American History Homework Five Answers - Model

Lecture - Questions - Student Answers

1. Imagine that someone by the name of Joe Biden lived in 1858. Imagine also that he belonged to the "Know Nothing Party." The following would be true about Mr. Biden EXCEPT:

(a) He knew nothing about airplanes and automobiles.
(b) He welcomed immigrants into the United States.
(c) He belonged to a relatively new political party.
(d) He was probably not a member of the Republican Party.
(e) He could have lived in the State of California.

2. Identify at least two key positions of the Whig Party.

They wanted a national bank and they did not want to annex Texas. Basically everything the Democrats were against, the Whigs wanted. (Steve M.)

The Whigs were opposed to the Mexican War and annexation of Texas, and they were more generally opposed to slavery. (Addision DM)

3. What caused and what ended the Mexican War?

The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, signed by Trist, resulted in the United States receiving 525,000 square miles. Polk was not happy with the Peace Treaty because it did not give the USA as much land as he would like. (Veronika F.)

4. Who do you think was the most important person in the period 1840-1860, and why?

I think Stephen Douglas ranks in on the top list of most important people of that time era. But for a different reason. He has reverse importance, for he was the one who passed an Act which historians believe could be one of the greatest faults for starting the Civil War. Without the Civil War, there would have been much less bloodshed, but it is one of the key factors in setting slaves free.

There's also a wild card of importance that I think should be played. Harriet Beecher Stowe was an author who wrote the book Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book that portrays the life of a slave to such an extent that the south criticized and banned the book altogether. Today it is criticized for its stereotyping, but it still somehow made a huge impact in the English speaking world. (Kara H.)

5. Explain what "Bleeding Kansas" was.

Bleeding Kansas was the term used to describe the bloodshed in Kansas. Popular sovereignty was pushed into law by Douglas in the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Almost immediately after this, civil war broke out in Kansas between the free and slave forces. A lot of the people did not like that each new territory made its own decision by a popular vote. Many turned to violence to end their arguments and get what they wanted. (Natalie D.)

6. Explain the cartoon, and what you think the cartoonist's view was. The woman's quote begins, "You have been a bad boy, Steve, ever since you had anything to do with that Nebraska Bill ...."

7. Do you think it was possible to avoid the Civil War? Explain.

No, The Civil War was absolutely unavoidable. Slavery was an extremely important issue to many people, whether they were for or against it. Nearly each individual had their own opinion and was ready defend that opinion. The American population was almost evenly split over the slavery issue - a country cannot survive divided, because if a country is divided, they are weak and susceptible to war from other stronger countries. So, war took place - no agreement could be reached to satisfy both sides of the issue. The only way to settle this dispute was through war. The Civil War lasted 4 years; but its monumental impact on America lasts even today. (Bethany S.)

Honors Questions

These questions require answers that are a bit longer than the answers above. Answer three out of the following questions (in addition to the questions above):

H1. Discuss any of the debate issues or mysteries relating to 1840-1860.

The South could not have won the Civil War. They won numerous battles, but ultimately lost the war because there were too many odds stacked against them. To begin with, they had a significantly smaller population than the North- 22 million to 9 million. Also, their slaves began to revolt and run away, which caused a decrease in the export of cotton, causing the South to lose profits. (Olivia F.)

H2. Explain the Compromise of 1850.

H3. Explain how "Freeport Doctrine" cost Douglas support in the presidential election of 1860.

Lincoln was clever. He made Douglas define his ideas, including Popular Sovereignty. Douglas had to specify that if a state voted to abolish slavery, they could abolish it, even a slave state. At that point the slave holders began to think that the Missouri Compromise was not such a bad idea after all. At least with that, they were guaranteed to be able to own slaves below the 34 30' line. With the Freeport Doctrine there was no sure thing, every state was different. (Steve M.)

The Freeport Doctrine was articulated by Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln tried to force Douglas to choose between the principle of popular sovereignty and the United States Supreme Court ruling in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford, which stated that slavery could not legally be excluded from the territories, because slaves were property. Instead of making a direct choice, Douglas' response stated that despite the court's ruling, slavery could be prevented from any territory by the refusal of the people living in that territory to pass laws favorable to slavery. ... (Natalie D.)

The "Freeport Doctrine" was told at a debate in Freeport, Illinois, between Abraham Lincoln, and Stephen Douglas. How it came about was this: Lincoln asked Douglas that if a certain region wanted to outlaw slavery, much as certain regions could say slavery was okay, would the region who wanted to outlaw it be able to do that? Douglas responded by saying that if a certain region created law that would make slavery impossible, then slavery would be outlawed. This caused the South to turn against Douglas because that would mean slaves could be set free if a majority voted for it. (Kara H.)

H4. Do you think John Brown helped his cause?

H5. Explain how the Dred Scott decision was similar to judicial activism today, such as Roe v. Wade.