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A Nation Divided

Total questions: 31

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Who was the slave that sued for his freedom?

a)

Fredrick Douglas

b)

John Brown

c)

Nat Turner

d)

Dred Scot

2.

Name the first state to secede

a)

South Carolina

b)

Texas

c)

North Carolina

d)

Mississippi

3.

The most hated provision of the Compromise of 1850 for abolitionists was __________________.

a)

California becoming a free state

b)

The slave trade being abolished in Washington, DC

c)

Utah and New Mexico territories being open to slavery

d)

The Fugitive Slave Act

4.

Uncle Tom's Cabin was written by ________________.

a)

Henry Ward Beecher

b)

Herman Melville

c)

Emily Dickinson

d)

Harriet Beecher Stowe

5.

In the 1857 Dred Scott case, the US Supreme Court ruled that blacks _________________________.

a)

must move to Liberia after emancipation

b)

were not citizens

c)

had limited voting rights

d)

were barred from working in federal jobs

6.

This law gave southerners more opportunity to have their escaped slaves caught and returned to their masters in the south.

a)

Annexation of Texas

b)

Compromise of 1850

c)

Fugitive Slave Law

d)

Missouri Compromise

7.
How did the idea of popular sovereignty affect slavery in the United States?
a)
Slavery would not be permitted in unofficial states.
b)
State or territories would decide whether to permit slavery.
c)
Slavery would not be permitted anywhere in the country.
d)
The federal government wold have the last word on slavery. 
8.
President of the Confederate States of America
a)
Abe Lincoln
b)
Henry Clay
c)
Roger B. Taney
d)
Jefferson Davis
9.

Why did John Brown attack Harper's Ferry?

a)

Harper's Ferry was a pro-slavery settlement.

b)

He wanted revenge for an attack on his family.

c)

Native Americans at Harper's Ferry had been causing problems.

d)

He wanted to arm slaves for a revolt.

10.

What caused the southern states to begin to secede?

a)

the Dred Scott decision

b)

the Battle at Fort Sumter

c)

the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860

d)

the Compromise of 1850

11.

The first shots of the Civil War were fired at--

a)

Lexington

b)

Fort Sumter

c)

Vicksburg

d)

Fort McHenry

12.

What event did the Kansas-Nebraska Act lead to?

a)

the election of 1860

b)

electoral sovereignty

c)

the Lincoln-Douglas debates

d)

Bleeding Kansas

13.

To give up or give away

a)

Neutral

b)

Cede

c)

Florida

d)

Expedition

14.

Who was the South Carolina Senator that was against compromise and for states' rights

a)

John C. Calhoun

b)

Daniel Webster

c)

Henry Clay

d)

Daniel Boone

15.
Which Political Party wanted to make Congress ban slavery in all territory gained from the Mexican - American War
a)
Free - Soil Party
b)
Republican
c)
Democrat
d)
Whig
16.

Who was responsible for the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

a)

Abraham Lincoln

b)

Roger Taney

c)

Stephen Douglas

d)

John Brown

17.

Who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that authored the Dred Scot decision

a)

Henry Clay

b)

Jefferson Davis

c)

Roger B. Taney

d)

John C. Calhoun

18.

Senator John C. Calhoun would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

a)

Preserving the Union is more important than states’ rights.

b)

States’ rights are more important than preserving the Union.

c)

The federal government should have the power to decide whether states allow slavery.

d)

New territories should be allowed to determine for themselves whether to allow slavery.

19.

According to the Wilmot Proviso of 1846, in which area was slavery to be banned?

a)

Southern states 

b)

Northern states

c)

Louisiana Territory

d)

land acquired from Mexico

20.
What was the significance of the 36˚30´ parallel? 
a)
 It separated the North from the South.
b)
 It indicated the northern border of Missouri.
c)
It showed the borders of the United States.
d)
 It indicated where slavery was allowed and banned.
21.
During the debate over the spread of slavery into new territories, some of the leaders promoted the idea that political power belongs to the people. They called it
a)
the Dred Scott Decision
b)
the Missouri Compromise
c)
Popular Sovereignty
d)
the Compromise of 1850
22.

In the 1850s, what was Lincoln's position regarding the end of slavery?

a)

He believed that the federal government should immediately free all slaves.

b)

He believed it would die out on its own if not allowed to expand further.

c)

He believed that the Constitution abolished slavery but states could not avoid it.

d)

He believed that the federal government should purchase all slaves and free them.

23.

Which of these is an example of popular sovereignty?

a)

Each territory and state west of the Mississippi River was automatically free.

b)

Each territory and state below 36°30' was slave; each state above was free.

c)

Each new territory and state would decide whether to allow slavery.

d)

Each territory and state west of the Mississippi River would allow slavery.

24.

The Dred Scot decision also affirmed that slaves were

a)

entitled to the rights of citizenship

b)

property and Constitution protects property rights

c)

fugitives and must be returned to their owners

d)

entitled to the rights outlined in the Declaration of Independence

25.
Which was not a candidate of the 1860 presidential election?
a)
Abraham Lincoln
b)
John Bell
c)
John C. Calhoun
d)
Stephen Douglas
26.
A political party formed to prevent the spred of slavery
a)
Free Soil Party
b)
Republican Party
c)
Democratic Party 
d)
Constitutional Party
27.

During the Election of 1860...

a)

The Republican party was split over slavery.

b)

Whigs won easily

c)

The Democratic party was split over slavery

d)

Abraham Lincoln won over 80% of the popular vote

28.

South Carolina seceded from the Union after -

a)

a major tax increase from the federal government

b)

the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the USA

c)

Lincoln freeing all enslaved African Americans in the South

d)

Charleston's port being blockaded by the Lincoln

29.
Abraham Lincoln ran against and debated this "little giant" for a seat in the Senate. 
a)
Stephen Fuller Austin
b)
Stephen Curry
c)
Stephen Douglas
d)
Frederick Douglass
30.
This guy attempted to start a slave revolt....it didn't work.
a)
Abraham Lincoln
b)
John Bell 
c)
John Breckenridge
d)
John Brown
31.

What name was given to the pro-slavery activists who crossed into Kansas to vote?

a)

abolitionists

b)

border ruffians

c)

Missourians

d)

"Bleeding Kansas"