What was the Wilmot Proviso, and why was it controversial?
It proposed banning slavery in territories won from Mexico, intensifying North-South tensions over the expansion of slavery.
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What was the significance of the Compromise of 1850?
It attempted to address sectional tensions by admitting California as a free state, strengthening the Fugitive Slave Act, and allowing popular sovereignty.
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What did the Fugitive Slave Act require?
It required citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and denied accused runaways a trial by jury.
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What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and why was it significant?
It allowed popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska, repealing the Missouri Compromise and leading to "Bleeding Kansas."
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What was the outcome of "Bleeding Kansas"?
Violent conflict erupted between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, showcasing the deep divisions over slavery.
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What was the central decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)?
It ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories.
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What was the main platform of the Republican Party when it was formed in the 1850s?
Opposing the expansion of slavery into western territories.
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What did the Lincoln-Douglas debates primarily focus on?
The issue of slavery in the territories, especially popular sovereignty.
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What was the significance of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry?
It was an attempt to incite a slave rebellion, increasing sectional tensions and fear in the South.
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What was "popular sovereignty"?
The idea that the people in a territory should vote on whether to allow slavery.
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What did the Missouri Compromise (1820) establish regarding slavery?
It prohibited slavery north of the 36°30′ line except for Missouri. Maine and Missouri join as free and slave.
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What effect did Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin have on the slavery debate?
It increased anti-slavery sentiment in the North and angered the South.
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Why did the Southern states oppose the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860?
They believed his anti-slavery stance threatened their way of life and the institution of slavery.
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How did the concept of "Manifest Destiny" relate to the slavery debate?
It raised the question of whether new territories acquired in the west would allow slavery.
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What role did the Election of 1860 play in Southern secession?
Lincoln’s victory, without carrying a single Southern state, convinced many Southerners they had lost political power.
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What were the Crittenden Compromise proposals?
They attempted to prevent secession by protecting slavery where it already existed and extending the Missouri Compromise line.