Advanced Placement United States History
Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle – 1848-1854 (pages 409-433)
Big Themes:
- The sectional conflict over the expansion of slavery that erupted after the Mexican War was temporarily quieted by the Compromise of 1850, but Douglas’s Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 exploded it again.
- In the 1850s American expansionism in the West and the Caribbean was extremely controversial because it was tied to slavery question.
Read Chapter 18 (pages 409 – 433) - It is recommended that you take notes on the chapter but not required.
Key People, Places, and Terms –Select 8 Names (1-14) plus 2 definitions (15-16) and 6 descriptions (17-27)from the list below that you deem important. Then, define and cite the significance of your choice. Place your choices and definition on a separate piece of paper. (These terms could be used for notecard bonus)
***When identifying People and Terms keep in mind the timeline of chapter
1. Lewis Cass8. Daniel Webster
2. Stephen A. Douglas9. Matthew C. Perry
3. Franklin Pierce10. Harriet Tubman
4. Zachary Taylor11. William H. Seward
5. John C. Calhoun12. James Gadsden
6. Winfield Scott13. Henry Clay
7. Martin Van Buren14. Millard Fillmore
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15. popular sovereignty16. filibustering
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17. Free Soil party23. “fire eaters”
18. Fugitive Slave Law24. Clayton-Bulwer Treaty
19. “conscience” Whigs25. Ostend Manifesto
20. “personal liberty laws”26. “higher law”
21. Underground Railroad27. Kansas-Nebraska Act
22. Compromise of 1850
Guided Reading Questions – Please submit your answers on a separate piece of paper. In addition, please include the questions with your responses.
- What urgent issues created the crisis leading up to the Compromise of 1850?
- What was the effect of the morally powerful slavery debate on American political parties? What caused the demise of the Whig Party, and the rise of the Free Soil and Republican parties
- How did the Compromise of 1850 attempt to deal with the most difficult issues concerning slavery? Was the Compromise as “success?” By what standard?
- Why were proslavery southerners so eager to push for further expansion in Nicaragua, Cuba, and elsewhere in the 1850’s?
- What were the causes and consequences of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
- How similar was the Compromise of 1850 to the Missouri Compromise of 1820? (See Chapter 13) How did each sectional compromise affect the balance of power between North and South? Why could sectional issues by compromised in 1820 and 1850, but not in 1854?