The Argument Over Slavery
Which promises were part of the Republican platform during the presidential election of 1860? Select the two correct answers.
a) to guarantee slavery wherever it currently exists b) to prevent slavery from spreading to the territories c) to expand slavery into all areas of the country d) to allow the territories to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty e) to allow individual states to decide the issue of slavery through states’ rights
to guarantee slavery wherever it currently exists
to prevent slavery from spreading to the territories
Which candidate won most Southern states?
a) Abraham Lincoln b) John Breckinridge c) John Bell d) Stephen Douglas
John Breckinridge
Why does Abraham Lincoln use a quote from a speech he gave in the past?
a) to please abolitionists in the North b) to reassure slaveholders in the South c) to encourage soldiers to join the Union Army d) to convince Confederate states to rejoin the country
to reassure slaveholders in the South
We are brought at last, sir, directly forced, to meet promptly an issue produced by an irresistible course of events whose inevitable results some of us, at least, have foreseen for years. Nor, sir, have we failed in our duty of warning the Republicans that they were fast driving us to a point where the very instincts of selfpreservation would impose upon us the necessity of separation.
Based on this excerpt, with which statement would Benjamin agree?
a) Secession was a sudden, spur-of-the-moment decision. b) Secession was necessary for the South to retain its way of life. c) The South had always planned to secede, no matter what the North did. d) The South was willing to compromise with the North to keep the country together.
Secession was necessary for the South to retain its way of life.
Which candidate won the second-largest share of the popular vote?
a) Abraham Lincoln b) John Breckinridge c) John Bell d) Stephen Douglas
Stephen Douglas
Why does Abraham Lincoln say, “Those who nominated and elected me did so with full knowledge that I had made this and many similar declarations, and had never recanted [withdrawn] them”?
a) to encourage national unity b) to reveal his intentions for war c) to show he keeps his promises d) to question the legality of slavery
to show he keeps his promises
What did the Republican Party believe the ultimate authority was? (Short Answers)
Students should explain in their own words why the Republicans thought the federal government was the final authority.
Which factor leading to the Civil War is demonstrated by the outcome of the election shown on the map?
a) nullification b) republicanism c) secession d) sectionalism
secession
Which state was first to secede from the Union?
a) Arkansas b) Georgia c) South Carolina d) Virginia
South Carolina
Why did many Southern Democrats believe in Secession? (Short Answer)
Students should explain in their own words why they believed states had the right to leave if the federal government was being unconstitutional.
Which group would most likely support the message shown in this image?
a) Constitutional Unionists b) Northern Democrats c) Southern Democrats d) Republicans
Southern Democrats
Which event made secession more popular among Louisianans?
a) the seizure of the mint in New Orleans b) the election of President Abraham Lincoln c) the impeachment of Governor Thomas O. Moore d) the formation of the Confederate States of America
the election of President Abraham Lincoln
What made the Northern Democrats different from the Southern Democrats?
Students should explain in their own words why one wanted to see slavery expand while the other wanted to see compromise.
The election of President Abraham Lincoln decreased the likelihood of secession. Using evidence from the chapter, support or refute this claim.
Students should clearly and accurately support or disprove the claim using evidence, including Southern concern about Lincoln’s promises to uphold slavery where it already existed, the secession of South Carolina following the election and before Lincoln’s inauguration, and the role of Lincoln’s election in increasing support for secession in Louisiana. Answers should include explanations of how the evidence supports the claim.
Why did Confederate states take over U.S. forts, arsenals, and post offices?
a) They believed the U.S. government no longer had any rights within their states. b) They worried the U.S. government would encourage enslaved people to rebel. c) They had no other way of defending themselves from a Union invasion. d) They needed ways to print money to fund a war against the Union.
They believed the U.S. government no longer had any rights within their states.