Slavery
What was the role of the cotton gin in increasing the demand for slaves?
Answer: The cotton gin made cotton production faster and cheaper, leading to an increased demand for slave labor.
Where did most slaves in the South live and work?
Answer: On plantations or small farms
What was the primary issue that the Missouri Compromise aimed to address?
Answer: The balance of slave and free states in the Union.
Who was the famous abolitionist that started the newspaper "The Liberator" in 1831?
Answer: William Lloyd Garrison.
What was the main difference between the economies of the North and the South?
Answer: The North became industrialized, with factories producing goods like cloth, shoes, and machinery, while the South remained mostly agricultural, relying heavily on cotton farming.
Who were the two key figures who died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1826?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
What was one form of subtle resistance that slaves used to fight against their oppression?
Answer: Slaves worked slowly, pretended to be sick, or damaged tools.
Which state was admitted as a free state to balance the admission of Missouri as a slave state?
Answer: Maine.
What was the Underground Railroad?
Answer: A secret network of people who helped runaway slaves escape to freedom.
What invention helped make cotton production more efficient in the 1800s?
Answer: The invention of machines in Britain that spun cotton into thread and wove it into cloth, making cloth cheaper and easier to produce.
Which Founding Father owned slaves but planned for them to be freed after his death?
Answer: George Washington.
What was the primary reason slaves were not allowed to learn how to read or write?
Answer: Owners feared that educated slaves might fight for their freedom.
What was the 36°30′ line established by the Missouri Compromise?
Answer: It was the line that divided where slavery would be allowed and prohibited in future territories.
Who was known as “Moses” for helping many slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad?
Answer: Harriet Tubman.
How did Samuel Slater contribute to the industrial growth in the North?
Answer: Samuel Slater brought the knowledge of British cotton-spinning machines to the United States and built the first American cotton thread mill in Rhode Island in 1791.
Which state was admitted to the Union as a slave state in 1820, sparking debate over the balance of slave and free states?
Answer: Missouri.
What role did spirituals play in the lives of enslaved people?
Answer: Spirituals were a form of resistance and expressed hopes for freedom.
Which territory’s request to join the Union as a slave state sparked the Missouri Compromise?
Answer: Missouri.
What was the primary goal of abolitionists during the 1800s?
Answer: To end slavery immediately.
Why was slavery important to the economy in the South?
Answer: Slavery was crucial to the South's economy because large plantation owners depended on slaves to work on cotton farms, which were the main source of wealth in the region
What was the significance of the 36°30′ line in the Missouri Compromise?
Answer: It was a boundary that prohibited slavery in territories above it (except Missouri) and allowed slavery below it.
What role did spirituals play in the lives of enslaved people?
Answer: Spirituals were a form of resistance and expressed hopes for freedom.
What was the long-term impact of the Missouri Compromise on the slavery debate?
Answer: The compromise temporarily solved the issue, but tensions over slavery continued to grow.
What form of resistance did many slaves use in spirituals to hint at their longing for freedom?
Answer: Code words or hidden messages, often referring to Biblical stories.
What was the main disagreement between the North and the South over slavery?
Answer: The North opposed the spread of slavery into new territories, while the South supported the expansion of slavery, believing it was necessary for their economy.