintaining neutrality
The Southern cause was weakened by
the concept of states' rights that the Confederacy professed ran contrary to the vision of a tight, well-knit central government held by its president, Jefferson Davis.
In the election of 1864, the Republicans joined with the pro-war Democrats and founded the ____ party.
union party
The purpose of the cartoon was to
urge support for the Whig candidate for President in 1840.
In order to persuade the Border States to remain in the Union, President Lincoln
used legally dubious methods including the declaration of martial law in Maryland and the deployment of Union soldiers in a local civil war in Missouri.
Clement L. Vallandigham, a Southern sympathizer and a tempestuous opponent of the draft and of the war, was derisively labeled by supporters of President Lincoln as a
Copperhead
Question 19 When it was issued in 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared free only those slaves in
Copperheads
"There are a few focal points upon which Jackson's modern reputation has turned for better or for worse. One is his attack on corporate privilege and on the concentrated political influence of wealth. In his famous Bank Veto of 1832, Jackson juxtaposed "the rich and powerful" against "the humble members of society—the farmers, mechanics, and laborers," and lamented that the former "too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes." No president before and few since have spoken so bluntly of economic antagonisms between Americans. Jackson went on, in his Farewell Address in 1837, to warn of an insidious "money power," made up of banks and corporations, that would steal ordinary citizens' liberties away from them. (It said something of Jackson's sense of his own importance that he presumed to deliver a Farewell Address, an example set by Washington that no previous successor had dared to follow.)" Daniel Feller, Professor of History at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2008 "Jackson's ideological conviction about the flexible nature of the law and Constitution in the face of dangers confronting the still-fledgling nation can be seen in many subsequent Jacksonian battles. When President Jackson confronted the Bank of the United States in 1832, he did so with the belief that it was a corrupt fiscal monster threatening the nation's economic security. He not only vetoed the Bank's re charter, which was within his right as chief executive, but went a step further by removing federal deposits even after Congress had deemed them safe. Jackson transferred one secretary of the treasury and fired another in order to secure the deposit removals. His actions were questionable, if not completely illegal, and the Senate censured him by making a notation in their journal. They didn't attempt impeachment for lack of support." Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, 2008 Daniel Feller and Matthew Warshauer both conclude that
Jackson abused presidential power in overthrowing the BUS and his financial actions in general.
You are stopped on the streets of da 'burg and asked by a "history geek"... "What's Jacksonian Democracy?" How do you respond?
Jacksonian Democracy was a term that was created after the election if 1812 in which Andrew Jackson advocated and established the democratic party against John Quincy Adams. Jackson strongly supported the "common man", he even justified overthrowing the Bank of the United States on the theory that it didn't work in favor of them (common man). He really spread the political idea that the people/majority rules. During his time there was a 'larger' pool of voters as all white men could vote. Instead of land-owning white men. Jackson was greatly supported by the people which led to his success in becoming president.
(picture #2 on ch. 18 and 19) The insurrection depicted above occurred as a result of
John Brown's desire to foment (start) a slave rebellion
"The question, whether an act, repugnant to the constitution, can become the law of the land, is a question deeply interesting to the United States, but, happily, not of an intimacy proportioned to its interest. It seems only necessary to recognize certain principles, supposed to have been long and well established to decide it... Thus, the particular phraseology of the constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written constitutions, that a law repugnant to the constitution is void; and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument..." Chief Justice John Marshall, 1803 Marbury v. Madison Which of the following judicial concepts is the above passage referring to?
Judicial Review
Confederate batteries fired on Fort Sumter when it was learned that
Lincoln had ordered supplies sent to the fort.
Which of the following was adopted with the specific intention of incorporating these new territories smoothly into the United States?
The Northwest Ordinance
*William Clark sketch of Flathead Indians in his diary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, 1804-1806* (On ch. 11 and 12 quiz) Which of the following was the main reason for the Louisiana Purchase?
The acquisition of new lands for farming and markets and remove the French from the West
"This infamous decision of the Slaveholding wing of the Supreme Court maintains that slaves are within the contemplation of the Constitution of the United States, property...The Constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence, and the sentiments of the founders of the Republic, give us a platform broad enough to support the most comprehensive plans for the freedom and elevation of all the people of this country." Frederick Douglass, May 1857 Which of the following later historical developments aided the Freedmen (former slaves) in gaining their freedom and liberty?
The approval of three key amendments to the Constitution
"...Is there one person of understanding & reflection among you who will not admit that every consideration of justice, humanity, and safety, forbids that any more Negroes should be brought into your state, and yet it is well known that the avarice of your citizens, and the rage for acquiring that property has broke through all legal restrictions,... Trust not on your Eastern friends for aid, if you do not enforce righteous measures for your own safety;... Already they begin to resist that principle in the Constitution which admits the Negroes of the Southern States to increase the number of Representatives in the Congress of the United States." William Few, Letter to Georgia Governor Edward Telfair, 1804 Which of the following debates reveals the continuation of the conflict addressed in the letter above?
The debate of slavery over the expansion of slavery into other territories
"...It follows, from what has been stated, that it is a great and dangerous error to suppose that all people are equally entitled to liberty. It is a reward to be earned, not a blessing to be gratuitously lavished on all alike—a reward reserved for the intelligent, the patriotic, the virtuous and deserving, and not a boon to be bestowed on a people too ignorant, degraded and vicious to be capable either of appreciating or of enjoying it." John C. Calhoun, "A Disquisition on Government," 1849 Which of the following contributed most directly to Calhoun's view as expressed in the excerpt?
The debate over popular sovereignty in the West after the Mexican War.
"From decades of debate on the colonists' right to self-government, popular sovereignty had emerged as the basic principle of legitimate government. But how was this principle to be realized in practice? ...Whig social contract theory specified that sovereignty resided in the will of the majority of the participants in the contract, limited only by the individual member's right to life, liberty, and property. Applied to the colonies, the question was, who were the legitimate participants in the new polity based on contract?" Willi Paul Adams, The First American Constitutions, 1980 Which of the following most directly contradicts the founding principles described in the passage?
The growth of slavery in the lower south
(picture on 1840s quiz) Which of the following is true of the event depicted in the image?
The leader of the insurrection (John Brown) became a martyr upon his execution.
(picture #2 on ch. 18 and 19) Which of the following is true of this 1859 event depicted in the above image?
The leader of the insurrection became a martyr upon his execution.
Which of the following is true of the territories ceded by the various states to the United States government?
The territories were effectively organized by the national government.
In the above painting, the key to this battle's outcome is...
The timing of the attack
The reference to Harrison and Tyler in the 1840 cartoon refers to
Whig candidates for President and Vice-President.
"Let us now glance at a few of the popular objections to liberal divorce laws... To open the doors of escape to those who dwell in continual antagonism, to the unhappy wives of drunkards, libertines, knaves, lunatics, and tyrants, need not necessarily embitter the relations of those who are contented and happy, but on the contrary the very fact of freedom strengthens and purifies the bond of union. When husbands and wives...are bound together only by affection, marriage will be a life long friendship and not a heavy yoke, from which both may sometimes long for deliverance..." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Home Life", 1875 Which of the following is correct according to Stanton?
A husband and wife should share equally in their relationship.This answer is correct.
a) Describe the experiences of TWO of the following groups in the years immediately following the American Revolution to 1800. -African Americans-Women-American Indians b) Explain how ONE of the groups selected ultimately realized the promises of liberty and equality set in motion by the American Revolution and provide ONE piece of evidence to justify your answer.
A) African Americans the majority of them are forced into slavery in a hard-working force after the war, some who fought in the war are rewarded freedom.American Indians The Revolution for most American Indians was horrible, they continued to struggle for autonomy, independence, and full legal treatment resulted in partial victories at a much later date. B) WomenAfter the war, women began to march in parades, lobbied and petitioned legislators and did no conform to accept the same role most women had in Britain. Women began teaching their children the values of liberty and equality.
Arrange the following in chronological order: (A) the Battle of Bull Run, (B) the Battle of Gettysburg, (C) Lee's surrender at Appomattox, and (D) the Battle of Antietam.
A, D, B, C
During the Civil War,
African-American troops were enlisted by the Union army only after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
The Confederacy's most effective commerce-raider was the
Alabama
Although ending in a tie, how did the War of 1812 change the United States in a positive manner?
Although the War of 1812 ended in a tie with Great Britain, it changed the United States through a sudden outburst of nationalism in the United States. The authenticity of America was established after the war when Francis Scott Key wrote the star spangled banner, Washington Irving increased American literature and Gilbert Stuart panting the famous portrait of George Washington. The people (including those new ones from the Louisiana purchase) were starting to feel united as the U.S.
The character of the American Revolutiterm-1on and earliest American government under the Articles of Confederation can most closely be attributed to
America's belief in the Enlightenment principles of limited government and individual liberty
The painting is depicting a crucial aspect of which Revolutionary War battle?
Battle of Trenton
The South believed that the British would come to its aid because
Britain was dependent on Southern "King Cotton"
"British cruisers have been in the continued practice of violating the American flag on the great highway of nations, and of seizing and carrying off persons sailing under it, not in the exercise of a belligerent right founded on the law of nations against an enemy, but of a municipal [internal] prerogative over British subjects. British jurisdiction is thus extended to neutral vessels... " President James "Little Jemmy" Madison, 1812 Which of the following is President James Madison speaking of?
British impressment of American soldiers
"...Is there one person of understanding & reflection among you who will not admit that every consideration of justice, humanity, and safety, forbids that any more Negroes should be brought into your state, and yet it is well known that the avarice of your citizens, and the rage for acquiring that property has broke through all legal restrictions,... Trust not on your Eastern friends for aid, if you do not enforce righteous measures for your own safety;... Already they begin to resist that principle in the Constitution which admits the Negroes of the Southern States to increase the number of Representatives in the Congress of the United States." William Few, Letter to Georgia Governor Edward Telfair, 1804 Which of the following best explains the impact of the United States' Constitution on the issue addressed in the letter above?
By postponing a definite solution to the question of slavery, the Constitution established the grounds for conflict that would continue until resolved by the Civil War.
*William Clark sketch of Flathead Indians in his diary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, 1804-1806* (On ch. 11 and 12 quiz) The immediate impact of the 1803 Louisiana Territory was that it
Doubled the size of the united states
"It is thus that our political system, resting on the great principle involved in the recognized diversity of geographical interests in the community, has, in theory, with admiral sagacity, provided the most efficient check against their dangers. Looking to the facts, the Constitution has formed the States into a community only to the extent of their common interests; leaving them distinct and independent communities as to all other interests, and drawing the line of separation with consummate skill, as before stated." John C. Calhoun, 1828 Which political concept is Calhoun speaking of?
Doctrine of nullification based on states' rights
". . . Your letter alludes to many topics of interest. First of all this 'Woman's Rights Convention,' held at Worcester, Mass. I have read through all the proceedings carefully. They show great energy, much right feeling, but not, to my judgment, a great amount of strong, clear thought. This last, of course, one ought not to expect in the beginning; but in my own mind I have settled it as a society to respect, to feel sympathy for, to help incidentally, but not—for me—to work with body and soul. I cannot sympathize fully with an anti-man movement. I have had too much kindness, aid, and just recognition from men to make such attitude of women otherwise than painful; and I think the true end of freedom may be gained better in another way... But I feel a little perplexed by the main object of the Convention -- Woman's Rights. The great object of education has nothing to do with a woman's rights, or man's rights, but with the development of the human soul and body. But let me know how you mean to treat the subject, and I will render you what aid I can . . . . My head is full of the idea of organisation, but not the organisation of women in opposition to men. I have been lately meditating constantly on this idea, and seeking some principle of organisation which should be a constantly growing one, until it became adequate to meet the wants of the time . . ." Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, December 24, 1850 Which of the following ideas provides the best evidence in support of Blackwell's argument?
Education is not anti-man or anti-woman; it is for the development of all people.
"This infamous decision of the Slaveholding wing of the Supreme Court maintains that slaves are within the contemplation of the Constitution of the United States, property...The Constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence, and the sentiments of the founders of the Republic, give us a platform broad enough to support the most comprehensive plans for the freedom and elevation of all the people of this country."Frederick Douglass, May 1857 During this same time period, all of these groups faced some level of discrimination EXCEPT...
English Immigrants
"There is I think great danger that [the new United States government] will be [a failure] unless the tottering system shall be supported by arms...What is the cause of this commotion [in Western Massachusetts]? [The farmers] just complained of commutation, of the weight of the public taxes, of the insupportable debt of the union, of the scarcity of money, and of the cruelty of suffering the private creditors to call for their just dues. ...The proportion of debtors run high in this State. Too many of them are against the government. The men of property, and the holders of the public securities are generally abettors of our present constitution." Benjamin Lincoln, letter to George Washington, 1786 This conflict described in this letter reveals the tension between
Farmers and the urban elites over the role of government
The two major battles of the Civil War fought on Union soil were
Gettysburg and Antietam
"...It follows, from what has been stated, that it is a great and dangerous error to suppose that all people are equally entitled to liberty. It is a reward to be earned, not a blessing to be gratuitously lavished on all alike—a reward reserved for the intelligent, the patriotic, the virtuous and deserving, and not a boon to be bestowed on a people too ignorant, degraded and vicious to be capable either of appreciating or of enjoying it." John C. Calhoun, "A Disquisition on Government," 1849 Which of the following is true according to Calhoun?
Freedom is a reward to be earned, not just given.
*William Clark sketch of Flathead Indians in his diary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, 1804-1806* (On ch. 11 and 12 quiz) Napoleon's sale of Louisiana to the United States was prompted by
French difficulty in Santo Domingo where a slave revolt needed to be militarily ended
In the l864 election, the Democratic party nominated ____ to oppose Lincoln's reelection.
George McClellan
"I am not a Know Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes." When the Know Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance..." Abraham Lincoln, letter to Joshua Street, August 1855 Which of the following reflects Lincoln's beliefs as stated in his letter?
He is against the political ideologies of the Know-Nothings.
"Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men generally, under such government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them. They think that, if they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it is the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than the evil. It makes it worse. ..Why does it not cherish its wise majority? Why does it cry and resist before it is hurt? ..." Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience," 1848 Thoreau's beliefs, as expressed in the excerpt, were influenced by a belief in which of the following ideas?
Human beings were divine since they were part of nature
"It is an important and consoling FACT, that it is already ascertained from the returns of the electoral votes, that JOHN ADAMS has been reelected President of the United States., by a MAJORITY OF ALL THE FREE PEOPLE THEREOF. This fact ought to be proclaimed to the world, that the reputation of our country may not sink in the estimation of the wise and good of other countries: - who will regret that any policy shall impose on the United States a Chief Magistrate elected by the influence of Negro slaves..."*Remember: Jefferson won in 1800...Adams was NOT re-elected...this is a reference to the 3/5 Compromise and its impact on the election. - Columbian Centinel, December 24, 1800 (A Boston newspaper) Which of the following is true about the article?
It biased toward the federalist party
"Let us now glance at a few of the popular objections to liberal divorce laws... To open the doors of escape to those who dwell in continual antagonism, to the unhappy wives of drunkards, libertines, knaves, lunatics, and tyrants, need not necessarily embitter the relations of those who are contented and happy, but on the contrary the very fact of freedom strengthens and purifies the bond of union. When husbands and wives...are bound together only by affection, marriage will be a life long friendship and not a heavy yoke, from which both may sometimes long for deliverance..." Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Home Life", 1875 Which of the following statements is supported by Stanton's argument?
Marriage can be wonderful if the right partner is found.
Among the reformers we looked at in this time period of the 1840s...who stands out in the broad scope of American history as having a lasting impact on society, even felt today? Explain your choice.
Out of the many reformers that came out of the 1840s time period for the numerous humanitarian crusades, I believe that Susan B. Anthony stands out and continues to have an impact on society today. Susan B. Anthony was an advocate for women's rights who pushed for women's suffrage by making speeches at conventions and creating an association (along with Stanton) to support women's rights. Although women's suffrage wasn't made legal until 14 years after her death she made an outstanding impact on America. In today's age, women are still fighting for equal pay and equality overall, Susan B Anthony can often be referenced whenever talking about an equality issue as even in her traditionalist time period she fought for equality among all human beings. I would say that as everything that she fought for is still relevant and all her words and actions still hold true to this day, she should be considered as having a long-lasting impact on society.
"From decades of debate on the colonists' right to self-government, popular sovereignty had emerged as the basic principle of legitimate government. But how was this principle to be realized in practice? ...Whig social contract theory specified that sovereignty resided in the will of the majority of the participants in the contract, limited only by the individual member's right to life, liberty, and property. Applied to the colonies, the question was, who were the legitimate participants in the new polity based on contract?" Willi Paul Adams, The First American Constitutions, 1980 What was generally accepted as a necessary qualification for the rights of citizenship in the first few decades of United States' government?
Ownership of property
"Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men generally, under such government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them. They think that, if they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it is the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than the evil. It makes it worse. ..Why does it not cherish its wise majority? Why does it cry and resist before it is hurt? ..." Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience," 1848 Which of the following is correct according to Thoreau?
People should resist unjust laws as an act of civil disobedience.
As a result of the situation depicted in the cartoon,
President Van Buren brought about the creation of the Independent Treasury System but it was too late to save his presidency and get re-elected.
". . . Your letter alludes to many topics of interest. First of all this 'Woman's Rights Convention,' held at Worcester, Mass. I have read through all the proceedings carefully. They show great energy, much right feeling, but not, to my judgment, a great amount of strong, clear thought. This last, of course, one ought not to expect in the beginning; but in my own mind I have settled it as a society to respect, to feel sympathy for, to help incidentally, but not—for me—to work with body and soul. I cannot sympathize fully with an anti-man movement. I have had too much kindness, aid, and just recognition from men to make such attitude of women otherwise than painful; and I think the true end of freedom may be gained better in another way... But I feel a little perplexed by the main object of the Convention -- Woman's Rights. The great object of education has nothing to do with a woman's rights, or man's rights, but with the development of the human soul and body. But let me know how you mean to treat the subject, and I will render you what aid I can . . . . My head is full of the idea of organisation, but not the organisation of women in opposition to men. I have been lately meditating constantly on this idea, and seeking some principle of organisation which should be a constantly growing one, until it became adequate to meet the wants of the time . . ." Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, December 24, 1850 Which of the following historical events contributed most directly to the excerpt?
Seneca Falls Women's Convention
"No Negro shall leave the place at any time without my permission...No Negro shall be allowed to marry out of the plantation...No rule I have stated is of more importance than that relating to negroes marrying out of the plantation...It creates a feeling of independence, from being, of right, out of the control of the masters for a time. Never allow any man to talk to your Negroes, nothing more injurious."Rules of Highland Plantation, 1838 (slave code) Which of the following best supports the excerpt?
Slave owners viewed their slaves as their property
(picture #2 on ch. 18 and 19) Which of the following historical events was a direct result of the 1859 event depicted above?
The Democratic Party split into northern and southern factions
(picture on 1840s quiz) Which of the following historical events was a direct result of the 1859 event depicted?
The Democratic Party split into northern and southern factions
Select three events from the decade of the 1850s and argue that these events were most significant in bringing on the 1861-1865 Civil War. Be sure to justify each of your selections.
The Dred Scott case was a significant factor leading to the civil war in the 1860s. The Dred Scott decision made by Robert Taney made the Missouri compromise unconstitutional, slavery could be moved around even if it was in a free state. The decision was clearly for the South and created a battle for the northern states who didn't want slavery and the Southerners who did. The book Uncle Tom's Cabin published by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852 not only enlightened but also riled the North to fight for the freedom of the slaves in the South. I also think that the raid on Harper's Ferry led by John Brown made a very very significant factor in bringing the Civil war. The armed raid was against the slaveowners in Virginia. John Brown was captured and killed for murdering some slave owners. In the North, he became a martyr for their cause (abolishing slavery) while in the south his actions pushed them to think that the North was dangerous (for them to continue with slavery) so it pushed them to want to secede more.
"This infamous decision of the Slaveholding wing of the Supreme Court maintains that slaves are within the contemplation of the Constitution of the United States, property...The Constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence, and the sentiments of the founders of the Republic, give us a platform broad enough to support the most comprehensive plans for the freedom and elevation of all the people of this country." Frederick Douglass, May 1857 Frederick Douglass is referring to which of the following in this passage?
The Dred Scott decision
"I am not a Know Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes." When the Know Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance..." Abraham Lincoln, letter to Joshua Street, August 1855 Which of the following most accurately describes the Know-Nothings of whom Lincoln speaks?
They were nativists.
"...But our Southern slavery has become a benign and protective institution, and our negroes are confessedly better off than any free laboring population in the world. How can we contend that white slavery is wrong, whilst all the great body of free laborers are starving; and slaves, white or black, throughout the world are enjoying comfort?..." George Fitzhugh, "The Blessings of Slavery", 1857 "...And thus it is that they are cajoled into the notion that they are the freest, happiest, and most intelligent people in the world....Thus it is that the South, woefully inert and invention less, has lagged behind the North, and is now weltering in the cesspool of ignorance and degradation." Hinton Helper, The Impending Crisis of the South, 1857 a) Briefly explain the main point in the first excerpt (Fitzhugh). b) Briefly explain the main point in the second excerpt (Helper). c) Provide ONE piece of evidence from the period 1848 to 1860 and explain how it supports the interpretation in either document.
a) In the excerpt by Fitzhugh, he defends slavery by claiming that the slaves were being taken care of with food and shelter. He was stating that slaves were better than the working force, obviously targeting the bad treatment of the labor force in the North. In his eyes, the slaves were better off than the free laboring population. b) In the excerpt by Hinton Helper, he wrote about the disgustingness and ignorance of the South. He details that they have trapped themselves into the idea that they are the best because of maybe their cotton or even just their slavery, and while the North (and the rest of the world) is evolving they're lagging behind. c) Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in 1852 and it supports the interpretation of the document by Hinton Helper as many Northerners who weren't aware of the situation in the South were introduced to slavery. After the book was written people were beginning to realize why slavery was bad and why they should stand against it.
a) Explain ONE principle presented in the Declaration of Independence. b) Explain ONE principle presented in Thomas Paine's Common Sense. c) Provide ONE piece of evidence that reveals the influence of these documents on the foundation of the United States government.
a) There are certain human rights that are self-evident and the purpose of government is to preserve these rights. The idea that all men are created equal and that government will be completed with the consent of the people being governed. True to "we the people" creating popular sovereignty in which all people have the right of freedom, speech, religion, of the press, and to assemble. b) Independence from Britain. Paine stated different reasons as to why the colonists needed to separate and form a democratic republic. One large reason was the colonies being taxed without representation. The colonists were tired of living under an aristocracy and wanted a representative government. c) The Declaration of Independence is a declaration that the United States would be an independent country "these united Colonies are and of Right ought to be free and independent states" and "all men are created equal".
The cartoon was probably drawn by
an artist using a log cabin to symbolize support for the "common man"
This cartoon refers to
an economic panic that gripped the country under President Martin Van Buren.
"Let us now glance at a few of the popular objections to liberal divorce laws... To open the doors of escape to those who dwell in continual antagonism, to the unhappy wives of drunkards, libertines, knaves, lunatics, and tyrants, need not necessarily embitter the relations of those who are contented and happy, but on the contrary the very fact of freedom strengthens and purifies the bond of union. When husbands and wives...are bound together only by affection, marriage will be a life long friendship and not a heavy yoke, from which both may sometimes long for deliverance..." Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Home Life", 1875 As depicted in the excerpt, by liberalizing/loosening divorce laws for women,
an escape from a miserable marriage will become possible.
Union General Ulysses S. Grant's basic strategy in the Civil War involved
assailing the enemy's armies simultaneously, massively, and directly.
"There is I think great danger that [the new United States government] will be [a failure] unless the tottering system shall be supported by arms...What is the cause of this commotion [in Western Massachusetts]? [The farmers] just complained of commutation, of the weight of the public taxes, of the insupportable debt of the union, of the scarcity of money, and of the cruelty of suffering the private creditors to call for their just dues. ...The proportion of debtors run high in this State. Too many of them are against the government. The men of property and the holders of the public securities are generally abettors of our present constitution." Benjamin Lincoln, letter to George Washington, 1786 The internal unrest described in this passage would most directly lead to
calls for the development of a stronger central government to prevent things like Shays' Rebellion from occurring again.
The expansion of American influence into the NW Territories ceded by the states led to
conflict with Native American tribes over land use
"I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can anyone who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance..." Abraham Lincoln, letter to Joshua Street, August 1855 According to Lincoln, the Know-Nothings' ideology and that of slavery...
contradict the Declaration of Independence and the line.. "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights ... life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
"No Negro shall leave the place at any time without my permission...No Negro shall be allowed to marry out of the plantation...No rule I have stated is of more importance than that relating to negroes marrying out of the plantation...It creates a feeling of independence, from being, of right, out of the control of the masters for a time. Never allow any man to talk to your Negroes, nothing more injurious."Rules of Highland Plantation, 1838 (slave code) In the decades before the Civil War, slave owners
created a set of proslavery arguments justifying slavery as a positive good and called it their "peculiar institution".
"I told him I thought that every man, when he was free, could have his rights and protect [himself]. He said, "The colored people could never protect themselves among the white people. So you had all better stay with the white people who raised you and make contracts with them to work by the year for one-fifth of all you make. And next year you can get one-third, and the next you maybe work for one-half you make. We have contracts for you all to sign, to work for one-twentieth you make from now until the crop is ended, and then next year you all can make another crop and get more of it."" Senate Report 693, 46th Congress, 2nd Session, 1880 The farming conditions, as described in the excerpt,
created an indebtedness of the farmer/sharecropper to the landlord that lasted for several years.
"No Negro shall leave the place at any time without my permission...No Negro shall be allowed to marry out of the plantation...No rule I have stated is of more importance than that relating to negroes marrying out of the plantation...It creates a feeling of independence, from being, of right, out of the control of the masters for a time. Never allow any man to talk to your Negroes, nothing more injurious."Rules of Highland Plantation, 1838 (slave code) Criticisms of the attitudes expressed in the excerpt led to Selected:
debates on the morality of slavery
(picture on ch. 18 and 19) The poster is calling for support from
defenders of the Confederate States of America.
General Robert E. Lee decided to invade the North through Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863 in order to
deliver a decisive blow that would strengthen the Northern peace movement and encourage foreign intervention on behalf of the South.
"I told him I thought that every man, when he was free, could have his rights and protect [himself]. He said, "The colored people could never protect themselves among the white people. So you had all better stay with the white people who raised you and make contracts with them to work by the year for one-fifth of all you make. And next year you can get one-third, and the next you maybe work for one-half you make. We have contracts for you all to sign, to work for one-twentieth you make from now until the crop is ended, and then next year you all can make another crop and get more of it."" Senate Report 693, 46th Congress, 2nd Session, 1880 To ensure that African Americans in the South would adhere to rules and laws of work & segregation...
each Southern state adopted their own black codes of work.
The North's greatest strength in the Civil War was its Selected:
economy, particularly its greater manufacturing capacity and more efficient and extensive railroad network.
The greatest weakness of the South during the Civil War was its
economy, particularly its limited manufacturing capacity and inferior railroad network.
Lincoln declared from the outset of the Civil War that
he was not fighting to free black slaves.
"And yet again, in his message of December 7, 1847, that "the Mexican Government refused even to hear the terms of adjustment which he [our minister of peace] was authorized to propose, and finally, under wholly unjustifiable pretexts, involved the two countries in war, by invading the territory of the State of Texas, striking the first blow, and shedding the blood of our citizens on our own soil." And whereas this House is desirous to obtain a full knowledge of all the facts which go to establish whether the particular spot on which the blood of our citizens was so shed was or was not at that time our own soil:" Abraham Lincoln, 1848In the excerpt, Lincoln was demanding to know
if American troops were attacked by the Mexican army in territory that was truly a U.S. possession.
"British cruisers have been in the continued practice of violating the American flag on the great highway of nations, and of seizing and carrying off persons sailing under it, not in the exercise of a belligerent right founded on the law of nations against an enemy, but of a municipal [internal] prerogative over British subjects. British jurisdiction is thus extended to neutral vessels... " President James "Little Jemmy" Madison, 1812 The War of 1812 ended
in a tie or draw...nothing gained, nothing lost
African Americans who fought for the Union Army in the Civil War
included the brave and accomplished 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, which suffered heavy casualties during the Union siege of Fort Wagner, South Carolina in 1863.
The Union victory at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863 was of major importance for all of the following reasons except
it was the last major battle of the Civil War.
As the Civil War began, the South seemed to have the advantage of
more talented military leaders
"I must confine myself to few examples, but am ready to furnish other and more complete details, if required. If my pictures are displeasing, coarse, and severe, my subjects must be recollected, offer no tranquil, refined, or composing features. The condition of human beings, reduced to the extremest states of degradation and misery, cannot be exhibited in softened language, or adorn a polished page. I proceed, gentlemen, briefly to call your attention to the present state of insane persons, confined within this Commonwealth, in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens! Chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience." Dorothea Dix, 1843 The revivals of the Second Great Awakening inspired
numerous humanitarian crusades/reforms.
The Confederacy enlisted slaves into their army as fighting soldiers
only a month before the war ended
General George B. McClellan, commander of the Union's Army of the Potomac, is best described as
overly cautious
"It is thus that our political system, resting on the great principle involved in the recognized diversity of geographical interests in the community, has, in theory, with admiral sagacity, provided the most efficient check against their dangers. Looking to the facts, the Constitution has formed the States into a community only to the extent of their common interests; leaving them distinct and independent communities as to all other interests, and drawing the line of separation with consummate skill, as before stated." John C. Calhoun, 1828The above passage was written in response to the
passage of the protective tariff/Tariff of Abominations
All Slavery was legally abolished in the United States by the Selected:
ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
In Lincoln's attempts to preserve the Union, he did all of the following questionable actions as president except
refused to implement a draft, or conscription law, during the war.
"I told him I thought that every man, when he was free, could have his rights and protect [himself]. He said, "The colored people could never protect themselves among the white people. So you had all better stay with the white people who raised you and make contracts with them to work by the year for one-fifth of all you make. And next year you can get one-third, and the next you maybe work for one-half you make. We have contracts for you all to sign, to work for one-twentieth you make from now until the crop is ended, and then next year you all can make another crop and get more of it.""Senate Report 693, 46th Congress, 2nd Session, 1880 According to the excerpt above, many freed blacks became Selected:
sharecroppers.
"It is an important and consoling FACT, that it is already ascertained from the returns of the electoral votes, that JOHN ADAMS has been reelected President of the United States., by a MAJORITY OF ALL THE FREE PEOPLE THEREOF. This fact ought to be proclaimed to the world, that the reputation of our country may not sink in the estimation of the wise and good of other countries: - who will regret that any policy shall impose on the United States a Chief Magistrate elected by the influence of Negro slaves..."*Remember: Jefferson won in 1800...Adams was NOT re-elected...this is a reference to the 3/5 Compromise and its impact on the election. - Columbian Centinel , December 24, 1800 (A Boston newspaper) In this election
slave owners (states with slaves) were the majority of voters.
"There is I think great danger that [the new United States government] will be [a failure] unless the tottering system shall be supported by arms...What is the cause of this commotion [in Western Massachusetts]? [The farmers] just complained of commutation, of the weight of the public taxes, of the insupportable debt of the union, of the scarcity of money, and of the cruelty of suffering the private creditors to call for their just dues. ...The proportion of debtors run high in this State. Too many of them are against the government. The men of property and the holders of the public securities are generally abettors of our present constitution." Benjamin Lincoln, letter to George Washington, 1786 The political and economic ideas of the farmers described in this passage were most likely developed because of
the cultural distinctiveness of the backcountry as compared to the urbanizing areas in the eastern part of the state.
The actions of women like the one pictured above contributed to
the expansion of the important ideological role of women in American political culture.
"From decades of debate on the colonists' right to self-government, popular sovereignty had emerged as the basic principle of legitimate government. But how was this principle to be realized in practice? ...Whig social contract theory specified that sovereignty resided in the will of the majority of the participants in the contract, limited only by the individual member's right to life, liberty, and property. Applied to the colonies, the question was, who were the legitimate participants in the new polity based on contract?" Willi Paul Adams, The First American Constitutions, 1980 Which of the following would have argued most energetically in support of a limited definition of the legitimate participants in government?
the federalist party
"It is an important and consoling FACT, that it is already ascertained from the returns of the electoral votes, that JOHN ADAMS has been reelected President of the United States., by a MAJORITY OF ALL THE FREE PEOPLE THEREOF. This fact ought to be proclaimed to the world, that the reputation of our country may not sink in the estimation of the wise and good of other countries: - who will regret that any policy shall impose on the United States a Chief Magistrate elected by the influence of Negro slaves..."*Remember: Jefferson won in 1800...Adams was NOT re-elected...this is a reference to the 3/5 Compromise and its impact on the election. - Columbian Centinel , December 24, 1800 (A Boston newspaper) The "Revolution" of 1800 which occurred as a result of this election was
the first time the presidency changed from one political party to another.
"...It follows, from what has been stated, that it is a great and dangerous error to suppose that all people are equally entitled to liberty. It is a reward to be earned, not a blessing to be gratuitously lavished on all alike—a reward reserved for the intelligent, the patriotic, the virtuous and deserving, and not a boon to be bestowed on a people too ignorant, degraded and vicious to be capable either of appreciating or of enjoying it."John C. Calhoun, "A Disquisition on Government," 1849 From the excerpt one can conclude that Calhoun was a proponent of
the legality of slavery.
"I must confine myself to few examples, but am ready to furnish other and more complete details, if required. If my pictures are displeasing, coarse, and severe, my subjects must be recollected, offer no tranquil, refined, or composing features. The condition of human beings, reduced to the extremest states of degradation and misery, cannot be exhibited in softened language, or adorn a polished page. I proceed, gentlemen, briefly to call your attention to the present state of insane persons, confined within this Commonwealth, in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens! Chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience." Dorothea Dix, 1843 Many reforms of the antebellum period (pre-Civil War) were caused by
the public demanding change/reform in society.
(picture on ch. 18 and 19) As depicted in this poster,
the war had already started as the South was invaded.
"British cruisers have been in the continued practice of violating the American flag on the great highway of nations, and of seizing and carrying off persons sailing under it, not in the exercise of a belligerent right founded on the law of nations against an enemy, but of a municipal [internal] prerogative over British subjects. British jurisdiction is thus extended to neutral vessels... " President James "Little Jemmy" Madison, 1812 As a result of the War of 1812,
there was a great surge of nationalism in the United States creating the so-called "Era of Good Feelings".
Most working people in Britain sided with the North because
they had developed a class consciousness and moral revulsion about the evils of slavery and hoped that the Civil War would eventually extinguish slavery in the South and the western territories.
"It is thus that our political system, resting on the great principle involved in the recognized diversity of geographical interests in the community, has, in theory, with admiral sagacity, provided the most efficient check against their dangers. Looking to the facts, the Constitution has formed the States into a community only to the extent of their common interests; leaving them distinct and independent communities as to all other interests, and drawing the line of separation with consummate skill, as before stated." John C. Calhoun, 1828Calhoun was the political enemy of
those who believed in a strong national government
"Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men generally, under such government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them. They think that, if they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it is the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than the evil. It makes it worse. ..Why does it not cherish its wise majority? Why does it cry and resist before it is hurt? ..." Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience," 1848 Some reformers of the 1830s-1840s who agreed to some extent with Thoreau's beliefs as expressed in the excerpt
were disillusioned with the U.S. and formed various utopian societies.
(picture on ch. 18 and 19) According to this poster, the men who went off to war...
were volunteering to fight as a sense of Southern pride and duty.
"And yet again, in his message of December 7, 1847, that "the Mexican Government refused even to hear the terms of adjustment which he [our minister of peace] was authorized to propose, and finally, under wholly unjustifiable pretexts, involved the two countries in war, by invading the territory of the State of Texas, striking the first blow, and shedding the blood of our citizens on our own soil." And whereas this House is desirous to obtain a full knowledge of all the facts which go to establish whether the particular spot on which the blood of our citizens was so shed was or was not at that time our own soil:" Abraham Lincoln, 1848 The spot Lincoln is referring to in the above excerpt was
where fighting between Mexican and United States forces occurred on the Rio Grande boundary
The Civil War was a "women's war" in all of the following ways except
women were encouraged to run for office to fill political posts abandoned by men.
"I must confine myself to few examples, but am ready to furnish other and more complete details, if required. If my pictures are displeasing, coarse, and severe, my subjects must be recollected, offer no tranquil, refined, or composing features. The condition of human beings, reduced to the extremest states of degradation and misery, cannot be exhibited in softened language, or adorn a polished page. I proceed, gentlemen, briefly to call your attention to the present state of insane persons, confined within this Commonwealth, in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens! Chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience." Dorothea Dix, 1843 Dorothea Dix
worked for better treatment for the mentally ill.