Question 1

What was the central constitutional argument Southern states used to justify secession in 1860–1861?

Accepted Answer

Southern states argued that the Union was a compact among sovereign states, and that states therefore had the right to withdraw (secede) when the federal government violated their rights—particularly regarding slavery.

Question 2

Which event in 1859 heightened Southern fears of a slave rebellion and hardened sectional divisions before the Civil War?

Accepted Answer

John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, where he attempted to seize a federal arsenal and incite a slave uprising, alarmed Southerners and made compromise increasingly difficult.

Question 3

What did the Crittenden Compromise of 1860 propose, and why did it fail?

Accepted Answer

It proposed extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific, permanently protecting slavery south of that line. It failed because President-elect Lincoln and Republican leaders refused to allow any westward expansion of slavery.

Question 4

How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 contribute to the breakdown of the Second Party System?

Accepted Answer

By repealing the Missouri Compromise and introducing popular sovereignty for Kansas and Nebraska, the act destroyed the Whig Party, split the Democratic Party along sectional lines, and led directly to the formation of the antislavery Republican Party.

Question 5

What was the significance of South Carolina's 'Declaration of the Causes of Secession' (1860)?

Accepted Answer

It explicitly identified the preservation of slavery—and Northern states' refusal to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act—as the primary reasons for secession, directly linking disunion to the defense of the institution of slavery.

Civil War Era – AP US History Flashcards

Also Included in the Study Bundle

Practice Tests

Study Guides

Match Game

Try These Cards

Want to keep studying?

Related Study Decks

AP US History Exam — Complete Bundle

Civil Rights Movement – AP US History Flashcards

Cold War Politics – AP US History Flashcards

Colonial America – AP US History Flashcards

Industrialization & Reform | AP US History

Revolution & Founding – AP US History Flashcards

Ready for the full exam?