Civil War Essay Test (#3)

Question 1

3. “The civil war in the United States was caused by political disagreements of the 1850s” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Answer 1

I agree with this because…
1. Slavery was big: 3/5 compromise, dred Scott decision - fugitive slave act
2. States rights: compromise of 1850 - Kansas Nebraska act (popular sovereignty
3. Economic: popular sovereignty, panic of 1857

Question 2

3. Historian

Answer 2

Rhodes part of nationalist school

Viewpoint: the war was an irrepressible conflict resulting from sectional and institutional differences. It cemented national unity and industrial progress, though slavery was viewed as immoral and a catalyst

Question 3

3. Historian limitations

Answer 3

Downplayed the suffering and moral complexities of the conflict

Question 4

What is popular sovereignty?

Answer 4

Government based on consent of the people (serve the people)

Question 5

Dred Scott decision

Answer 5

Upheld slavery in the United States territories, denied the legality of black citizenship in America, and declared the Missouri compromise to be unconstitutional

Question 6

Compromise of 1850

Answer 6

A series of laws aimed at resolving the territorial and slavery controversies arising from the Mexican-American War, including admitting California as a free state and enacting the Fugitive Slave Act.

Question 7

Kansas-Nebraska act

Answer 7

The 1854 law allowing Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether to allow slavery, leading to violent conflicts known as “Bleeding Kansas.”

Question 8

3/5 compromise

Answer 8

An agreement during the 1787 Constitutional Convention that each enslaved person would count as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation purposes.

Question 9

Panic of 1857

Answer 9

A financial crisis in the United States caused by declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. It led to widespread bank failures, business bankruptcies, and high unemployment.

Question 10

Counter to historian

Answer 10

Progressive historians argue nationalist schools are biased, ignoring social inequalities and marginalized groups, and advocate for a more inclusive and critical historical approach.