America’s History: Printed Page 441
America’s History: Value Edition: Printed Page 392
| REVIEW QUESTIONS | Answer these questions to demonstrate your understanding of the chapter’s main ideas. |
In what specific ways did the ideology of Manifest Destiny influence events during the 1840s and 1850s?
What were the main constitutional arguments presented during the debate over slavery in the territories? Which of those arguments influenced Chief Justice Taney’s opinion in Dred Scott?
How did the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott decision seek to address the issue of slavery, and what was the effect of each of them on sectional conflicts?
THEMATIC UNDERSTANDING Some historians claim that the mistakes of a “blundering generation” of political leaders led, by 1860, to the imminent breakup of the Union. Using the events from “Politics and Power” on the thematic timeline, explain why you agree or disagree.