First Five Presidents
Who was the first president of the United States?
George Washington
What political movement was associated with Andrew Jackson and the "common man"?
Jacksonian Democracy
What religious revival movement inspired many reform movements during the early 1800s?
Second Great Awakening
What was the belief that the United States was destined to expand across North America?
Manifest Destiny
What 1820 agreement admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state?
Missouri Compromise
What term describes the traditions established by Washington that influenced future presidents?
Presidential precedents
What was the name of the law that authorized the removal of Native Americans from southeastern lands?
Indian Removal Act
What movement sought to end slavery in the United States?
Abolitionism
Who was the president strongly associated with U.S. territorial expansion during the 1840s?
James K. Polk
What 1854 law allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether slavery would be permitted?
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Why was Washington's response to the Whiskey Rebellion important to the new federal government?
It demonstrated that the federal government had the power to enforce its laws.
How did expanded suffrage change American politics during the Age of Jackson?
More white men without property could vote, increasing political participation.
How did the Second Great Awakening contribute to reform movements such as temperance and public education?
It encouraged people to believe they had a responsibility to improve themselves and society. So more people felt the desire to fight for the freedoms of others.
Why did the Mexican Cession create a major political problem for the United States?
The newly acquired territory raised the question of whether slavery would be allowed to expand westward.
Why did the Kansas-Nebraska Act increase sectional tensions?
It allowed popular sovereignty and effectively overturned the Missouri Compromise, reopening the question of slavery's expansion.
How did the Alien and Sedition Act contribute to the political conflict during John Adams' presidency?
It restricted criticism of the government and raised concerns about free speech and federal power, increasing opposition to the Federalists. it also threatened the safety of Immigrants in the US.
Why did the Nullification Crisis create a conflict between South Carolina and President Jackson?
South Carolina claimed it could reject federal tariffs, while Jackson argued that federal law was supreme.
Why did Nat Turner's Rebellion cause Southern states to pass stricter laws controlling enslaved people?
Southern leaders feared additional slave rebellions and responded by increasing restrictions and controls over enslaved people.
How did the Mexican-American War contribute to sectionalism?
The United States gained large amounts of territory, but Northerners and Southerners disagreed over whether slavery should expand into the new lands.
How did the Dred Scott decision make compromise between the North and South more difficult?
The Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories, angering many Northerners and strengthening Southern arguments for the expansion of slavery.
The Louisiana Purchase greatly expanded the United States, but Jefferson had traditionally supported limited government. Explain how the purchase demonstrates a conflict between Jefferson's political beliefs and his actions as president.
Jefferson generally favored limited federal power, but he used presidential power to make the purchase. The expansion was important enough that Jefferson chose to exercise broader executive power, showing that presidents sometimes act beyond their stated philosophy when they believe national interests require it.
Compare the Nullification Crisis with the Indian Removal Act. How do both events demonstrate the expansion of federal power during the Jacksonian era?
In both cases, Jackson supported strong federal authority. He rejected South Carolina's attempt to nullify federal law and supported federal removal policies against Native American nations. Both demonstrate that Jackson used presidential power aggressively, although the issues and consequences were very different.
How did the Second Great Awakening indirectly contribute to sectional tensions between the North and South? Use abolitionism and one other reform movement in your explanation.
The revival encouraged reformers to challenge social problems. Abolitionists applied these ideas to slavery, while other reform movements challenged existing social structures. As abolitionism grew, many Southerners saw attacks on slavery as threats to their society and economy, increasing sectional conflict.
Explain how Manifest Destiny unintentionally increased the likelihood of civil war. Use at least three of the following: Texas Annexation, Mexican-American War, Mexican Cession, Wilmot Proviso, or sectionalism
Manifest Destiny encouraged expansion, but each new territory raised the question of slavery. Texas and the Mexican-American War expanded U.S. territory; the Mexican Cession created enormous new lands; the Wilmot Proviso demonstrated disagreement over slavery; these conflicts increased sectionalism and made compromise more difficult.
Which contributed more to the coming of the Civil War: the failure of compromises or the expansion of slavery into the territories? Defend your answer using at least three events from 1820–1860.
Accept either position if adequately defended. Strong answers should connect events such as the Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, John Brown's Raid, and the Election of 1860 to the growing sectional crisis.