The Civil War and Reconstruction, Part 1
Question 1: Discuss how the new Republican Party adopted many tenets of the nativist party. .
Answer 1: One major reason was geographical, as most nativists, and now Republicans, were from the North. This led the Republicans to adopt the stance of the anti-slavery Protestants in the area and led them to support capitalism and modernization, as both of these ideas attracted the Yankees and other Northerners. In addition to the influence that the geographical location had, the ideas of both the nativists and the Republicans may have been influenced by the presence of public schools and literacy.
There are lots of good resources about Reconstruction that you can find available.
Question 2: Briefly describe the Kansas Wars.
Answer 2: Occurring between 1854 and 1858, the Kansas Wars were also known as “Bleeding Kansas.” The Kansas Wars involved violent border disputes between Kansas and Missouri. The wars were caused by disagreements between anti-slavery activists and pro-slavery “border ruffians” that wanted to determine whether Kansas would join the Union as a free or slave state. During this time, Kansas had two operating governments – one legal and one illegal. However, there was a dispute in Washington as to which government should be recognized as the rightful government of Kansas because the President and Senate recognized the legal government and the House favored the illegal Republican government.
Question 3: Describe the Dred Scott decision.
Answer 3: Handed down in 1857, the Dred Scott decision involved both free and slave territories. Dred Scott was technically a slave whose owner moved him to a free territory. Based on the lands made free in the Missouri Compromise, Dred Scott sued for his freedom. The court ruled that Dred Scott was still a slave and could not be protected by the Constitution. It also ruled that slaves could not be taken away from their owners without due process.
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