Causes of the Civil War Slides Review

What was the name of the country that was formed by the 11 states that seceded from the United States?

(select all correct answers)

• Confederate States of America
• The Southern States of America

• The Union of States

• The Confederacy

Answer explanation

The Southern states seceded because they wanted to keep slavery, but the North was against it. They felt the federal government was taking away their rights, so they broke away and formed their own country, the Confederate States of Americ or the Confederacy.

What were the 24 states that stayed with the United States called?

• Confederate states
• Loyal states

• The Union

• Neutral states

Answer explanation

The 24 states that remained loyal to the United States during the Civil War were known as the Union. These states opposed the seceding Confederate states and fought to preserve the nation.

What did the Southern states argue the constitution gave them the right to do?

• The right to secede from the Union.
• The right to form alliances with foreign nations.
• The right to abolish slavery immediately.
• The right to impose tariffs on imports.

Answer explanation

The Southern states argued that the Constitution gave them the right to secede from the Union, meaning they believed they had the power to leave the United States and form their own country. They thought the states had the right to make their own decisions, including leaving if they disagreed with the government.

Why did South Carolina want to nullify the tariff?

• Because the tariff hurt its economy

• Because the tariff helped its economy

• Because the tariff stopped the slave trade

• Because the tariff hurt the north

Answer explanation

The Tariff of Abominations raised taxes on imported goods by 38% to 45%, making things much more expensive for the South. For example, British cloth and manufactured tools cost nearly 40% more, which hurt Southern farmers and plantation owners who depended on these imports.

Meanwhile, the North benefited because their factories made similar products, and people were encouraged to buy American goods instead. This is why South Carolina wanted to nullify (cancel) the tariff.

Which side the tariff help and which side did it hurt?

• Helped the North; hurt the South

• Helped the South; hurt the North

• Helped the North; hurt the West

• Helped both sides equally

Answer explanation

The Tariff of Abominations helped the North but hurt the South. It raised taxes on imported goods by 38% to 45%, making foreign products like British cloth and manufactured tools much more expensive—sometimes nearly 40% more.

This helped Northern factories because it encouraged Americans to buy goods made in the U.S. instead of importing them.

But it hurt the South, which relied on buying cheaper goods from other countries. Southern farmers and plantation owners had to pay much more, which hurt their economy. This is why South Carolina wanted to nullify (cancel) the tariff.

What issue divided the North and the South?

• Territorial expansion
• Slavery
• Economic differences
• Cultural diversity

Answer explanation

The North and South were divided over the issue of slavery. The North wanted to stop the spread of slavery and eventually end it, while the South wanted to keep slavery because their economy depended on enslaved labor. This disagreement caused tension between the two sides and eventually led to the Civil War.

What did the Missouri Compromise do?

• The Missouri Compromise maintained the balance of power between free and slave states.
• The Missouri Compromise established a new territory for Native Americans.
• The Missouri Compromise abolished slavery in all states and all new territories in the Mexican Cession.

• The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to enter as a free state and said that all states could have slavery.

Answer explanation

The Missouri Compromise = Balance of Power

The Missouri Compromise was a rule that kept things fair and balanced between free states (where slavery wasn’t allowed) and slave states (where slavery was allowed). It made sure there was an equal number of both so neither side had too much power in the government.

How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Supreme Court impact the Missouri Compromise (Compromise of 1820)?

• The Kansas-Nebraska Act let new states decide if they wanted slavery, and the Supreme Court agreed, saying even if enslaved people were in a free state, they were still their owner’s property.

• The Kansas-Nebraska Act gave all states the same laws, and the Supreme Court ruled that slavery was not allowed in new states.

• The Kansas-Nebraska Act ended slavery in the North, and the Supreme Court decided that enslaved people became free if they moved to a free state.

• The Kansas-Nebraska Act made slavery illegal everywhere, and the Supreme Court ruled that enslaved people had the same rights as citizens.

Answer explanation

The Missouri Compromise tried to keep things fair and balanced by allowing slavery in the South but banning it in the North. It said Missouri could be a slave state, but Maine had to be a free state to keep the balance. It also made a rule that slavery was not allowed in any new states north of the 36°30′ line.

But the Kansas-Nebraska Act changed that by letting new states decide for themselves if they wanted slavery. Then, the Supreme Court made things worse by saying that even if enslaved people were taken to a free state, they were still not free and still belonged to their owner. This made the Missouri Compromise useless.

What increased tensions between the North and South?

• Cultural differences in lifestyle.
• Slavery and regional differences

• Disputes over foreign policy.
• Economic competition over resources.

Answer explanation

Slavery and regional differences increased tensions between the North and South. The North had more factories and wanted high tariffs (taxes on imports) to protect its businesses, while the South relied on farming and wanted lower tariffs to keep imported goods cheaper.

This led to sectionalism, where people were more loyal to their region than to the whole country. The biggest issue was slavery—the North wanted to stop it from spreading, but the South depended on enslaved labor for its economy. These differences caused more arguments and pushed the country closer to war.

What does the idea of states' rights mean?

• To expand the power of the federal government

• To limit the power of the federal government

• To abolish the federal government

• To support the federal government

Answer explanation

States' rights means that each state should have the power to make its own decisions instead of the federal government controlling everything. Many Southern states believed they should be able to decide important issues, like slavery and taxes, without the national government telling them what to do. They wanted to limit how much power the federal government had over them. This idea was one of the causes of the Civil War because the North and South disagreed on how much power the states should have.