14 Key terms

What was the main goal of the Wilmot Proviso proposed in 1846?

To ban slavery in territories gained from the Mexican-American War.

Northern belief that economic progress should be based on free men working, not slavery. Seen as key to opportunity and mobility

Free Labor.

Idea by Lewis Cass allowing settlers in territories to vote on slavery. Meant to ease tensions but led to violence.

Popular Sovereignty

Series of laws admitting CA as a free state, banning slave trade in D.C., enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act, and using popular sovereignty in new territories

Compromise of 1850

Law requiring Northerners to help capture escaped slaves. Strongly opposed in the North for denying rights to the accused.

Fugitive Slave Act

Anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Influenced Northern opinion against slavery by showing its moral injustices

Uncle Tom's Cabin.

1854 law allowing popular sovereignty in new territories, repealing Missouri Compromise. Led to "Bleeding Kansas."

Kansas-Nebraska Act

New party formed in the 1850s opposing expansion of slavery. Supported free labor, economic development, and unity.

Republican Party

Violent conflict between pro- and anti-slavery settlers after Kansas-Nebraska Act. Showed failure of popular sovereignty

Bleeding Kansas

1857 Supreme Court case ruling that slaves weren’t citizens and Congress couldn’t ban slavery in territories.

Dred Scott Decision

1858 Illinois Senate debates over slavery. Lincoln opposed its expansion; Douglas supported popular sovereignty.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Seceded Southern states formed this in 1861. Defended slavery and claimed states’ rights. Jefferson Davis was president.

Confederate States of America

Who were the primary supporters of the Democratic Party in the 1850s?

Southern planters and Northern urban workers.

What was the Democratic Party’s position on slavery?

supported slavery; Northern Democrats supported popular sovereignty.

How did Democrats view expansion?

They promoted territorial growth and westward expansion.

What were the Democratic views on immigration?

Generally welcoming to immigrants.

Who supported the Whig Party in the 1850s?

Business elites, moderate reformers, and some Southern planters.

What was the Whig Party’s stance on slavery?

Split; some members opposed slavery’s expansion, others were neutral.

What was the Whig view on expansion?

Focused more on internal improvements than territorial expansion.

What were Whig views on immigration?

Mixed; the party was divided on this issue.

Who supported the Republican Party in the 1850s?

Former Whigs, Free-Soilers, and anti-slavery Northerners.

What was the Republican position on slavery?

Opposed the expansion of slavery and supported free labor.

How did Republicans view expansion?

Supported expansion as long as slavery didn’t expand with it.

What were Republican views on immigration?

Generally supportive; focused more on anti-slavery than immigration.

Who supported the Know-Nothing (American) Party?

Nativists, especially anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant Northerners.

What was the Know-Nothing position on slavery?

Tried to avoid taking a strong stance; the party eventually fractured.

How did the Know-Nothing Party view expansion?

Opposed expansion that would benefit slavery.

What were Know-Nothing views on immigration?

Strongly anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic.

What was the position of the Republican Party regarding immigration in the 1850s?

Generally supportive, focusing more on anti-slavery than immigration.

What characterizes the views of the Know-Nothing Party regarding immigration?

Strongly anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic.

In 1846 What did the Wilmot Proviso propose, and why did its failure deepen sectional tensions?

aimed to ban slavery in any territory acquired from the Mexican-American War. Though it failed, it inflamed debates between North and South.

1848

Q: Who won the 1848 election, and why was it significant that he had no clear political stance?

Zachary Taylor (Whig) won despite being politically vague. His support for a free-soil solution hinted at rising tensions over slavery.

1849–1850

Q: What bold suggestion did President Taylor make regarding California and New Mexico, and why was it controversial?

He suggested they skip the territorial phase and apply for statehood—potentially as free states, which alarmed Southern leaders.

849–1850

Q: What bold suggestion did President Taylor make regarding California and New Mexico, and why was it controversial?

He suggested they skip the territorial phase and apply for statehood—potentially as free states, which alarmed Southern leaders.

1850

Q: How did the Compromise of 1850 attempt to resolve sectional conflict over slavery?

It admitted California as a free state, abolished the slave trade in D.C., opened NM and UT to popular sovereignty, gave $10M to Texas, and enacted a strict Fugitive Slave Act.

1850

Q: What did the Fugitive Slave Act require of Northerners, and why was it so controversial?

It forced them to help capture escaped slaves and paid commissioners more for returning people to slavery, outraging many in the North.

1852

Q: How did Uncle Tom’s Cabin affect the national debate over slavery?

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel stirred strong anti-slavery sentiment in the North and infuriated the South by portraying slavery’s brutality.

1852

Q: What did Franklin Pierce’s 1852 presidential victory represent for sectional politics?

His win as a pro-Southern Democrat showed continued Southern influence, despite growing tensions.

1853

Q: What was the goal of the Gadsden Purchase, and how did it fit into expansion debates?

The U.S. bought land for a southern transcontinental railroad, reflecting expansionist and Southern commercial interests.

1854

Q: How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act reignite sectional divisions and reshape political parties?

It opened new territories to popular sovereignty, repealed the Missouri Compromise, and led to the collapse of the Whigs and rise of the Republican Party.

1855–1856

Q: What events earned Kansas the nickname “Bleeding Kansas”?

Violent clashes like the Sack of Lawrence and Pottawatomie Massacre followed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, as pro- and anti-slavery settlers vied for control.

1856

Q: What did the 1856 election reveal about the Democratic Party’s standing in the North?

Buchanan won, but the party showed signs of losing Northern support, as sectional loyalties hardened.

1857

Q: Why was the Dred Scott decision a turning point in national politics?

It ruled that slaves were not citizens and Congress couldn’t ban slavery in the territories—invalidating the Missouri Compromise and sparking Northern outrage.

1857

Q: How did Lincoln respond to the Dred Scott decision after joining the Republican Party?

He insisted Congress could contain slavery and warned the Court might soon prevent any exclusion of slavery at all.

1858

Q: How did the Lincoln-Douglas debates shape national views on slavery?

Though Douglas won, Lincoln’s arguments against slavery’s expansion gained him national fame and defined the Republican platform.

1859

Q: What was the goal of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, and what were the outcomes?

He tried to start a slave rebellion. It failed, he was executed, and his actions deepened North-South divisions—he was seen as a martyr in the North, a terrorist in the South.

1860

Q: How did divisions in the Democratic Party impact the 1860 election?

The party split: Northern Democrats nominated Douglas; Southern Democrats chose Breckinridge—splitting votes and helping Lincoln win.

1860

Q: What platform did Lincoln and the Republican Party run on in 1860?

Free homesteads, protective tariffs, a transcontinental railroad, and immigrant rights—not immediate abolition, but opposition to slavery’s expansion.

1860

Q: What was the South’s immediate response to Lincoln’s election?

Seven states (SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX) seceded and held conventions to leave the Union before he even took office.

1861

Q: What was the Confederate States of America, and what did its “Cornerstone Speech” reveal?

Formed by seceding states, the CSA was based on protecting slavery. VP Alexander Stephens declared its foundation was racial inequality and permanent slavery.

1861 (continued)

Q: In his inaugural address, what did Lincoln say about slavery in the Southern states?

He said he had no right or intention to interfere with slavery where it already existed, hoping to avoid war while standing firm on Union preservation.

Q: Who was the Pennsylvania Congressman that proposed banning slavery in land won from Mexico, intensifying sectional tensions?

→ David Wilmot, author of the Wilmot Proviso.

Q: Which 1848 Democratic presidential candidate promoted popular sovereignty, arguing settlers should decide on slavery?

→ Lewis Cass of Michigan.

Q: Which war hero and Whig president won in 1848 and later supported letting California enter as a free state?

→ Zachary Taylor.

Q: Who ran for president as a Free-Soil candidate in 1848 after already serving as U.S. President?

→ Martin Van Buren, opposing slavery’s expansion.

Q: Known as the "Great Compromiser," which senator crafted the Compromise of 1850 to ease sectional tensions?

→ Henry Clay.

Q: Which Illinois senator helped pass the Compromise of 1850, proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and debated Lincoln in 1858?

→ Stephen Douglas, Northern Democrat and 1860 candidate.

Q: Which author’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin inflamed sectional divisions by exposing the cruelty of slavery?

→ Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Q: Which Democratic president pursued Southern interests like the Gadsden Purchase and annexation of Cuba?

→ Franklin Pierce, often seen as pro-Southern.

Q: Which general lost the 1852 election as the Whig presidential candidate to Franklin Pierce?

→ Winfield Scott.

Q: Which president failed to calm sectional divisions and was in office during the Dred Scott decision?

→ James Buchanan.

Q: Who was the Chief Justice who ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that Congress couldn’t ban slavery in the territories?

→ Roger B. Taney.

Q: Which Illinois lawyer gained fame debating slavery with Stephen Douglas and won the 1860 election?

→ Abraham Lincoln.

Q: Who was the radical abolitionist behind violent actions in Kansas and the 1859 Harpers Ferry raid?

→ John Brown.

Q: Before leading the Confederate Army, who captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry as a U.S. officer?

→ Robert E. Lee.

Q: Who was the Southern Democratic presidential candidate in 1860 who supported a federal slave code?

→ John Breckinridge.

Q: Which 1860 Constitutional Union candidate avoided the slavery issue and called for preserving the Union?

→ John Bell.

Q: Who was the Vice President of the Confederate States and author of the “Cornerstone Speech” defending slavery?

→ Alexander Stephens.