AP U.S. HISTORY CHAPTER 19 TOPICS, TERMS AND FOCUS QUESTIONS

TOPICS AND TERMS

Harriet Beecher Stowe
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Hinton Helper
New England Emigrant Aid Company
Henry Ward Beecher
John Brown
Pottawatomie Creek
Lecompton Constitution
Buchanan Veto
Douglas reservations
Sen. Charles Sumner
Sen. Preston Brooks
1856 election
James Buchanan (Dem)
John C. Fremont (Rep)
The (“Know-Nothing”) Party
Dred Scott
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
Dred Scott Decision
Crash of 1857
Homestead Act
Tariff of 1857
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln/Douglas debates
The "Little Giant”
“Freeport Doctrine”
John Brown
Harpers Ferry
1860 election
Douglas (No. Dem)
John C. Breckinridge (So. Dem)
John Bell (Const. Union)
William H. Seward
Lincoln (Rep)
South Carolina secession
Confederate States of America
Jefferson Davis
Sen. James Henry Crittenden
Crittenden compromise attempt

FOCUS QUESTIONS

1. Literary Incendiaries

List two effects cited by the authors of the publication of Uncle Tom’s _______, written by Harriet ________ _____ in 18___, including the significance of its impact on public attitudes in England and France

2. #“Bleeding Kansas”

Although not really suited for plantation agriculture, the South expected a pro-slavery vote in Kansas following the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act. Outsiders in both New England and the South helped finance settlers who would favor their position on slavery, creating an explosive situation. The most famous and fanatical antislavery outsider was John _______ who in 1856, massacred some proslavery people at __________ Creek. In a semi-rigged 1857 election, the proslavery ___________ Constitution was passed and sent to Democratic President ____________ in Washington, but Democratic Senator ______________ (author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act) smelled a rat and blocked approval. What did this whole Kansas mess do to the nationwide Democratic Party?

3. Election of 1856

The inflamed passions of the time were reflected in 1856 when South Carolina Senator Preston ________ blasted abolitionist Massachusetts Senator Charles _________ over the head with a cane on the Senate floor. In the 1856 election, the mediocre Democrat James __________ beat the first candidate of the two year old _____________ Party, John C. _________ - the western explorer and California hero of the Mexican War. Remember the Republican Party was formed largely of free-soilers and Northern Whigs after the #“popular sovereignty” Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed in 1854. What do the authors believe might have happened if the Republicans had won and the South had seceded following the 1856 election?

4. 1857: Dred Scott and Financial Crash

a. The slave Dred Scott had been taken to a free territory by his master and therefore sued for his freedom. In 1857, the Southern-dominated Supreme Court, under the leadership of Roger B. _________, ruled 1) that slaves couldn’t sue, 2) that slaves were property and could be taken anywhere, and 3) that because property rights were protected by the ______ Amendment, Congress didn#’t have the power to ban slavery anywhere. This effectively invalidated the ______________ Compromise of 1820 and caused deep resentment in the North. From a strictly legal perspective, do you see any valid points in the Court’s decision in the Dred Scott case?

b. Problems were exacerbated by the “Crash of 1857.” Note again the more-or-less twenty year cycle of economic downturns, so far 1819, 1837, and 1857. The authors note that ________ prices remained high and the South therefore avoided the full effects of the economic downturn. This, they say, gave the South a false sense that it could prosper economically as a separate country and that it would inevitably gain the support of its major customers, ____________ and France. When the Democratic president vetoed a ____________ act and Congress failed to raise protective ________, the authors say that “two surefire economic issues” were handed to the Republicans for the 1860 election. What were they?

5. Abraham Lincoln

In 1858, Lincoln challenged Sen. Stephen A. Douglas to a series of very high toned debates in their race of his Senate seat. Summarize the subtle differences between Lincoln and Douglas on the issue of slavery in the territories

6. John Brown’s Raid

After abolitionist John Brown’s unsuccessful and fanciful attempt to start a slave rebellion by attacking the federal arsenal at _______________ Ferry, Virginia in 18____, why do the authors say that Brown realized that he would be #“worth much more to the abolitionist cause dangling from a rope than in any other way#”

7. The 1860 Election

This #“most fateful election in American history” was the first fought almost exclusively along regional lines. The Democrats split in two, with the Northern Democrats nominating Steven A. _________ and the Southern Democrats nominating John C. ________. The all-Northern Republicans went for the little known Abraham _____________. Look at the chart on page 425. Testing your knowledge of constitutional quirks (Art. II, Sect. I, Clause 2), explain how it is possible that Lincoln could receive only 40% of the popular vote but still obtain almost 60% of the electoral vote (180 out of 303)

8. Secession

a. Before Lincoln could take office in March 1861, seven states led by South ________ had seceded from the Union, formed the _______________ States of America, and elected Jefferson _______ as president. Although Lincoln pledged not to interfere with Southern institutions (i.e. slavery) these states felt they had lost al power in Washington. Kentucky Senator James Henry ____________ then proposed a last ditch compromise, which would have extended the old Missouri Compromise line (36 degrees/30') all the way to California. Lincoln rejected this because at least theoretically it might allow some extension of slavery. If you had just been elected president under these circumstances, would you a) let the southern states go in peace, trusting that they would apply for readmission once they discovered that they couldn’t make it on their own; b) try to buy time by accepting the Crittenden Compromise; or c) prepare to use force to keep all states in the Union? Why would you choose this course?

b. Southerners felt that they were simply following the principles of the Declaration of Independence in seeking self-determination and freedom from oppression. Do you buy this argument? What differences or similarities do you see between the two cases?

VARYING VIEWPOINTS

1. Whether discussing current events or reading history, you always have to be sensitive to the value judgements contained in the words we use and the names we give. The saying goes that history is a story told by winners, not losers. With this in mind, which of the following do you believe would appear today in most history books if the South had won the war: the Civil War, the War Between the States, War for Southern Independence, or another title.

2. This section summarizes several ways in which historians have viewed the Civil War including:

(1) Nationalist/Neo-Nationalist: It was an unavoidable clash between regions with differing views about the morality of slavery and the nature of the Union as well as differing economic bases and social values - and the good guys won

(2) Progressive: It was basically an economic struggle between the industrial North and the agricultural South

(3) Political: The war was avoidable and resulted from the breakdown of political institutions within the democracy and the failure of political leaders to at in the best interests of the country.

After reading about events leading up to the Civil War in the last two chapters and perhaps constructing a timeline of events, write a few sentences about your thoughts on the essential causes of this massive conflict.