Causes of the Civil War Slides Review

California joined the Union as a ______.

• slave state

• free state

• neutral state

• divided state

Answer explanation

California joined the Union as a free state. As part of the Compromise of 1850, California was allowed to enter without slavery, which made the North happy. In return, the South got the Fugitive Slave Act, which required escaped enslaved people to be returned to the South, even if they had made it to a free state. This compromise was meant to keep peace, but it increased tensions over slavery.

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.

Who were the main candidates in the North during the Election of 1860?

• A) Lincoln and Douglas

• B) Breckinridge and Bell

• C) Lincoln and Breckinridge

• D) Douglas and Bell

Answer explanation

The main candidates in the North during the Election of 1860 were Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

* Lincoln (Republican) was against the spread of slavery and wanted to stop it from expanding into new territories, but he said he wouldn’t abolish slavery where it already existed.

*Douglas (Democrat) believed in popular sovereignty, meaning each state or territory should vote on whether to allow slavery or not.

Even though Lincoln won in the North, many Southerners didn’t trust him and feared he would try to end slavery, which led some states to secede from the Union.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed settlers to decide if they wanted ______ or not.

• independence

• slavery

• new territories

• a new government

Answer explanation

The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed settlers to decide if they wanted slavery or not. This was called popular sovereignty, which meant the people in each territory could vote on whether to allow slavery.

This law repealed (canceled) the Missouri Compromise, which had banned slavery in these areas before. It led to violent conflicts in Kansas, known as "Bleeding Kansas," as people fought over whether the state should allow slavery.

The Tariff of Abominations was a tax passed by Congress in 1828 that favored _______ in the North but hurt the farmers in the South.

• agriculture

• manufacturing

• imports

• exports

Answer explanation

The Tariff of Abominations was a tax passed by Congress in 1828 that favored manufacturing in the North but hurt the farmers in the South. This means that Northern factory owners benefited because their products were cheaper than imported goods, while Southern farmers had to pay more for things they needed from Europe. The North liked the tariff because it helped their industries, but the South hated it because it hurt their economy. This disagreement increased tensions between the North and South before the Civil War.

The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was not a ______ and could therefore not sue in the U.S. courts.

• slave

• property

• citizen

• resident

Answer explanation

The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was not a citizen and could therefore not sue in the U.S. courts. The Court decided that enslaved people and even freed slaves were not citizens, so they had no legal rights to bring a case to court. This decision also stated that slaves were property, and banning slavery in certain territories would violate slave owners' property rights.

What does it mean for a state to nullify a federal law?

• To support it

• To cancel it

• To enforce it

• To ignore it

During the Nullification Crisis, which state threatened to ______ the Union over the tariff?

• join

• secede

• support

• ignore

Answer explanation

During the Nullification Crisis, South Carolina threatened to secede (leave) the Union over the tariff. South Carolina believed the Tariff of Abominations was unfair and hurt their economy, so they declared it illegal and said they had the right to nullify (cancel) federal laws they didn’t agree with. This created a big conflict between South Carolina and the federal government, almost leading to war.

What was the main reason many Southern states warned they would secede from the Union?

• Economic issues

• States' rights

• Foreign policy

• Military power

Answer explanation

The main reason many Southern states warned they would secede from the Union was states' rights.

Southern states believed they had the right to make their own decisions, especially about slavery, without the federal government controlling them. They argued that because they had voluntarily joined the Union, they also had the right to leave it. When Abraham Lincoln was elected, they feared he would end slavery, so they decided to secede and form their own country, the Confederacy.

Fill in the blank: Lincoln said he would NOT ______ slavery in the South, but many thought he would.

• abolish

• support

• expand

• ignore

Answer explanation

Even though Lincoln promised he wouldn’t end slavery where it already existed, many Southerners did not trust him and feared that he and the Republicans would try to get rid of slavery in the future. This fear led to Southern states seceding from the Union after he won the election.