Westward Expansion and Slavery Quiz

Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny

• Economic factors drove westward expansion, including the search for land, resources, and opportunities (farming, mining).
• Romanticism's emphasis on nature and individualism fueled the westward migration ideal.
• The Democratic Party supported expansion; the Whigs were more cautious or opposed.
• James K. Polk's 1844 election victory promoted Texan annexation and expansion into Oregon and California.
• The Mexican-American War stemmed from border disputes, expansionist desires, and Mexican refusal to negotiate.
• Abraham Lincoln's "spot resolutions" reflected opposition to the war, questioning its justification.
• Henry David Thoreau protested the war by refusing to pay taxes.

Slavery and Sectionalism (1850s-1860s)

• The Wilmot Proviso aimed to ban slavery in Mexican territories, deepening sectional tensions.
• The Compromise of 1850 addressed California statehood, a stricter Fugitive Slave Act, and popular sovereignty.
• The Fugitive Slave Act forced Northerners to return runaway slaves, strengthening anti-slavery sentiment.
• Southern Californians opposed Californian statehood to avoid weakening Southern political power.
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed residents to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, causing conflict.
• "Popular sovereignty" was the principle of allowing settlers to decide on slavery locally.
• "Bleeding Kansas" was violent conflict over slavery, including John Brown’s involvement.
• John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry aimed to incite a slave rebellion.
• The Dred Scott decision ruled enslaved people were not citizens and Congress couldn't ban slavery in territories.
• Abolitionists sought complete slavery abolition; Free Soilers opposed its expansion but didn't necessarily call for its end.
• Political parties changed; Whigs dissolved, and Republicans arose against slavery expansion.
• 1860 presidential candidates held differing views on slavery and Union preservation. (Lincoln opposed expansion, Douglas supported popular sovereignty, Breckenridge supported expansion, and Bell sought Union preservation.)
• The pre-Civil War approach to slavery prioritized compromises to resolve tensions, like the Missouri and 1850 compromises.
• The Caning of Charles Sumner escalated sectional tensions and impacted the 1856 election.

Civil War

• Lincoln's 1860 election triggered Southern secession due to fears concerning slavery's future.
• Southern secession leaders justified it by upholding states' rights and maintaining slavery.
• Union and Confederate soldiers fought for honor, duty, and home protection; but Union soldiers also fought to preserve the Union, while Confederates aimed to protect states' rights and slavery.
• Black men in the North fought for freedom and equality through military service.
• The Emancipation Proclamation freed Confederate enslaved people, partly excluding border states to maintain loyalty.
• President Lincoln viewed the Confederacy as a rebellious part of the Union and refused to acknowledge it as a separate country.
• "Hard war" tactics emphasized total destruction of Confederate resources, leading to civilian suffering but aiming to end the conflict quickly.
• The Union held advantages in resources and manpower; the Confederacy possessed superior military leadership and local knowledge.

Reconstruction

• Lincoln proposed a lenient reconstruction process to reintegrate the South.
• Radical Republicans advocated for harsher punishments.
• Johnson's plan resembled Lincoln's but prioritized Southern autonomy.
• The Freedmen's Bureau offered crucial support to freed slaves through education, healthcare, and legal aid.
• Andrew Johnson's different background, a Southern Democrat and former slaveholder, contrasted with Lincoln's more moderate, nationally focused approach.
• "Black Codes" restricted African American rights, promoting forced labor and limiting freedoms.
• The Tenure of Office Act, restricting presidential removal power, was connected to Johnson's impeachment.
• The contested 1876 election outcome determined by an electoral commission illustrated widespread voter fraud.