Reference no: EM133430995

Questions

1. The Mexican American War marked a turning in the debate over slavery in the United States. How did the war change the debate? Provide specific examples.

2. What was the "free-soil" movement? What values did it represent?

3. You may recall from the textbook reading Daniel Webster's infamous "Seventh of March" speech before the Senate. If not, take a few minutes and research it. What was Webster's solution to the slavery debate and what principles did he abandon in the process? Finally, what was the nation's reaction to the speech?

4. Since its ratification in 1789, the Constitution has contained a fugitive slave clause. Why then was the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 so controversial? How did it change the debate over slavery in the North?

5. Was the Compromise of 1850 a success? Defend your position.

6. What position does Stephen Douglas take on the issue of slavery? How does his Kansas-Nebraska Act seek to solve the slavery debate in territories?

7. What impact did this act have on the Missouri Compromise?

8. What impact did the Supreme Court's ruling in the Dred Scott case have on the slavery debate?

9. What was the Freeport Doctrine? Did it work?

10. Of the events of the 1850s, which do you think represents the greatest turning point in the debate over slavery in the United States? Was the Civil War inevitable after the event you chose?