Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Causes of the Civil War Project Quiz

Total questions: 13

Worksheet time: 7mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which term refers to the idea that settlers had the right to decide whether slavery would be legal in their territory?

a)

southern secession

b)

popular sovereignty

c)

sectionalism

d)

federalism

2.

During the first half of the 19th century, addition of new states to Union (U.S.) led to

a)

increased tensions over slavery

b)

decreased domestic demand for manufactured goods

c)

fewer conflicts with Native American Indians

d)

improved relations with bordering nations

3.

The Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) was significant because it

a)

allowed slavery in California

b)

outlawed slavery in the Southern States

c)

upheld the actions of the Underground Railroad

d)

ruled that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories

4.

Which statement about the Missouri Compromise (1820) is most accurate?

a)

Slavery was banned west of the Mississippi River.

b)

The 36°30 line formed a new boundary between the United States and Canada.

c)

The balance between free and slave states was maintained.

d)

Unorganized territories would be governed by the United States and Great Britain.

5.

Before the Civil War, why did slavery expand further in the South rather than in the North?

a)

the Constitution contained a clause that outlawed the importation of slaves into the Northern states

b)

Congress passed a law forbidding slavery in the North

c)

Northern states passed affirmative action legislation

d)

geographic conditions in the South encouraged the development of large plantations

6.

Abolitionists in the pre-Civil War period were most likely to support the

a)

passage of the Fugitive Slave Act

b)

Indian Removal Act of 1830

c)

activities of the underground railroad

d)

the Dred Scott decision

7.

The publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, contributed to the start of the Civil War by

a)

exposing the dangers of cotton manufacturing

b)

intensifying Northern dislike of slavery

c)

convincing Congress to ban the importation of slaves

d)

pressuring the president to support emancipation

8.

"Uncle tom's Cabin Stirs Controversy"

"Kansas Rocked by Bloody Conflict"

"John Brown's Raid Angers South"


Which statement about the United States in the 1850s is best supported by these headlines?

a)

The nation had grown increasingly divided over the future of slavery.

b)

Support for the abolitionist movement decreased during this period.

c)

Northern and Southern voters were united in their dislike for slavery.

d)

Americans had lost confidence in the plan for Reconstruction.

9.

In the 1850s, the phrase “Bleeding Kansas” was used to describe clashes between

a)

proslavery and antislavery groups

b)

Native American Indians and white settlers

c)

Chinese and Irish railroad workers

d)

Spanish landowners and new American settlers

10.

Which statement about the Missouri Compromise (1820) is most accurate?

a)

Slavery was banned west of the Mississippi River.

b)

Unorganized territories would be governed by the United States and Great Britain.

c)

The balance between free and slave states was maintained.

d)

The 36°30 line formed a new boundary between the United States and Canada.

11.

Most Southern political leaders praised the Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) because it

a)

granted citizenship to all enslaved persons

b)

upheld the principle of popular sovereignty

c)

supported the right of a state to secede from the Union

d)

protected the property rights of slave owners in the territories

12.

As the United States acquired more land between 1803 and 1850, what was the main controversy over these territories?

a)

failure to conserve natural resources

b)

expansion of slavery

c)

need for schools and colleges

d)

construction of transcontinental railroads

13.

Passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) was criticized by abolitionists because it

a)

limited settlement in those territories

b)

repealed the 36°30' line of the Missouri Compromise

c)

upheld the Supreme Court decision in Gibbons v. Ogden

d)

admitted Maine to the Union as a free state