Significant (historical) Figures
Who was Roger B. Taney?
The Supreme Court judge that ruled on the Dred Scott case. He ruled that Dred Scott was still a slave even though he lived in two states free states throughout his lifetime.
Who were the candidates in the 1848 presidential election and who won?
Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass. The winner of the election was Zachary Taylor.
Why was Missouri as a slave state controversial?
Because the country had finally come to an agreement and balance on slave vs. anti-slave states. The admission of Missouri as a slave state would throw off the balance.
When was the Confederacy formed?
February 4, 1861
Which party endorsed the Wilmot Proviso?
Free-Soil party
Who was Harriett Beecher Stowe?
An American author that wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Who was the main opponent of Abraham Lincoln in the 1858 Illinois congressional election?
Stephen A. Douglas
What is popular sovereignty? Who believed in popular sovereignty?
Letting people within the state decide whether or not it would be legal. Stephen A. Douglas
What was the name of the first attack of the Civil War?
Fort Sumter
What state was the center of national attention in 1858? (hint: Abraham Lincoln' s home state)
Illinois
Who was John Brown
A violent abolitionist that tried to arm enslaved people on multiple occasions.
Who won the election of 1852?
Franklin Pierce
What was the Freeport Doctrine?
Douglas's stance that people could exclude slavery by refusing to pass laws protecting slaveholders' rights.
Enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act led to what kind of feelings in the north?
Frustration
How many presidential candidates were there in 1860 and who were they?
John Bell, Abraham Lincoln, John Breckinridge, and Stephen A. Douglas
Who proposed the Missouri Compromise?
Henry Clay
Which region of the country secured James Buchanan as president in the election of 1856?
The South
Which president was inaugurated in March 1861 and eventually freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation?
Abraham Lincoln
Which Confederate leader officially ordered the attack on Fort Sumter?
Jefferson Davis
Who was the senator from Kentucky who tried to save the Union by proposing a last-minute compromise?
John Crittenden
Who was Dred Scott?
Enslaved man whose case for freedom led to one of the most impactful court decisions in US history.
Which name was excluded on the presidential election ballot in 1860 in southern states?
Abraham Lincoln
Why was the Dred Scott decision important?
This decision essentially meant that slavery was protected by the US Constitution. The compromises America tried to enact were now deemed unconstitutional. This only heightened the hostility of pro vs anti-slavery debates throughout the US.
What is sectionalism and how does it relate to this period in American history?
After years of attempting to compromise, the North and South’s ideals, wants, needs, and visions about how the government should operate continued to grow apart. Due to this sectionalism, each side increasingly saw each other as enemies rather than unified states.
What were the four parties represented in the election of 1856?
Republican, Democrat, Know-Nothings, Whig