United States History Unit 5 Test

2a. One Cause of the Mexican War and the reason:

The border between Mexico and Texas. The United States thought that the border should be at the Rio Grande, however, the Mexicans believed the border was at the Nueches River.

2b. Another Cause of the Mexican War and reason:

President Polk wanted California, and he attempted to buy it for $25 million and Mexico turned it down. He then sent troops down to provoke Mexico which then lead to the Mexican War.

2c. Most Important Part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Why:

In the treaty, the United States paid $15 million for California and New Mexico territories such as Texas. As a result, it doubled the size of the United States’s territory but began the question of if slavery would be allowed in the newly-bought territory.

3a. One compromise that allowed the US to ease tensions:

The Missouri Compromise which divided the territories on the 36th parallel line. Territory above would be free states, and territories below the parallel would be slave states.

3b. Another compromise that allowed the US to ease tensions:

The Compromise of 1850, which said that slavery in the new territories would be voted on through popular sovereignty. The North got California to be a free state, and the south got the fugitive slave act.

3c. Reason that the compromises seized to work:

People were becoming more radicalized with their views, and both sides thought the other was evil for their beliefs regarding slavery. The North thought the South was evil for continuing slavery, while the South thought the North was evil for supporting people such as John Brown.

4a. Explain why one of the following was the most significant cause of the sectional tensions in the US:

Economic differences - The South were plantation owners who made their money from slave labor. If the North took away slavery, the South would lose their main source of wealth and profit.

4b. One piece of evidence to explain 4a:

Cotton is king. In the Panic of 1857, the North was hit hard by the panic while the South continued to sell cotton to Britain.

4c. Why is one of the other options not as persuasive:

While the North and the South believed in different things regarding slavery, they were not entirely culturally different. They spoke the same languages, practiced the same religions, and celebrated the same national traditions.

5a. One of the results of the fugitive slave act:

In Massachusetts, they would become far more rebellious and would often warn the slaves of the arrival of potential slave catchers entering the area. It also led to the creation of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

5b. One reason the Dred Scott case was despised by free-soilers:

The free soilers wanted to end slavery in the newly acquitted territories. The Dred Scott case ultimately said that the slave owners could bring their slaves into free states and still keep them enslaved since they were viewed as “property”.

5c. How the Kansas-Nebraska Act led to a mini civil war:

Both radicals from the Northern abolitionists and the Southern slave owners rushed to Kansas to influence Kansas to become either a free or slave state. Famous abolitionist John Brown attacked and killed 5 pro-slavery individuals. They then rebelled by attacking anti-slavers which resulted in a mini civil war.