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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Illinois had prohibited slavery in its constitution in what year when it was admitted as a state?

2. James Buchanan was which President of the United States?

3. In what year did the United States of America annex the Republic of Texas?

4. Where did Lincoln make a speech in Springfield that included a discussion on the violence that surrounded the abolitionist movement in Chapter 1?

5. Who ran for the Free Soil Party in the 1852 presidential election?

Short Essay Questions

1. When was the Dred Scott Decision handed down from the Supreme Court? What did it declare?

2. What did President Buchanan declare in the wake of the Dred Scott Decision?

3. What was the central political issue regarding slavery in the 1840s, as discussed in Chapter 2?

4. Who was Henry Clay? What beliefs did Clay hold regarding slavery?

5. What led to the split in the Democratic Party before the 1860 presidential election? What did Lincoln remark about this split?

6. What was Lincoln's political involvement during the late 1840s? What notable speech did Lincoln give at this time?

7. What influences from Lincoln's childhood does the author attribute to his beliefs about slavery in Chapter 2?

8. Who was Stephen A. Douglas? How did Douglas' views on slavery differ from Lincoln's?

9. What was significant about the 1856 presidential election for Lincoln's career?

10. How did the abolitionists go about promoting abolition in the beginning of their movement, as described in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution. When was the amendment first introduced to the House? How was it received by the citizens of the nation?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the Whig Party and its history. When was the Whig Party established? What were its core tenets?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Lincoln's Law practice in Illinois during the 1840s, and notable cases taken by Lincoln which centered on slaves or former slaves. What do these cases say about Lincoln's views on slavery?

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