Lesson 3 - Practice quiz

Which argument did President Abraham Lincoln use against the secession of the Southern States?

A:
The government was a union of people and not of states.

Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Lincoln tried many persuasive arguments to preserve the Union. He contended that; “in view of the Constitution and the law, the union is unbroken”. Despite his efforts seven states had seceded by his inauguration in March 1861, and after the firing on Fort Sumter the Civil War was in progress.

The abolitionist movement, the women’s suffrage movement, and the 1960’s civil rights movement are all examples of reform efforts that

A: developed significant popular support

Widespread, popular reform movements are also referred to as “grassroots” movements. The protest movements identified above were all successful in achieving their ultimate aims, however as often is the case in American reform movements, the struggle was long and arduous.

Which statement best explains President Abraham Lincoln’s justification for the Civil War?

A:
President Lincoln’s oath of office required him to defend and preserve the Union.

As US President, Lincoln was sworn to “preserve and defend” the union. It was clear that allowing the South to succeed from the Union would destroy the United States Lincoln was leading. He attempted to retain the Southern states within the US, eventually resorting to war in order to achieve the desired preservation.

A major result of the Civil War was that the

A: Federal Government’s power over the States was strengthened

One of the main causes of the Civil War was a tension between the southern state governments and the federal government over states’ rights and powers. Following the defeat of the Confederacy, the federal government expanded its power and control over that states in order to better avoid a resumption of the tensions that had contributed to the war.

Sectional differences developed in the United States largely because

A:
Economic conditions and interests in each region varied

Going back as far as the colonial era the northern and southern regions of America had differed greatly economically. The northern states were based mostly in manufacturing, trade and some agricultural production, while the southern states were vastly agricultural. These early differences also help account for the rapid growth of slavery (in agriculture) in the south and its low incidence in the northern regions. These sectional and economic differences continued to divide the nation and helped contribute to the eruption of the Civil War in 1861.

"By the 1850’s, the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord."

This quotation suggests that

A: vast differences of opinion existed over the issue of States rights

Going back as far as the colonial era the northern and southern regions of America had differed greatly economically. The northern states were based mostly in manufacturing, trade and some agricultural production, while the southern states were vastly agricultural. These early differences also help account for the rapid growth of slavery (in agriculture) in the south and its low incidence in the northern regions. This caused a clear division in the nation between salve and free states. With the rise of westward expansion in the 1800’s, the nation continually encountered issues related to managing the spread of slavery as the country expanded. The Constitution did not provide for such territorial expansions and as such the sectional and economic differences continued to divide the nation and helped contribute to the eruption of the Civil War in 1861.

Early in his Presidency, Abraham Lincoln declared that his primary goal as President was to

A: preserve the Union

As US President, Lincoln was sworn to “preserve and defend” the union. It was clear that allowing the South to succeed from the Union would