Mexican-American War
Why did the Mexican-American War start?
Border disputes and accusations of attacks.
What was the Wilmot Proviso, and who proposed it?
A proposal to ban slavery in the territories from the Mexican-American War
Who was elected in 1848 and what political party was he representing?
Zachary Taylor
What were the terms of the Compromise of 1850?
California was admitted as a free state, the fugitive slave act was strengthened, and popular sovereignty was used to decide the issue of slavery in the rest of the Mexican-American War territories.
Why did the South believe they could hold slaves?
Slaves were a God-given right, slaves supported the economy heavily, and that slaves were constitutional, genetic and racial superiority (white supremacy).
Who opposed the Mexican-American War and why?
The conscious Whigs opposed the war, feeling that Polk wanted to wage war to add more slave states and to strengthen slave owning Democrats.
What did Stephen Douglas explain in the Freeport Doctrine?
Douglas said a territory could prevent slavery by failing to pass favorable legislation.
What year was the Republican Party Formed?
1854
Why was the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed, and why were northerners very upset because of this?
The Act would divide the Nebraska territory into 2 parts (Kansas Territory and Nebraska Territory), and decide on slavery with popular sovereignty. The North was upset because it contradicted the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
List 3 influential people for pro-slavery and anti-slavery:
Pro Slavery: John C Calhoun, Thomas Dew, George Fitzhugh, Roger B Taney,
Anti Slavery: David Walker, Theodore Weld, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe
What ended the Mexican-American War, and what was its terms?
The treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, and the US paying $15 million to Mexico
What were the Fugitive Slave Laws and why were they put into place?
The Fugitive Slave Laws were laws that said that runaway slaves needed to be brought back to their rightful owners. The laws were put into place because of the Compromise of 1850.
Other than exclusion of slavery, what did the Republican platform promise for the election of 1860?
The Republican platform promised protective tariff industry, free land for homesteaders, and internal improvements such as railroads.
Who proposed the Crittenden Compromise, and what did it say
Senator John Crittenden proposed it, it was constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to hold slaves in all territories south of 36°30'
What was the specific theory that the South believed in, and who proposed it?
The Mudsill theory, proposed by James Henry Hammond in 1858.
Why was there so much conflict regarding the land from the Mexican Cession?
The new land would disrupt the balance of slave states and free states, so the decision about which they would be increased the sectional conflicts between the North and the South
Slaves fought the power/control of slave masters with passive resistance or violence. List 3 methods of this rebellion:
Feigning illness, losing/breaking tools, damaging buildings, poisoning food, destroying crops, directly attacking masters
Which parties combined to form the Republican Party? Provide 3:
Free Soilers, Northern Whigs, and Know-Nothings
What were the effects of the tensions from the Kansas-Nebraska Act? (2 main events)
Bleeding Kansas (Major violent conflicts in Kansas), the Canning of Charles Sumner (Violent beating of Charles Sumner over personal attacks in Congress)
Which political party held the most power in the federal government from 1848-1861, and who were the presidents that followed this political party’s ideals during this time?
Democrats held the most federal political power in Congress during this time frame, under presidents Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan.
At the time of the Mexican-American War, who was the general who was sent to occupy disputed lands between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande?
General Zachary Taylor
What was the Dred Scott v Sanford decision, what justified it, and what were its effects?
Dred Scott was a former slave who believed he should be free since he lived in Illinois as a free man. Sandford argued that he should be considered a slave due to natural order (viewed African Americans as naturally lower than white men), and said slaves were justifiable by God and the constitution. Chief Justice Taney decided that Dred Scott should be considered a slave, which increased sectional conflicts between the North and South.
Which party believed in abolishing slavery in the United States?
No political party wanted to fully abolish slavery. Technically only parts of the parties such as the northern Whigs wanted to but no full party had that as their main goal. (Trick Question lol)
Did the Crittenden Compromise pass or fail, and why?
The constitutional amendment was never passed, as President Lincoln did not accept it as it violated the Republican view that slavery should not extend into the territories.
What political parties came from the North, and which ones came from the South, from 1848-1861.
The Free-Soiler party, Republican party, and the Know-Nothing party were from the North. The Democratic party was from the South.