American History Homework Five Answers - Student Nineteen

JonathanR

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: (a) He knew nothing about airplanes and automobiles. (b) He welcomed immigrants into the United States. (c) He belonged to a relatively new political party. (d) He was probably not a member of the Republican Party. (e) He could have lived in the State of California.

(b) He belonged to a relatively new political party in the 1850s called the “Know Nothing Party” which was anti-immigrant.

Correct.

2. Identify at least two key positions of the Whig Party. One of their goals was to create a national bank after Jackson vetoed it, and they also supported a strong federal action in dealing with national problems. They were similar to the Federalists.

Superb. Will use insight about Federalists in model answers.

3. What caused and what ended the Mexican War? What caused it was a dispute over the border of Texas? Tensions were brewing for a while over the land in Texas. America sent soldiers to patrol the border, which angered the Mexicans. In 1846, while on patrol, Captain Seth Thornton and his troops were attacked by over 2000 Mexican soldiers. Polk got word of this and asked Congress to declare war. The war ended in 1848 when the American soldiers led by General Winfield Scott took Mexico City. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed after this and officially ended the war. Mexicans said that the land was smaller than what the Americans thought. So to show the Mexicans where the border was, America sent out soldiers to patrol the border, and the Mexicans weren’t too happy about that

Excellent.

4. Who do you think was the most important person in the period 1840-1860, and why? Henry Clay. He created two compromises: The Missouri Compromise, and The Compromise of 1850. Both of which were attempts to balance the Union

Good, except the Missouri Compromise was in 1820. Will use other part of answer in model answers.

5. Explain what "Bleeding Kansas" was. It was a name given to the skirmishes that had broken out between free and slave forces in Kansas, from the strain caused by “popular sovereignty” which was a proposal that stated that each state would decide whether or not they would be a free or slave state..

Good.

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 ...." With Uncle Sam is rallying her on, the symbol of America, Columbia is spanking Stephen Douglas for his part in the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which repealed the Missouri Compromise (this had allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state.) It opened up the slave debate again in the territories on the basis of popular sovereignty. This cartoon was probably drawn in the 1850s. The cartoonist was obviously not in favor of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Excellent.

7. Do you think it was possible to avoid the Civil War? Explain. No. There were so many diverse factors that contributed to the Civil War that it seemed inevitable. Henry Clay’s compromises delayed the war, but they were like putting a bandaid on a severed limb. The problems were going to require a real solution.

Excellent.

Perfect homework! Score: 70/70.