Causes and People of the Civil War Test Review

What does the word economy mean?

• How people make and spend money

• The way people trade ideas and culture

• A system of government and laws

• The natural resources found in a country

Answer explanation

The economy is all about how people earn money and what they do with it. It includes jobs, businesses, how stuff is made, and how people buy and sell things. So when we talk about an economy, we’re really just talking about the way money moves around in a place—like in a city, a state, or a whole country.

What was the economy of the Confederacy based on?

• 
• 
• 
• 

Answer explanation

The Confederacy's economy was based on farming. Most people in the South made their money by growing crops like cotton, tobacco, and rice. They used big farms called plantations and depended on slave labor to do the work. So when we say the Confederacy's economy was based on agriculture, we mean they made their money by working the land and selling what they grew.

What was the economy of the Union based on?

• 
• 
• 
• 

Answer explanation

The Union's economy was based on industry, which means they made money by building things in factories. People in the North worked in places that made clothes, tools, weapons, and other goods. Instead of farming like the South, the North used machines and workers to produce stuff and sell it. So when we say the Union’s economy was based on industry, we mean it was all about making things and doing business in cities and factories.

What is a tariff?

• A tax on imported goods

• A fee for using public transportation

• A rule about trading within a country

• A payment workers get for extra hours

Answer explanation

A tariff is a tax on things that come from other countries, like clothes, toys, or food. When businesses bring those items into the U.S., the government charges a fee called a tariff. But even though the business pays it at first, the consumer—that means the person buying the item—usually ends up paying more because the price goes up. So really, it’s the shopper who pays the extra cost in the end.

Which region supported tariffs, the North or the South?

• North

• South

Answer explanation

The North supported tariffs because they helped Northern businesses. Since the North had lots of factories, they wanted people to buy goods made in the U.S. instead of cheaper stuff from other countries. Tariffs (which are taxes on imported goods) made foreign products more expensive, so people were more likely to buy things made in Northern factories. That’s why the North liked tariffs—they protected their economy.

Which region supported slavery, the North or the South?

• North

• South

Answer explanation

The South supported slavery because their economy depended on farming. Big farms, called plantations, needed a lot of workers to grow crops like cotton and tobacco. Instead of paying workers, plantation owners used enslaved people to do the hard labor for free. That’s why the South wanted to keep slavery—it helped them make money. The North, on the other hand, wanted to stop slavery.

What happened with the Missouri Compromise?

• Missouri entered

  the United States as

  a slave state while

  Maine entered as a

  free state

• California entered

  the United States as

  a free state and the

  Fugitive Slave Act is

  passed to benefit

  the South

• Kansas and

  Nebraska were

  allowed to vote on

  whether or not to

  allow slavery

• The Supreme Court

  ruled that slaves

  were viewed as

  property, not

  citizens

Answer explanation

In 1820, Missouri joined the U.S. as a slave state, and Maine joined as a free state to keep the balance between slave and free states. They also made a rule (the 36°30’ line) saying any new states north of that line would be free, and south could allow slavery. It was a temporary fix to calm the slavery debate.

This deal was called the Missouri Compromise because it "compromised" (aka made a deal) to keep the number of slave and free states equal. They also drew a line (the 36°30’ line) saying any new states north of it would be free, and south could allow slavery.

So basically, it was like a temporary truce to stop fighting over slavery… but we know that didn’t last forever. 😬

What happened with the Compromise of 1850?

• Missouri entered

  the United States as

  a slave state while

  Maine entered as a

  free state

• California entered

  the United States as

  a free state and the

  Fugitive Slave Act is

  passed to benefit

  the South

• Kansas and

  Nebraska were

  allowed to vote on

  whether or not to

  allow slavery

• The Supreme Court

  ruled that slaves

  were viewed as

  property, not

  citizens

Answer explanation

What was the Compromise of 1850?

This was another compromise Congress made to try to keep the North and South from fighting over slavery as America grew.

What did it do?

1. Let California join as a FREE state (no slavery allowed)

2. Created a stricter Fugitive Slave Law that:

- Forced Northerners to help catch escaped slaves

- Made it illegal to help runaway slaves

- Benefited slave owners in the South

3. Also included:

- No slave trade (but still allowed slavery) in Washington D.C.

- Let New Mexico and Utah territories decide for themselves about slavery

What happened with the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

• Missouri entered

  the United States as

  a slave state while

  Maine entered as a

  free state

• California entered

  the United States as

  a free state and the

  Fugitive Slave Act is

  passed to benefit

  the South

• Kansas and

  Nebraska were

  allowed to vote on

  whether or not to

  allow slavery

• The Supreme Court

  ruled that slaves

  were viewed as

  property, not

  citizens

Answer explanation

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a law made in 1854. It said that the people who lived in Kansas and Nebraska could vote to decide if they wanted slavery or not. That’s called “popular sovereignty,” which just means the people get to choose.

Before this, there were rules saying where slavery was allowed. But this law changed those rules and made a lot of people mad. Some wanted slavery, and others were totally against it.

What happened with the Dred Scott Decision?

• Missouri entered

  the United States as

  a slave state while

  Maine entered as a

  free state

• California entered

  the United States as

  a free state and the

  Fugitive Slave Act is

  passed to benefit

  the South

• Kansas and

  Nebraska were

  allowed to vote on

  whether or not to

  allow slavery

• The Supreme Court

  ruled that slaves

  were viewed as

  property, not

  citizens

Answer explanation

The Dred Scott Decision was a really important court case in 1857. Dred Scott was an enslaved man who tried to get his freedom by going to court. He said he had lived in free states, so he should be free.

But the Supreme Court said no. They ruled that slaves weren’t citizens—they were property. That meant Dred Scott couldn’t even bring his case to court in the first place.

This decision made a lot of people in the North really angry. It basically said that slavery could spread anywhere, even in places that were supposed to be free.