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Causes of the American Civil War

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 12mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Before the Missouri Compromise (1820) were there more slave states, or free states in the Union?

a)

More Slave States

b)

More Free States

c)

There was an equal number of slave and free states, 11 each in the year 1819.

2.

Which of the following were part of the Compromise of 1850?

a)

California was admitted to the Union as a free state

b)

Popular sovereignty was allowed in Utah & New Mexico Territories

c)

Slave trading was ended in Washington D.C.

d)

Stronger fugitive slave law was passed and enforced

3.

True or false. No other book in American history had as large of a political impact as Uncle Tom's Cabin...

a)

True

b)

False

4.

Which of the following best defines popular sovereignty?

a)

Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives (rule by the people).

b)

The idea that the President should decide on slavery in the territories

c)

The principle that geography should determine which states are slave or free.

5.

What happened in the Kansas & Nebraska Territories when popular sovereignty was used to determine whether these lands would be slave or free?

a)

Pro-slavery and anti-slavery advocates reached a compromise

b)

"Bleeding Kansas" as violence erupted between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions

c)

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book about it

d)

Stephen Douglass used the territories to get more votes for his Presidential Campaign

6.
This law sparked three years of violence in the Midwest.
a)
Missouri Compromise
b)
Fugitive Slave Act
c)
Kansas Nebraska Act
d)
Dred Scott Case
7.
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book to show the cruelties of slavery. What was it called?
a)
Uncle Bob's Stories
b)
Uncle Tom's Hotel
c)
Uncle Joe's Best Recipes
d)
Uncle Tom's Cabin
8.
This person led a raid at Harper's Ferry, VA in an attempt to rob the armory and steal weapons to fight against slavery.
a)
Abraham Lincoln
b)
Nat Turner
c)
John Brown
d)
Harriet Tubman
9.
The Missouri Compromise Line determined the status of slavery in future states.  North of the line slavery was ___________ or banned, South of the line slavery was _________.
a)
permitted, prohibited
b)
prohibited, permitted or allowed
c)
sometimes prohibited, never allowed
d)
cheap, expensive
10.

What Claim Did Dred Scott Sue With?

a)

Slavery Is Illegal

b)

Since He Had Once Lived In An Anti-Slavery Area He Would Always Be Free

c)

No One Should be a Slave or Own Slaves.

d)

People with Slaves Should be Prosecuted

11.
What was the Supreme Court's decision in the Dred Scott case?
a)
That slavery diminished the national character.
b)
That African American rights were protected by the Constitution.
c)
That African Americans did not have the right to sue in federal court because they were not citizens
d)
That slavery should be abolished by executive order
12.

The Missouri Compromise, the compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act were all efforts to

a)

end fighting between Midwestern farmers and native American Indians

b)

increase the number of people who voted in presidential elections

c)

encourage manufacturing in the west

d)

settle disputes over the spread of slavery to the western territories

13.

What was Nat Turner Job on the Plantation

a)

Field Worker

b)

House Worker

c)

Preacher

d)

Overseer of other Slaves

14.

What did John Brown do?

a)

attacked a fort trying to get weapons

b)

burned the white house

c)

captured slaves

d)

wrote books about slavery

15.

He led a violent slave rebellion through Virginia:

a)

Nat Turner

b)

Abraham Lincoln

c)

Harriet Tubman

d)

Nat King Cole

16.

Which statement best explains how the Second Great Awakening influenced change in American society?

a)

It encouraged Southerners to assert their rights by seceding.

b)

It inspired the growth of social reform movements.

c)

It led to the industrialization of northern cities

d)

It encouraged Southerners to assert their rights by seceding.

17.

Who won the election of 1860 causing southern states to begin seceding (leaving) from the Union?

a)

Abraham Lincoln

b)

Andrew Jackson

c)

Thomas Jefferson

d)

Andrew Johnson

18.

Which state was the first to secede from the Union?

a)

South Carolina

b)

Tennessee

c)

North Carolina

d)

Virginia

19.

What issue divided the democratic party during the election of 1860?

a)

Slavery

b)

Taxes

c)

Manifest Destiny

d)

Foreign Policy

20.

Was a slave until he ran away. Wrote an anti-slavery paper called the "North Star" and gave speeches about his experience in slavery.

a)

Frederick Douglass

b)

William Lloyd Garrison

c)

Levi Coffin

d)

William Still