Causes of the Civil War

Which event officially started the fighting of the Civil War?

• The election of 1860

• The attack on Fort Sumter

• John Brown's execution

• The Dred Scott Decision

Answer explanation

Confederate forces fired on this Union fort, marking the beginning of the war.

Who did Abraham Lincoln have famous debates with while running for the Senate?

• Stephen Douglas

• John Brown

• Jefferson Davis

• Charles Sumner

Answer explanation

They held a series of famous debates about slavery that made Lincoln a national star.

What happened right after Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860?

• Southern states decided to leave the Union

• The Civil War ended

• Slavery was immediately banned

• The South surrendered

Answer explanation

Fearing Lincoln would end slavery, Southern states began to secede (break away) immediately.

What was John Brown trying to do when he raided Harpers Ferry?

• Escape to Canada

• Start a slave rebellion

• Steal money from a bank

• Kidnap the President

Answer explanation

He hoped to seize weapons and arm enslaved people to fight for their freedom.

What did the Supreme Court decide in the Dred Scott case?

• That Dred Scott was a free man

• That slavery was illegal in the North

• That all territories must be free

• That enslaved people were property and not citizens

Answer explanation

The Court ruled that because they were considered property, they had no rights to sue in court.

Why was the territory known as 'Bleeding Kansas'?

• Because of a terrible disease that spread there

• Because of a major battle with Native Americans

• Because the soil was a deep red color

• Because of the violent fighting between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups

Answer explanation

Rival groups rushed into the territory and attacked each other, causing much bloodshed.

What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act allow people in those territories to do?

• Vote on whether to allow slavery (popular sovereignty)

• Split into four separate states

• Immediately become free states

• Ban all settlers from the area

Answer explanation

The Act let the settlers decide for themselves, which overturned the earlier Missouri Compromise.

How did the book 'Uncle Tom’s Cabin' affect people in the North?

• It increased anti-slavery feelings

• It convinced them that slavery was necessary

• It had no real effect on their opinions

• It made them want to support the South

Answer explanation

The story made the suffering of enslaved people real to readers, turning public opinion against slavery.

Which part of the Compromise of 1850 made Northerners the most angry?

• The Fugitive Slave Act

• Admitting California as a free state

• The new borders of Texas

• Ending the slave trade in Washington D.C.

Answer explanation

This law forced Northerners to help catch runaways, making them feel like they were part of the slave system.

What was the main goal of the Free Soil Party?

• To end slavery in the Southern states immediately

• To support the rights of plantation owners

• To force all farmers to give their land to the government

• To stop slavery from expanding into new western territories

Answer explanation

Their main platform was keeping the new territories 'free soil' for white farmers to work without competition from slave labor.