Homework Five Answers - Student Two

Homework five

Instructor: Andy Schlafly

Read the lecture first. Then answer 6 out of the following 8 questions:

1. Identify two of the most important outcomes of the Mexican War.

The first most important outcome was the acquisition of Texas by the United States. This caused a huge debate over whether Texas should be considered a free state or a slave state, and thus was a big factor in the secession of the southern states.

The second most important outcome was the fact that Zachary Taylor used this war to become a war hero, propelling himself to the presidency.

Excellent, though there wasn't much doubt that Texas would become a slave state. It was never going to become a free state. The more precise description would be whether to admit a slave state, and what to do about the other territory acquired. (Minus 1).

2. During the time period covered by this lecture, a political party became very strong and then disappeared. Identify it, and explain why it disappeared. The Whig Party: It disappeared for a number of reasons, including the election of 1852 and the death of Henry Clay, The compromise of 1850 split the party into pro- slavery and anti- slavery groups, causing the Whig candidates to lose votes depending on where they fell on the issue, causing it to weaken even more. To make the matter worse, many northern Whigs, including Lincoln, joined the Republican party, leading to the death of the Whig party.

Superb answer, which could become a model answer.

2. Lincoln v. Douglas: Why do you think Douglas beat Lincoln in 1858 (say which election), but then Lincoln won the rematch in 1860 (identify the election)?

4. Why were there so many one-term presidents in the 1840s and 1850s? Explain. The reason there were so many one term presidents is because the country was in a very uncertain position; it was very hard to handle policies and please people. Moreover, since the country was heading towards civil war one party would come into office looking very good, and after four years people would be displeased with the party, not because of what the president specifically did, but because of the state of affairs under the president. For instance, in the 2008 elections, people voted against the Republican Party because of the fact that there was an economic collapse, and even if it wasn’t specifically the fault of the Republican President, they still felt as if they should vote for the opposite party.

Could analysis with a superb reference to recent events.

5. Lincoln thought Harriet Beecher Stowe caused the Civil War. What do you think? I believe that two factors led to the civil war—the first was slavery, and the second was the institution of tariffs. What eventually caused the Civil War was the acquisition of Texas by the United States. Since we needed to decide whether Texas was a slave state or a free state, this caused the mounting tension to explode, leading to the Civil War. While “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” may have contributed to the tension, it was not the “Straw that broke the camel’s back” in causing the Civil War.

The acquisition of Texas was not much of a cause of the Civil War. (Minus 1). Your other points are excellent.

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 ...."

7. "Remember the Alamo!" Why? The Alamo is one of the great American stories of courage and heroism. For a few to hold out for so long against the many truly represents the modern spirit. It is, after all, how this country was founded. The Alamo Represents a modern day American Thermopylae.

Very good, with a superb historical reference, but it could use a bit more explanation. (Minus 1)

8. The biggest question in all of American History is this: Do you think it was possible to avoid the Civil War? If so, how?

No, I do not believe it was possible, because if we had compromised on the slavery issue, it would have been a serious violation of our moral and religious code. Secondly, having talks on the matter and meetings in Congress, etc. would not have worked, as the animosity between members of Congress was already at a boiling point, as shown in the case in which one Congressman assaulted another one. Any compromise would likely not have solved the mounting tension that existed between the two sides.

Excellent. You're probably right.

[edit] Honors Questions These questions require answers that are a bit longer than the answers above. Answer three out of the following questions (in addition to the questions above):

H1. Discuss any of the issues or mysteries relating to this lecture (1840-1860). Why is the Whig party called “Whigs” The direct influence is the group in the Revolutionary War known as the Whigs. The name was chosen to give the Whig party an image of fighting against tyranny, and to be more popular by identifying themselves with the revolutionaries. However, the “Whigs” in the revolutionary War got their name from the religious group in England in the 1680s s when a group of Protestants opposed King James II, and they in turn took their name from a Presbytiryan group in Scotland, “The Whigamores”.

Very interesting analysis! Could use this as a model answer. I was going to correct your spelling of "Presbyterians", but I've found century-old references to your spelling!

H2. Hamilton v. Burr, Lincoln v. Douglas, Jefferson v. Adams - great rivalries in American history. What do they have in common? Discuss.

H3. The South thought it could win the Civil War. Why did it think that? Do you agree it was possible for the South to win? The South believed they would win the Civil War because of the fact that since they were the economic powerhouse of the two sides, other countries would be more likely to side with them. Had they succeeded in getting France to ally with them, they would have had a very good chance at winning, unfortunately, this plan did not pan out, and they were defeated.

Right ... though the North would say "fortunately" rather than "unfortunately". You can answer from the perspective of the South.

H4. Discuss the role of campaign slogans and gimmicks: what worked, and what didn't. The role of campaign slogans is to make people identify more with your party, or make them more inclined to vote for your party. Campaign gimmicks were common in the 1800s, and they are still common today. Two of the most famous examples are one from this past election and one from the election of 1840. The gimmick in 1840, was run by the Whig party, when, in an effort to take votes from the Democratic party, they nominated a Democratic running mate. This plan succeeded at first, but after the Whig president passed away within weeks of his inauguration, the plan backfired on the Whigs since the Democratic party still got the presidency.

The second gimmick was this past election, when Senator John McCain wanted to nominate Conservative Democrat Senator Joe Lieberman as his vice president, in an effort to take votes from Obama. The Republican Party, however, had a different gimmick in mind. They wanted the Alaskan governor Sarah Palin to run for vice president, in order to free votes up from the large female demographic that votes for the Democratic party. They may have wanted to do this after they saw how narrow the race was between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries. Unfortunately for the Republicans, this plan did not reap success, but it did catapult Palin into the national eye.

Superb answer, with another terrific reference to recent events. Well done.

H5. Compare or contrast the Dred Scott decision with Roe v. Wade.

Joseph M.

Some of the best answers in the class. Grade: 87/90. Very well done!--Andy Schlafly 21:51, 12 March 2011 (EST)