19:2 MC practice

Your test over chapters 17-19 is Friday unless you are going debating!!!!

1. The consequences of the Kansas-Nebraska Act included
A. splitting of the Democratic party.
B. organization of the Republican party.
C. an erosion of the Missouri Compromise.
D. exacerbating sectional tensions.
E. all of the above.

2. The Crittenden Compromise included all of the following EXCEPT
A. attempted to revive the latitude line of 36° 30’ as the dividing line between slave and free territory.
B. provided that the US government should compensate owners for fugitive slaves whose owners were prevented from recovering them.
C. slavery would be protected in the District of Columbia so long as Maryland and Virginia were both slave states.
D. six amendments would be added to the Constitution.
E. a reopening of the African slave trade.

3. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 included all of the following EXCEPT
A. the requirement that escaped slaves be returned from Canada.
B. denial of a jury trial to runaway slaves.
C. denial of fugitive slaves’ right to testify in their own behalf.
D. the penalty of imprisonment for northerners who helped slaves to escape.
E. the payment to a federal commissioner of a higher fee if the apprehended person was ruled to be a runaway slave.

Use the excerpt for questions 4-6.
“I hear with distress and anguish the word “secession,” especially when it falls from the lips of those who are patriotic, and known to the country, and known all over the world, for their political services. Secession! Peaceable secession! Sir, your eyes and mine are never destined to see that miracle. The dismemberment of this vast country without convulsion! The breaking up of the fountains of the great deep without ruffling the surface! Who is so foolish, I beg every body’s pardon, as to expect to see any such thing? Sir, he who sees these States, now revolving in harmony around a common centre, and expects to see them quit their places and fly off without convulsion, may look the next hour to see heavenly bodies rush from their spheres, and jostle against each other in the realms of space, without causing the wreck of the universe. There can be no such thing as peaceable secession. Peaceable secession is an utter impossibility. Is the great Constitution under which we live, covering this whole country, is it to be thawed and melted away by secession, as the snows on the mountain melt under the influence of a vernal sun, disappear almost unobserved, and run off? No, Sir! No, Sir!”

4. What is the source of this excerpt?
A. General Cass on the Wilmot Proviso.
B. the Clay Compromise Measures by John C. Calhoun.
C. the Seventh of March speech by Daniel Webster.
D. the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
E. Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address.

5. When the author speaks of—and criticizes– someone who is “patriotic, and known to the country, and known all over the world, for their political services,” who is being referred to?
A. Daniel Webster
B. Henry Clay
C. Stephen Douglas
D. John Calhoun
E. Jefferson Davis

6. What is the main point of the excerpt?
A. No one who is truly patriotic can suggest secession.
B. Slavery is an abomination which must be kept out of the territories.
C. Secession is an act of war and violence.
D. Our country is like a solar system, and the Constitution is the gravity that holds it all together.
E. Anyone who doubts the sincerity of the threats by southerners to secede is deluding himself.

7. According to Charles Sumner, who were “hirelings picked from the drunken spew and vomit of an uneasy civilization?”
A. Black Republicans
B. radical abolitionists
C. slaves
D. pro-slavery sympathizers
E. immigrants

8. What reward did Sumner get for his remarks?
A. He was named “man of the year” by the Liberator.
B. Repeated blows with a cane until he was knocked unconscious.
C. Nomination for president from the Democratic party.
D. Tarring and feathering by his own constitutents.
E. He was challenged to a duel by John Calhoun.

Use the excerpt, from John C. Calhoun’s response in 1850 known as the Clay Compromise Measures, written in the heat of the debate over the Compromise of 1850, to answer question 9 and 10.

“How can the Union be saved? To this I answer, there is but one way by which it can be, and that is by adopting such measures as will satisfy the States belonging to the Southern section that they can remain in the Union consistently with their honor and their safety…. The North has only to will it to accomplish it–to do justice by conceding to the South an equal right in the acquired territory, and to do her duty by causing the stipulations relative to fugitive slaves to be faithfully fulfilled–to cease the agitation of the slave question, and to provide for the insertion of a provision in the Constitution, by an amendment, which will restore to the South, in substance, the power she possessed of protecting herself before the equilibrium between the sections was destroyed by the action of this government…. At all events, the responsibility of saving the Union rests on the North, and not on the South. The South can not save it by any act of hers, and the North may save it without any sacrifice whatever, unless to do justice and to perform her duties under the Constitution should be regarded by her as a sacrifice.”

9. What territory is in dispute as referred to in the excerpt?
A. Louisiana Purchase
B. Mexican Cession
C. Kansas and Nebraska
D. Maine and Oregon
E. Texas

10. How was an “equal right in the acquired territory” obtained?
A. the Dred Scott decision abolished the right of Congress to restrict slavery.
B. the Missouri Compromise created a line at 36° 30 latitude.
C. popular sovereignty was granted in the new territories of New Mexico and Utah.
D. a transcontinental railroad was built in the South.
E. all of the above.

11. John Brown’s “Pottawatamie Massacre” was launched in retaliation for
A. the attack on Harpers Ferry.
B. the “Sack of Lawrence” by pro-slavery thugs.
C. the Sumner-Brooks incident.
D. the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
E. all of the above.

12. What was the main consequence of Stephen Douglas’s blockage of congressional approval of the Lecompton Constitution?
A. He was hailed as a hero by abolitionists.
B. He lost his bid for reelection to the Senate.
C. Many northerners saw him as an enemy of “free soil” principles.
D. Many southerners refused to support him in the presidential election of 1860.
E. He was censured by the US Senate.

13. Place the events in chronological order: President James Buchanan leaves office; (X) Abraham Lincoln elected president; (Y) South Carolina secedes; (Z) Jefferson Davis inaugurated as president of the Confederacy.
A. W, X, Y, Z
B. X, W, Y, Z
C. W, Y, Z. X
D. Y, Z, X, W
E. X, Y, Z, W

14. Place these events in chronological order: Dred Scott decision; (X) Lincoln-Douglas debates; (Y) Kansas-Nebraska Act; (Z) Harpers Ferry raid.
A. W, X, Y, Z
B. X, Z, Y, W
C. Y, X, Z, W
D. Y, W, X, Z
E. Z, X, W, Y

15. During the debate of 1850, who claimed that there was a “higher law” than the Constitution that compelled him to demand the exclusion of slavery from the territories?
A. William H. Seward
B. Henry Clay
C. James Buchanan
D. Daniel Webster
E. Abraham Lincoln

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

The tune had been called “John Brown’s Body” before Julia Ward Howe added her new lyrics for what would become “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Even though this has some recording problems about 2 minutes in, I found this to be the most touching version, since it was from a National Remembrance in England in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Here are British voices raised singing our song…

Here are the lyrics for the Battle Hymn of the Republic:

For more background, here is information from the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/lyrical/songs/john_brown.html

Lincoln’s Evolving Views on Slavery

The most recent work by a serious historian on Loncoln and Slavery is Eric Foner’s The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, published in 2010. Here is a link to a story on NPR reviewing this work: http://www.npr.org/2010/10/11/130489804/lincolns-evolving-thoughts-on-slavery-and-freedom

Not only is Eric Foner an historian with whom you should be familiar, but this is a very good work on its own merits.

19:1 MC practice

1. The pro-slavery government of Kansas Territory was headquartered in
A. Kansas City
B. Wichita
C. Shawnee Mission
D. Topeka
E. Leavenworth

2. The trick of the Lecompton Constitution was that
A. it allowed slaveholders more representation than non-slaveholders.
B. rejection of the constitution automatically made Kansas a slave state.
C. the vote on it was held directly over the border between Missouri and Kansas.
D. voters had to present proof of ownership of slaves before being allowed to cast a ballot.
E. even voting for the constitution “without slavery” allowed slave-owners in the territory to keep their slaves.

3. In 1856, the breaking point over slavery in Kansas occurred with
A. the passage of the Lecompton Constitution.
B. the influx of a large number of slaves.
C. the establishment of abolitionist churches within Kansas.
D. an attack on Lawrence by a gang of proslavery raiders.
E. the arrival of John Brown.

4. In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled in Scott v. Sanford that
A. slavery was constitutional, but the slave trade was unconstitutional.
B. protection of slavery was guaranteed in all the Western territories.
C. slavery was inconsistent with the Constitution and must be abolished.
D. slavery could only be abolished through the vote of state legislatures.
E. slavery would be allowed only in those territories where there were already at least 10% of the population enslaved.

5. When the British and French people read Uncle Tom’s Cabin, their governments
A. concluded they must end slavery in their own territories.
B. decided to give aid to the slaveholding South.
C. banned the book.
D. distributed the book as anti-American propaganda.
E. realized that intervention on behalf of the South would be deeply unpopular.

6. Nativists in the 1850s were known for their
A. anti-Catholic and anti-foreign attitudes.
B. support of slavery.
C. support of Native Americans (indigenous peoples).
D. opposition to alcohol and Sabbath-breaking.
E. opposition to old-stock Protestants.

7. A significant reason the Republicans lost the election of 1856 is
A. the division between Democrats and Know-Nothings.
B. southern threats that a Republican victory would be a declaration of war.
C. their refusal to address the issue of slavery over economic concerns.
D. the North’s unwillingness to leave the South alone.
E. lingering support for slavery in the North.

8. In the presidential election of 1856, the Republicans
A. lost behind their most popular leader, William Seward.
B. revealed astonishing strength for a brand new party.
C. made their debut as the most successful third party in American political history.
D. finished third behind the Democrats and Know-Nothings.
E. proved unable to present a clear platform on slavery expansion.

9. The panic of 1857
A. was caused by over-exportation of southern cotton.
B. finally caused southern congressmen to support free homesteads in the West.
C. demonstrated the economic dominance of the North.
D. hit hardest among grain growers in the Northwest.
E. stimulated Northern demands for lower tariff rates.

10. As a result of the Lincoln-Douglas debates
A. Lincoln was elected president.
B. Lincoln was elected to the Senate.
C. Douglas increased his chances of winning the presidency.
D. Illinois voters rejected the concept of popular sovereignty.
E. Douglas defeated Lincoln for the Senate.

Biblical Verses used by Slaveowners to Justify Slavery

Psalm 123:2 (New International Version (NIV)): As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.

Ephesians 6:4-6: Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

Ephesians 6:5:Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

Ephesians 6:9:And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Colossians 3:22:Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

Colossians 4:1:Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Titus 2:9:Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,

1 Peter 2:18:Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

Slaveowners would read these verses to slaves as part of the worship services that they allowed (and controlled) as a means of encouraging the proper attitude among their slaves. Based upon these isolated verses, slaveowners claimed that the Bible supported slavery and taught slaves to be obedient to their masters.

On the surface, this certainly appears true. However, When looking at the evidence, one has to remember that the Bible was created in a time when slavery was certainly condoned. Paul’s letters mention slavery so often because Christianity appealed to slaves. Many slaves converted to the new religion of Christianity because of Christianity’s message of justice and freedom. Nonetheless, Christianity was an outlawed religion in the Roman Empire. Therefore, Paul counseled his followers, if they were slaves, to be peaceable and obedient so that further oppression would not be brought down on the heads of slaves as well as upon the members of the Church in general. The verses about obedience are not condoning slavery but are practical matters to try to prevent further suffering of Christians, whether slave or free.

The most compelling argument AGAINST slavery in the New Testament is Paul’s letter to Philemon, in which Paul asks a Christian to free his Christian slave. Most Christians countered these claims of Biblical support that owning slaves violated the spirit of Christian teaching.

The Significance of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

This video can also be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDe4eVUB

A discussion of the real significance of the Fugitive Slave Law, putting forth the theory that the FSL of 1850 is actually a perfect example of how the Southern support for this law went against their support of “states’ rights.” Fascinating. I just wish these things wouldn’t end so abruptly.

This video can also be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbuEDROTIic

Professor James Horton of George Washington University recounts stories of victims of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and recounts the impact of that law.

Images from a slave society

Slaves working in a cotton field

Despite slaveowners’ protests, all ages were often expected to work.

working in a rice field

Working conditions were often brutal.

One of the practices ended by the Compromise of 1850 was the slave trade in Washington DC. As a southern city, slavery had been legal in our nation’s capital from its founding. Here is a description of a slave pen used to hold slaves before they were sold, by E. S. Abdy:

One day I went to see the “slaves’ pen”–a wretched hovel, “right against” the Capitol, from which it is distant about half a mile, with no house intervening. The outside alone is accessible to the eye of a visitor; what passes within being reserved for the exclusive observation of its owner, (a man of the name of Robey,) and his unfortunate victims. It is surrounded by a wooden paling fourteen or fifteen feet in height, with the posts outside to prevent escape and separated from the building by a space too narrow to admit of a free circulation of air. At a small window above, which was unglazed and exposed alike to the heat of summer and the cold of winter, so trying to the constitution, two or three sable faces appeared, looking out wistfully to while away the time and catch a refreshing breeze; the weather being extremely hot. In this wretched hovel, all colors, except white–the only guilty one–both sexes, and all ages, are confined, exposed indiscriminately to all the contamination which may be expected in such society and under such seclusion. The inmates of the gaol [jail], of this class I mean, are even worse treated; some of them, if my informants are to be believed, having been actually frozen to death, during the inclement winters which often prevail in the country. While I was in the city, Robey had got possession of a woman, whose term of slavery was limited to six years. It was expected that she would be sold before the expiration of that period, and sent away to a distance, where the assertion of her claim would subject her to ill-usage. Cases of this kind are very common.

This excerpt is from the excellent pbs companion website called Africans in America at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/ .

Sometimes slaves received their manumission, or freedom. As the Civil War approached, most southern states passed laws forbidding free blacks to reside within their borders– those that did not immediately leave risked being re-enslaved. Many of these slaves moved to Washington, DC, and by 1860, free blacks outnumbered slaves in Washington by a ratio of 4 to 1. Here is a certificate of manumission:

Practice MC- antebellum period

Who wrote this?

“I will be harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not with to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. No! No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to sound a moderate alarm…but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present…I am in earnest–I will not equivocate–I will not excuse–I will not retreat a single inch–AND I WILL BE HEARD.”

A. Frederick Douglass

B. John C. Calhoun

C. Abraham Lincoln

D. William Lloyd Garrison

E. Harriet Beecher Stowe

The people most opposed to the expansionist policies of President James K. Polk were

A. antislavery forces.

B. western Democrats.

C. Senate Democrats.

D. supporters of Nicholas P. Trist.

E. proslavery Whigs.

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement regarding the North during the antebellum period?

A. Its industrial development was greater than the other two regions.

B. The textile industry was important to several of the states of this region.

C. The planter class was dominant in most of the states of the region.

D. Northerners favored a high protective tariff.

E. Much of the nation’s banking industry was located in the North.

The purpose of the Seventh of March speech was

A. to encourage the South to accept the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia

B. to encourage the North to accept the need and justice of a stronger Fugitive Slave Law.

C. to complement John Calhoun’s idea about creating a second president.

D. to argue that secession was possible if the North didn’t give in.

E. to support sectional differences and proclaim the superiority of the North.

Henry Clay lost the election of 1844 to James Polk because

A. his attempt to “straddle” the Texas issue lost him votes to the Liberty party in New York.

B. his strong stand for expansion in Texas and Oregon raised fears of war with Britain.

C. he supported lower tariffs and an independent treasury system.

D. he lacked experience in presidential politics.

E. He was a dark horse candidate who was relatively unknown compared to his opponent.

During the 1840s, Texas maintained its independence by

A. waging a constant war against Mexico.

B. refusing to sign treaties with any outside powers.

C. relying on the military power of the United States.

D. establishing friendly relations with Britain and other European powers.

E. compulsory military service for all male inhabitants.

____________ were southern agitators who pushed southern interests at all costs and favored secession from the Union.

A. Copperheads

B. The Young Guard

C. The Old Guard

D. Bulldogs

E. Fire-eaters

Called the “Accidental President,” he was expelled from his own party and almost impeached.

A. John Tyler

B. William Harrison

C. James Buchanan

D. James Polk

E. Henry Clay

In chapter 3 of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, when Eliza tries to cheer up George by pointing out how much Harry had grown,

A. George responds that he wished Harry had never been born.

B. Eliza then has to admit that a slave trader had offered to buy Harry.

C. George realizes that he has something to live for.

D. George immediately resolves to run away.

E. George expresses fear that his master will eventually beat Harry.

The US claim to the Oregon country was based on all of the following EXCEPT:

A. the presence of American missionaries and settlers.

B. the Lewis and Clark expedition.

C. the discovery of the Columbia by Captain Robert Gray

D. the Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading factories.

E. all of these were justifications for the American claim.

The Underground Railroad

Pretty good work from students.

Review of Sectionalism and Expansion

Review of the various compromises made to accommodate territorial expansion and the question of slavery, etc. from our beloved Mr. Wallace!