Quiz on Historical Legal Cases and Acts

What was the main requirement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793?

• To free all slaves in the United States

• To return escapees to their owners

• To abolish slavery in the northern states

• To allow slaves to vote

What precedent was established by the Missouri courts in 1824?

• Slaves could never be free

• Once free, always free

• Slaves could vote in free states

• Slaves must return to their owners

What was the significance of the Commonwealth v. Aves case in 1836?

• It allowed slaves to own property

• It entitled slaves to freedom in Massachusetts

• It banned slavery in the southern states

• It allowed slaves to serve in the military

What was the ruling in United States v. The Amistad in 1841?

• Africans were considered legal property

• Africans were not criminals and had been kidnapped

• Africans were to be returned to Africa

• Africans were to be sold in the United States

What did the Supreme Court decide in Prigg v. Pennsylvania in 1842?

• State laws could override federal laws

• Federal laws trumped state laws regarding slavery

• Slaves could be freed by state decision

• Slaves could not be returned to their owners

What did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 require?

• Slaves to be freed in free states

• Slaves to be returned to their owners even in free states

• Slaves to be given a jury trial

• Slaves to be allowed to vote

What was the decision in the Dred Scott case of 1857?

• Slaves were citizens of the United States

• Slaves were not citizens and were considered property

• Slaves could vote in federal elections

• Slaves could own land

What did the Emancipation Proclamation declare in 1863?

• All slaves in the United States were free

• All slaves in rebellious states were free

• All slaves in border states were free

• All slaves in the northern states were free

Which amendment protected slaveholders according to the Dred Scott decision?

• 1st Amendment

• 5th Amendment

• 10th Amendment

• 14th Amendment

Which states were not covered by the Emancipation Proclamation?

• Northern states

• Southern states

• Slave-holding border states

• Western states