Causes of the Civil War

What was Abraham Lincoln’s position on slavery in new territories?

• Allow slavery to spread freely in new territories.

• Stop slavery from spreading to new territories.

• Support the establishment of new slave states.

• Encourage the abolition of slavery in all territories.

Why did California’s admission to the Union cause conflict?

• It would lead to a gold rush that attracted too many settlers.

• California was a territory with a large Native American population.

• California’s admission would upset the balance of free and slave states in the Union.

• It would create a new political party in the state.

What Supreme Court decision ruled that African Americans could not be U.S. citizens?

• the Dred Scott decision.

• the Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

• the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

• the Roe v. Wade decision.

What did the Wilmot Proviso propose?

• It established a new territory for free states.

• It prohibited slavery in the lands gained from Mexican Cession.

• It allowed slavery in all new territories.

• It granted citizenship to all former slaves.

How did the Supreme Court rule in the Dred Scott case regarding enslaved people?

• They were considered citizens with rights.

• They were the property of their owners.

• They were entitled to freedom after a certain period.

• They were to be treated as free individuals.

What was the outcome of the Lincoln-Douglas debates?

• Lincoln won the election and became president.

• Lincoln lost the election but gained a national reputation.

• Douglas lost the election and faded from public view.

• The debates had no significant impact on either candidate.

How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act impact previously free areas?

• Slavery could now spread to areas that had been free for 30 years.

• The act abolished slavery in all territories.

• It established a new state that was entirely free.

• It allowed for the immediate admission of Kansas as a free state.

What was John Brown’s goal in his raid on Harpers Ferry?

• start a slave revolt.

• establish a new government in Virginia.

• secure weapons for the Confederate army.

• promote abolition through peaceful protests.

What was a major argument for popular sovereignty?

• Before each territory becomes a state, the voters of that territory should decide whether it becomes a free state or a slave state.

• Congress should have the sole authority to decide the status of slavery in each territory.

• All territories should automatically become free states upon entering the Union.

• State legislatures should determine the status of slavery without voter input.

How did Stephen Douglas believe slavery should be handled in different regions?

• It should be permitted in the South but not allowed to spread into the West.

• It should be abolished everywhere in the United States.

• It should be allowed to spread freely into all territories.

• It should be permitted only in the West and not in the South.