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Practice Test 46

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SOCIAL SCIENCE: Abraham Lincoln and the American Republic

Throughout the Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas presidential debates, Stephen Douglas repeatedly criticized Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech. In his “House Divided” speech, Lincoln argues that the

Line 5 “Spirit of Nebraska,” the alleged right to choose slavery over freedom in territories, had invaded the country and divided it. The North and the South were no longer working together to put slavery on the road to extinction. In fact, by the late 1850s, the South had fully

10 embraced slavery and wanted to expand it. This new attitude toward slavery promoted by Southerners and some Northern Democrats led Lincoln to believe that they wanted to nationalize slavery. In the Lincoln–Douglas debates, Lincoln stated

15 that the nation was too divided to continue to compromise on slavery. Lincoln began his defense by referring to the actions of the Founding Fathers, who had worked to eradicate slavery. He mentioned the unanimous abolition of the African slave trade, as well as the

20 Northwest Ordinance and the lack of the word slave in the Constitution, to show that the Founding Fathers intended slavery to be strangled in the original Southern States. Lincoln argued that the South had moved away from this course of ending slavery. Lincoln

25 also stated that the federal government, through the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, had always regulated slavery in the territories. The Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850 were at odds with the new Dred Scott decision, which

30 denied that Congress had a right to exclude slavery in the states. The Dred Scott decision also reinforced the idea that African Americans were not citizens and that slaves could be brought into the North without gaining their freedom. The Dred Scott decision had the

35 effect of undermining Lincoln’s Republican platform that wanted to repeal the Kansas/Nebraska Act. Both in the debates and the “House Divided” speech, Lincoln repeatedly questioned the Democrats’ involvement in the Dred Scott decision. Lincoln

40 suggested that a conspiracy may have taken place between President Buchanan, President Pierce, Judge Taney, and other Democrats, like Stephen Douglas. Lincoln used evidence to show that the Democrats seemed to have known that the Dred Scott decision

45 was coming. A key piece of evidence is that the Dred Scott decision was pushed back until after the election of 1856. In addition, the Democrats had drafted legislation in 1850 and 1854 that contained language which seemed to predict that Congress would not be

50 able to exclude slavery in the territories because of Constitutional constraints. The Dred Scott decision cast doubts on the platform of the Democrats. The Democrats had been endorsing a platform of popular sovereignty, which stated that all new states and

55 territories should be able to vote on whether slavery should be allowed within their borders. The Dred Scott decision reaffirmed for the South that slaves were considered property. Because America’s Constitution protects property, exclusion of slavery through

60 unfriendly legislation was unconstitutional. Lincoln spoke about the Kansas/Nebraska Act and his opinion on the repeal of the Missouri Compromise throughout the debates. He believed that popular sovereignty was contrary to the principle that valued

65 freedom over slavery. The “Spirit of Nebraska” was what prompted Northerners like Douglas to create the Kansas/Nebraska Act that went against the “Spirit of ’76,” which was the hope of the Founding Fathers that slavery would be strangled within the original

70 southern states over time. Without the majority of public opinion actively opposed to slavery, Lincoln realized that the battle over slavery could not be won. Tensions had increased dramatically in both the North and the South in the late 1850s. Violence in

75 Kansas had turned neighbor against neighbor, and there were even physical fights breaking out in the Senate. The South had begun to threaten secession with regularity, and many Northerners afraid of disunion were willing to sacrifice freedom to keep the country

80 together. Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech and his arguments in the Lincoln–Douglas debates show that he believed that slavery was threatening to become a national institution. He saw the American public

85 become increasingly indifferent to slavery and believed the people were naive to the Democratic conspiracy. By the late 1850s, Lincoln realized that a serious conflict was imminent. The North and South were drifting further and further apart and their ideologies were

90 becoming more different every year.

The function of the first paragraph in relation to the passage as a whole is to:

  • Solution

    The best answer is C. The first paragraph lists the main concerns of Abraham Lincoln that were addressed during the debates. The rest of the passage then provides details, definitions, and explanations about the concepts introduced in the first paragraph.

Which of the following best describes the way the second paragraph (lines 14–36) functions in the passage as a whole?

  • Solution

    The best answer is F. In the second paragraph, Lincoln refers to the actions of the Founding Fathers. This provided historical evidence for his argument against the current state of slavery in America during the debates. The other answer choices are not supported by the passage.

It can reasonably be inferred from the passage that, before the Dred Scott decision:

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. The passage states, “The Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850 were at odds with the new Dred Scott decision, which denied that Congress had a right to exclude slavery in the territories.” This suggests that Congress may have initially had the right to exclude slavery. The other answer choices are not supported by the passage.

The reference to the fights between neighbors in Kansas (lines 74–77) is used to illustrate the point made in the passage that:

  • Solution

    The best answer is G. The emphasis of these lines on the physical violence that was occurring over slavery in Kansas supports the idea that slavery was an issue that was dividing citizens and states.

Information in the fourth paragraph (lines 61–72) establishes that the “Spirit of ‘76” was:

  • Solution

    The best answer is A. The passage states that, “the ‘Spirit of ’76’... was the hope of the Founding Fathers that slavery would be strangled within the original southern states over time.” This best supports answer choice A.

Which of the following statements best describes how Lincoln felt the rest of the country was responding to the expansion of slavery?

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The passage states, “Lincoln’s ‘House Divided’ speech and his arguments in the Lincoln-Douglas debates show that he believed that slavery was threatening to become a national institution. He saw the American public become increasingly indifferent to slavery.” This best supports answer choice H.

The passage suggests that the Democrats knew the Dred Scott decision was coming because:

  • Solution

    The best answer is A. The passage states, “A key piece of evidence is that the Dred Scott decision was pushed back until after the election of 1856.” The other answer choices are not supported by the passage

According to the passage, all of the following were given as reasons by Lincoln as proof that the Founding Fathers endorsed the “Spirit of ‘76” EXCEPT:

  • Solution

    The best answer is J. The Declaration of Independence is not specifically mentioned in this passage. The passage states, “He mentioned the unanimous abolition of the African slave trade as well as, the Northwest Ordinance and the lack of the word slave in the Constitution, to show that the Founding Fathers intended slavery to be strangled in the original Southern States.”

Lincoln’s accusation that some Americans wanted to nationalize slavery can be supported by all of the following EXCEPT:

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. The passage states, “The Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850 were at odds with the new Dred Scott decision, which denied that Congress had a right to exclude slavery in the territories.” The passage reports that the Missouri Compromise was used to regulate slavery in the territories. The passage also states that the supporters of slavery now favored the Dred Scott decision that effectively overruled the Missouri Compromise.

The passage indicates that the late 1850s’ Democrats:

  • Solution

    The best answer is G. The passage states, “In addition, the Democrats had made previous legislation in 1850 and 1854 that had language that seemed to predict that Congress would not be able to exclude slavery in the territories because of Constitutional constraints.” The other answer choices are not supported by the passage.

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