States' Rights & Sectionalism
What term describes the belief that individual states should have powers independent of the federal government?
States' rights
What crop became the foundation of the Southern economy during the decades before the Civil War?
Cotton
What was the main issue that repeatedly caused disagreements when new states joined the United States?
Slavery in new states
Which branch of the federal government is responsible for interpreting the Constitution?
Judicial branch
Who was elected president of the United States in 1860?
Abraham Lincoln
What is the term for placing the interests of your own region above the interests of the entire country?
Sectionalism
What invention made removing seeds from cotton faster and more efficient?
The cotton gin
What western state joined the Union without slavery under the Compromise of 1850?
California
What is the name of the enslaved man who brought a major freedom lawsuit that reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857?
Dred Scott
What term means that a state officially withdraws from the United States?
Secession
What type of federal tax caused South Carolina to clash with the federal government in the early 1830s?
A protective tariff (tax on imported goods)
How did increasing cotton production affect the demand for enslaved labor in the South?
Increased demand for enslaved labor
What controversial federal law required the return of people who had escaped from slavery, even when they reached free states?
Fugitive Slave Act
Under the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott ruling, were African Americans recognized as U.S. citizens?
No
Why did having two Democratic presidential candidates in 1860 hurt the party's chances of winning?
Split the Democratic vote
Which president threatened to use federal force to stop South Carolina from refusing to follow federal tariff laws?
Andrew Jackson
Why did many wealthy Southern plantation owners strongly oppose efforts to end slavery?
Dependence on enslaved labor
What position did Georgia take in the Georgia Platform regarding the Compromise of 1850?
Accepted the compromise with conditions
Why did the Dred Scott decision increase anger among Americans who opposed slavery?
Denied rights and protected slavery
Why did many Southern political leaders consider Lincoln's presidential victory a threat?
Threatened slavery's expansion
Which constitutional amendment was often used to support the argument that states retained powers not specifically granted to the federal government?
The 10th Amendment
How did the economies of the North and South develop differently during the decades leading up to the Civil War?
North: industry; South: agriculture
Why did compromises over slavery fail to permanently resolve disagreements between the North and South?
They didn't resolve the issue of slavery
How did the Dred Scott decision affect efforts to settle the slavery debate through political compromises?
Made compromises over slavery harder
What disagreement divided Georgia's political leaders when they debated leaving the Union in 1861?
Secessionists wanted to leave; Unionists wanted to stay