American History Homework Five Answers - Student 33

Joseph M. Instructor: Andy Schlafly

Read the lecture first.

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 (not true).

CORRECT.

(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.

2\. Identify at least two key positions of the Whig Party. A) The Whig Party was anti slavery, and basically the polar opposite of the Democratic Party. The Whigs did not favor Manifest Destiny.

No, not exactly. The Whig Party tended to be against slavery, but was not an anti-slavery party. There were many southern Whigs. (Minus 1).

3\. What caused and what ended the Mexican War? The Mexican War was caused when President James Polk provoked the Mexicans by bringing American forces down to stand on the Mexican-American border. Some fighting broke out and Polk went to Congress and told them that the Mexicans had fired on the Americans, so Congress declared war. The Mexican War ended when the Mexicans and the Americans signed the Treaty of Hidalgo which stipulated that the Texas- Mexican border would be at the Rio Grande River and also gave the U.S. more than half of Mexico.

Good, but why did Polk provoke it? To gain more land.

4\. Who do you think was the most important person in the period 1840-1860, and why? The most important person in the period 1840-1860 was James Polk because he won the Mexican War, added many new states to the Union and established an independent treasury.

Excellent.

5. Explain what "Bleeding Kansas" was.
In the times progressing up to the Civil War, Kansas was the battleground for anti-slavery fanatics and pro-slavery fanatics. There were many instances in which blood was shed, including when the pro-slavery mobs burned down the “free state hotel” and destroyed the offices of the anti-slavery newspapers.

Since there were many instances in which blood was shed, the state earned the nickname “bleeding Kansas.”

Superb.

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 ...."  The cartoon has a lady “Columbia,” a representation of America, giving a smaller man, Stephen Douglas, a spanking. I believe that Columbia is referring to the suggestion by Stephen Douglas to give the Nebraska territory the choice of whether to have slaves or not. I think that the cartoonist was anti-slave and did not like Stephen Douglas as he presents him as an unruly child.

Good.

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

No, I do not think it would have been possible to avoid the Civil War. The conflict on slaves would have just escalated as would the tariff prices.  There wasn’t anyway to avoid the Civil War, only a way to prolong it.

Excellent.

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 debate issues or mysteries relating to 1840-1860. Debate: Do you think the South could have won the Civil War, or at least fought off the North enough to secede? Yes, I believe that the South could have beaten the North. In the early stages of the war the Confederate Army, led by Robert E. Lee, came very close to the capital of the north, Washington D.C. Had they seized this opportunity and invaded the capital they would have won the war very quickly.

Interesting. You might be right.

H2. Explain the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise of 1850 was a bill introduced by Senator Henry Clay and opposed by John C. Calhoun. This bill accomplished many things including admitting California as a free state, abolishing the slave trade in Washington D.C., and giving the Southwest territories the right to slavery.

OK, but a bit incomplete. There was more. (Minus 1).

H4. Do you think John Brown helped his cause?

No, I do not think that he helped his cause.  One can help more with peacefulness than with bloodshed. In the words of Mahatma Ghandi “An eye for an  eye will only cause blindness.”

Excellent.

Well done, but late. Minus 3 for tardiness. Score: 95/100.--Aschlafly 22:07, 22 October 2008 (EDT)