Manifest Destiny
What phrase described the belief that the United States should expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific?
Manifest Destiny
In the painting "American Progress," what does the female figure represent?
American Progress
America
American Freedom
Which earlier law (passed in 1820) tried to keep the balance between free and slave states?
The Missouri Compromise
Who was president during the major westward expansion of the 1840s and worked to acquire Texas, California, and New Mexico?
James K. Polk
Who won the presidential election of 1860?
Abraham Lincoln
Name one territory President James K. Polk worked to acquire during the 1840s.
1. Texas
2. California
3. New Mexico
4. Oregon
What technology shown in the painting symbolizes improved communication across the continent?
Telegraph lines (or steam locomotives/trains)
What 1854 law used popular sovereignty to allow settlers to decide about slavery?
The Kansas–Nebraska Act
Who invented the cotton gin?
Eli Whitney
What was one major political position of Abraham Lincoln that alarmed many Southern states?
He opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories (though he did not initially call for immediate abolition in the South).
Explain how Manifest Destiny influenced American identity. (Give one positive idea supporters claimed.)
It suggested the U.S. had a divine mission to expand, bringing civilization/technology across the continent.
How are Native Americans portrayed in the painting, and what does their placement suggest about 19th-century views?
They are small, dark, retreating on the left. This suggests they were displaced and viewed as obstacles.
State one similarity between the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas–Nebraska Act.
Both tried to control slavery in new territories and maintain balance between free and slave states.
Explain in one sentence how the cotton gin affected the Southern economy.
The cotton gin made cotton processing faster and more profitable, making cotton the South’s main crop.
Give two reasons why Southern states feared Lincoln’s presidency.
1. They depended on slavery for their economy
2. They feared loss of political power and legal protections for slavery.
Describe one negative consequence of westward expansion on Native American communities.
1. Forced removal of Native Americans
2. Loss of land for Native Americans
3. Loss of culture for Native Americans
4. Loss of lives for Native Americans
Identify two things the painting leaves out that were important consequences of westward expansion.
1. Violence
2. Forced removals
3. Loss of Native cultures
4. The suffering of displaced people
State one major difference in approach between the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas–Nebraska Act.
Missouri Compromise set a geographic line; Kansas–Nebraska used popular sovereignty letting settlers decide.
Describe how the cotton gin changed the demand for enslaved labor and why this was an important outcome.
It increased the demand for enslaved labor because more land and workers were needed to grow and harvest cotton.
Explain how Lincoln's election served as a turning point that led some Southern states to secede.
Many Southern leaders believed Lincoln’s presidency would block slavery’s expansion, shifting power to the North; this prompted secession.
How did the idea of Manifest Destiny increase tensions about slavery when new territories were added?
New territories raised the question whether they would be free states or slave states. (Each new slave state threatened the political balance.)
Explain how the painting functioned as propaganda. Give two ways it might have persuaded people to support expansion.
It shows expansion as bright/positive, highlights settlers/technology, omits negative impacts, encourages support.
Explain how the Kansas–Nebraska Act increased sectional violence and tension between North and South.
It reopened the slavery question and led to violent conflict in Kansas ("Bleeding Kansas").
Explain the broader relationship between technology (like the cotton gin) and social systems such as slavery.
Technology can expand production and profitability but can also reinforce and expand existing social systems (e.g., the cotton gin strengthened the link between cotton and slavery).
Why was the Election of 1860 seen as a serious threat to the South’s economy and social order?
Southern states saw the 1860 election as a threat because Lincoln opposed slavery’s expansion, which could hurt their economy and way of life.