American History Homework Five Answers - Student Eight

VeronikaF

1. Imagine that someone by the name of Joe Biden lived in 1858. Imagine also that he belonged to the "Know Nothing Party." The following would be true about Mr. Biden EXCEPT:

(b) He welcomed immigrants into the United States.

Correct!

2. Identify at least two key positions of the Whig Party.

The Whig party wanted the Legislative Branch, Congress, to have more power than the President, the Executive Branch. The second key position was openness to change and new ideas, modernization, and restricting trade with foreign nations, economic protectionism. They also supported the idea of tariffs.

Superb answer! Considering its use for the model answers ....

3. What caused and what ended the Mexican War?

The controversy over the territorial border of Texas, between the United States and Mexico, caused the Mexican War. President Polk sent military troops to the border of Texas where the agitated Mexicans shot the soldiers on American land. Polk informed Congress and got permission to declare war on Mexico because they shed American blood on American land and they were the ones that attacked first. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, signed by Trist, resulted in the United States receiving 525,000 square miles. Polk was not happy with the Peace Treaty because it did not give the USA as much land as he would like.

Excellent, except note that many think the blood was shed on Mexican rather than American soil, meaning that Mexico was not really at fault. We don't know what really happened. It's fine for you to take Polk's position that it happened on American soil.

Superb point about Polk not being happy with the Treaty. I'll use that in the model answers.

4. Who do you think was the most important person in the period 1840-1860, and why?

I think President James Polk was the most important person in the period of 1840-1860 because he played a role in gaining most land for America since the Louisiana Purchase and he helped annex Texas. In the presidential race against Clay, Polk was unpopular and was thought that he had no chance to become president but America was in for a big surprise. When Polk won the presidential election he did all things that he promised to the American citizens. He worked very hard so that America would be prosperous. Soon after he left office he died of exhaustion. James Polk cared immensely for his country and situation of his people.

Superb, but Polk's challenge in becoming president was not that he was unpopular, but that he was unknown (a "dark horse" in a horse race).

5. Explain what "Bleeding Kansas" was.

“Bleeding Kansas” got its name from the amount of blood that was shed on both sides during the Civil war that broke out in Kansas and in which many innocent people were massacred. “Popular sovereignty”, the reason for the disputes, was enacted in Kansas to test and see if it would bring some peace between the free and slave forces. It did exactly the opposite. Many people did not like that each new territory would make its own decision by a popular vote. Violence was a solution that many humans chose to end their arguments.

Excellent, except that "Bleeding Kansas" refers to what occurred in Kansas before rather than during the Civil War. "Bleeding Kansas" was a cause, not a result, of the Civil War. (Minus 1).

6. Explain the cartoon, and what you think the cartoonist's view was. The woman's quote begins, "You have been a bad boy, Steve, ever since you had anything to do with that Nebraska Bill ...."

In this political cartoon Stephen Douglas is getting whipped by Columbia and Uncle Sam approves with Columbia’s actions towards Stephen. The cartoonist most likely despised Steve’s cooperation with the Nebraska Bill because it brought chaos to Kansas. If Douglas did not push the concept of "popular sovereignty" into a law, lives could have been saved.

Great analysis. Well done. (I don't think that other figure is really "Uncle Sam," however, but it doesn't matter.)

7. Do you think it was possible to avoid the Civil War? Explain.

I do not think it was possible to avoid the Civil War because hatred was building up in the North and the South. Over the years the disagreement about the rights of slavery kept building up until they burst with anger. For many reasons the South wanted slaves; they each cost a large amount of money and the slave owners did not want to loose their tools for their living, just as we would not want one of our most prized possessions on which we depended taken away.

Good analysis.

Excellent work! Score: 69/70.--Aschlafly 09:47, 17 October 2008 (EDT)