The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 (1/21 - 1/23)

What year marked the last presidential representative for the Whig Party?

1852

What technological advancement in the 1850s significantly impacted jobs and travel?

Railroads

What was the primary purpose of building the transcontinental railroad?

To physically and economically unite the United States and boost trade.

Who was a major proponent of the transcontinental railroad advocating for a route starting from Chicago?

Sen. Stephen A. Douglas

What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

An act that organized the Kansas and Nebraska territories, allowing settlers to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty.

What principle allows people in a territory to decide on the issue of slavery?

Popular Sovereignty

What were the states affected by the Kansas-Nebraska Act in terms of slavery decision?

Utah, Kansas, New Mexico, and Nebraska.

What was Abraham Lincoln's stance on the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

He opposed it, viewing slavery as a moral evil and a contradiction to the founding ideal of equality.

What significant action did 11 states take following Lincoln's election in 1860?

They seceded from the Union.

Name the first state to secede from the Union in 1860.

South Carolina.

What were the three main elements of Henry Clay's American System?

Protective tariffs, a strong national bank, and federal funding for internal improvements.

What major event caused the division of the Whig Party leading to its dissolution?

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

What was the Know-Nothing Party primarily concerned with?

Anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic nativism.

Who is Brother Jonathan?

The personification of New England and an emblem of the United States.

What political movement did the Republican Party emerge from in the mid-1850s?

Anti-slavery coalitions opposing the expansion of slavery.

What was one of the key provisions of the Republican Platform of 1856?

Federal funding for a transcontinental railroad and admitting Kansas as a free state.