Fugitive Slave Laws Read the paragraph below and the poster to answer questions 1 - 6. The poster below was printed after passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. This controversial law not only allowed slave hunters to capture escaped slaves with only a statement of ownership, but also required law-enforcement officials to arrest anyone suspected of being a runaway slave. This law threatened the safety of all blacks, whether escaped or not. It also fined or jailed anyone helping slaves to escape. It forced those helping runaways, such as the Underground Railroad, to choose Canada as their final destination. 1. This poster was written as a warning to whom? A. Kidnappers B. Slave catchers C. Colored people D. Policemen 2. Did this poster only apply to former slaves who had run away from their owners? A. No, all black people were at risk. B. No, white people were at risk also. C. Yes, black people were safe if they had been in Boston for a few years. D. Yes, many black people were well-known. 3. What was the warning on this poster? A. It warned black people to move out of Boston. B. It warned black people to always carry identification. C. It warned black people not to speak to police officers. D. It warned black people to stay indoors. 4. When was this poster printed? A. After the Civil War B. The date is unknown. C. In 1850 D. April 24, 1851 5. Why were all black people in danger from this law? 6. What could happen to a person letting a runaway slave hide in his home?
The Missouri Compromise Read the following information to answer questions 7 - 11. The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 to resolve the ever-growing problem of maintaining the balance between free and slave states in the United States. The Missouri Territory had applied for statehood as a slave state and Northerners were vehemently opposed to it. In 1820, there were eleven free states and eleven slave states, which meant that each side had an equal number of senators. If Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, the South would control the Senate, and the North would lose their edge on further slave legislation. The first part of the compromise was reached when Maine applied as a free state and the two were admitted at the same time, keeping the balance in the Senate. The Missouri Compromise went on to say that the status of any further states admitted from the Louisiana Territory would be determined by the 36°30' N line of latitude-those north of the line would be free states, and those south of the line would be slave states. The compromise applied only to the Louisiana Territory, because in 1820, no one imagined that the country would expand. The compromise worked somewhat and was in effect until 1854, when it was reversed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and declared unconstitutional by the Dred Scott decision in 1857.
7. In what year was the Missouri Compromise reached? A. 1857 B. 1848 C. 1820 D. 1854 8. How many slave states were there at the time that Missouri wanted to become a slave state? A. 11 B. 22 C. 12 D. 50 9. What state allowed to join the Union as a free state to balance Missouri? A. New York B. Virginia C. California D. Maine 10. What is a compromise? Look on the Internet if you don't know. 11. After the U.S. gained new territory, what did the abolitionists and slave owners do?
Uncle Tom's Cabin Read the following paragraph to answer questions 12 - 19. In 1851, a serialized story began in the Washington National Era, a weekly abolitionist newspaper. The story, called Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly, appeared chapter by chapter for the next 10 months. The story focused on the cruelties of slavery, especially the anguish caused by the separation of slave families. The author was a northern woman named Harriet Beecher Stowe, who had limited first-hand knowledge of slavery. She had gained her anti-slavery views while living in Cincinnati, Ohio, close to slave-holding Kentucky. In 1852, her story was published in book form and became an overnight success, selling 300,000 copies in a year. Southerners were infuriated by this story, more so by the fact that Stowe was a Northern woman. The story so stirred the emotions of both the North and the South that Abraham Lincoln was alleged to have remarked, "So this is the little lady who made this big war?" when he met Stowe.
12. Harriet Beecher Stowe was a A. slave. B. slave owner. C. northern author. D. southern abolitionist. 13. Uncle Tom's Cabin was first published in a A. magazine. B. book. C. movie script. D. newspaper. 14. In what year was Uncle Tom's Cabin published in book form? A. 1860 B. 1852 C. 1851 D. 1850 15. Where did Harriet Beecher learn about slavery? 16. What part of slavery did Harriet Beecher Stowe think was the most cruel? 17. How many copies of Uncle Tom's Cabin were sold in the first year? 18. What did people in the North think about the book? 19.What did people in the South think about the book? Fugitive Slave Laws Read the following to answer questions 20 - 25. The Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850. It was part of the Compromise of 1850. It set up rules on what Northerners were supposed to do when they saw runaway slaves. The South liked the law. It helped them to get runaway slaves back. People in the North hated the law. They didn't want to be forced to send black men, women, and children back into slavery. The law made it illegal for any person to help a slave. If an escaped slave was seen, the slave should be captured right away. The slave should then be given to authorities. After that, the slave would be sent back to his or her owner in the South. The law let slave owners start a posse anywhere in the United States. A posse is a group of men that usually helped the sheriff. The posse would help capture a runaway slave. The courts and police had to help them. Anyone caught helping a runaway slave could get into a lot of trouble. They could be fined one thousand dollars. This was a huge amount of money then. They could be put in jail for six months. They also could be charged with treason because they didn't follow the law. The new law also set up a new court system to deal with the runaway slaves. These courts did not follow the normal rules. Instead the system helped slave owners. A judge was paid ten dollars to send a slave back south or five dollars to free a slave. African Americans did not have any rights in this new court system. Freedom was almost impossible for anyone caught in the court system. Northern whites, even those who weren't totally against slavery, were very angry about this. Abolitionists did everything that they could to help free blacks in the North. Many African Americans escaped to Canada after 1850. Signs were put up to warn slaves about the danger of being caught and sent back into slavery. The signs didn't always work because many slaves did not know how to read or write. Shadrach Minkins was one of the first black men arrested under the new law. He lived in New England. Minkins was taken to a court in Boston. An angry crowd gathered outside the courthouse. Lawyers tried to help Minkins, but there was little they could do. His arrest was legal under the new law. During the trial, men burst into the courtroom. They grabbed Minkins and ran out into the crowd with him. The crowd was so large and so angry that no one dared to go after them. Minkins was hidden and sent to Canada by the Underground Railroad a few days later. He was one of the lucky ones. Many times federal troops returned the fugitive to slavery. Many thought the new law would keep slaves from running away. They were wrong. The Underground Railroad was used the most in the ten years after the law was signed. The law helped more people become involved in fighting against slavery. The differences between the North and South were becoming much larger. There was little anyone could do to keep the country together. 20. What year was the Fugitive Slave Law passed? A. 1850 B. 1950 C. 1750 D. 1860 21. The new law kept slaves from running away. A. False B. True 22. How much money could a person be fined for helping a slave? 23. What country did most African Americans run to after the law was passed? A. Canada B. Mexico C. Russia D. Maine 24. Imagine you are a slave. Would you have run away even after the Fugitive Slave Law was passed? Why or why not? 25. Who is Shadrach Minkins and how did the citizens of Boston help him? Use your notes to answer questions 26 - 45. 26. What was John Brown's "cause"? A. He was against slavery. B. He thought everyone had the right to own a weapon. C. He was against the U.S. government. D. He was against violence. 27. What is a martyr? 28. How is John Brown a martyr? 29. Where was John Brown when he was captured? 30. What was John Brown trying to do when he was captured? 31. What is your opinion of John Brown? 32. What is your opinion of Frederick Douglass? 33. What is an abolitionist? (Look on the Internet if you don't know.) 34. What was the Underground Railroad? 35. What is an aristocracy? 36. How did the South have an aristocracy? 37. Why did the South believe slavery was good? 38. Why did the North believe slavery was bad? 39. What did our Founding Fathers believe would eventually happen to slavery? 40. What did Eli Whitney do? 41. What is Popular Sovereignty? 42. Why did the Kansas-Nebraska Territory of two governments? 43. What happened to Senator Charles Sumner? 44. What did the Supreme Court say about Dred Scott? 45. List the 14 causes of the Civil War that are in your notes:
Fugitive Slave Laws
Read the paragraph below and the poster to answer questions 1 - 6.
The poster below was printed after passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. This controversial law not only allowed slave hunters to capture escaped slaves with only a statement of ownership, but also required law-enforcement officials to arrest anyone suspected of being a runaway slave. This law threatened the safety of all blacks, whether escaped or not. It also fined or jailed anyone helping slaves to escape. It forced those helping runaways, such as the Underground Railroad, to choose Canada as their final destination.
1. This poster was written as a warning to whom?
A. Kidnappers
B. Slave catchers
C. Colored people
D. Policemen
2. Did this poster only apply to former slaves who had run away from their owners?
A. No, all black people were at risk.
B. No, white people were at risk also.
C. Yes, black people were safe if they had been in Boston for a few years.
D. Yes, many black people were well-known.
3. What was the warning on this poster?
A. It warned black people to move out of Boston.
B. It warned black people to always carry identification.
C. It warned black people not to speak to police officers.
D. It warned black people to stay indoors.
4. When was this poster printed?
A. After the Civil War
B. The date is unknown.
C. In 1850
D. April 24, 1851
5. Why were all black people in danger from this law?
6. What could happen to a person letting a runaway slave hide in his home?
The Missouri Compromise
Read the following information to answer questions 7 - 11.
The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 to resolve the ever-growing problem of maintaining the balance between free and slave states in the United States. The Missouri Territory had applied for statehood as a slave state and Northerners were vehemently opposed to it. In 1820, there were eleven free states and eleven slave states, which meant that each side had an equal number of senators. If Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, the South would control the Senate, and the North would lose their edge on further slave legislation. The first part of the compromise was reached when Maine applied as a free state and the two were admitted at the same time, keeping the balance in the Senate.
The Missouri Compromise went on to say that the status of any further states admitted from the Louisiana Territory would be determined by the 36°30' N line of latitude-those north of the line would be free states, and those south of the line would be slave states. The compromise applied only to the Louisiana Territory, because in 1820, no one imagined that the country would expand. The compromise worked somewhat and was in effect until 1854, when it was reversed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and declared unconstitutional by the Dred Scott decision in 1857.
7. In what year was the Missouri Compromise reached?
A. 1857
B. 1848
C. 1820
D. 1854
8. How many slave states were there at the time that Missouri wanted to become a slave state?
A. 11
B. 22
C. 12
D. 50
9. What state allowed to join the Union as a free state to balance Missouri?
A. New York
B. Virginia
C. California
D. Maine
10. What is a compromise? Look on the Internet if you don't know.
11. After the U.S. gained new territory, what did the abolitionists and slave owners do?
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Read the following paragraph to answer questions 12 - 19.
In 1851, a serialized story began in the Washington National Era, a weekly abolitionist newspaper. The story, called Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly, appeared chapter by chapter for the next 10 months. The story focused on the cruelties of slavery, especially the anguish caused by the separation of slave families. The author was a northern woman named Harriet Beecher Stowe, who had limited first-hand knowledge of slavery. She had gained her anti-slavery views while living in Cincinnati, Ohio, close to slave-holding Kentucky. In 1852, her story was published in book form and became an overnight success, selling 300,000 copies in a year. Southerners were infuriated by this story, more so by the fact that Stowe was a Northern woman. The story so stirred the emotions of both the North and the South that Abraham Lincoln was alleged to have remarked, "So this is the little lady who made this big war?" when he met Stowe.
12. Harriet Beecher Stowe was a
A. slave.
B. slave owner.
C. northern author.
D. southern abolitionist.
13. Uncle Tom's Cabin was first published in a
A. magazine.
B. book.
C. movie script.
D. newspaper.
14. In what year was Uncle Tom's Cabin published in book form?
A. 1860
B. 1852
C. 1851
D. 1850
15. Where did Harriet Beecher learn about slavery?
16. What part of slavery did Harriet Beecher Stowe think was the most cruel?
17. How many copies of Uncle Tom's Cabin were sold in the first year?
18. What did people in the North think about the book?
19.What did people in the South think about the book?
Fugitive Slave Laws
Read the following to answer questions 20 - 25.
The Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850. It was part of the Compromise of 1850. It set up rules on what Northerners were supposed to do when they saw runaway slaves. The South liked the law. It helped them to get runaway slaves back. People in the North hated the law. They didn't want to be forced to send black men, women, and children back into slavery. The law made it illegal for any person to help a slave. If an escaped slave was seen, the slave should be captured right away. The slave should then be given to authorities. After that, the slave would be sent back to his or her owner in the South.
The law let slave owners start a posse anywhere in the United States. A posse is a group of men that usually helped the sheriff. The posse would help capture a runaway slave. The courts and police had to help them. Anyone caught helping a runaway slave could get into a lot of trouble. They could be fined one thousand dollars. This was a huge amount of money then. They could be put in jail for six months. They also could be charged with treason because they didn't follow the law.
The new law also set up a new court system to deal with the runaway slaves. These courts did not follow the normal rules. Instead the system helped slave owners. A judge was paid ten dollars to send a slave back south or five dollars to free a slave. African Americans did not have any rights in this new court system. Freedom was almost impossible for anyone caught in the court system. Northern whites, even those who weren't totally against slavery, were very angry about this.
Abolitionists did everything that they could to help free blacks in the North. Many African Americans escaped to Canada after 1850. Signs were put up to warn slaves about the danger of being caught and sent back into slavery. The signs didn't always work because many slaves did not know how to read or write. Shadrach Minkins was one of the first black men arrested under the new law. He lived in New England. Minkins was taken to a court in Boston. An angry crowd gathered outside the courthouse. Lawyers tried to help Minkins, but there was little they could do. His arrest was legal under the new law. During the trial, men burst into the courtroom. They grabbed Minkins and ran out into the crowd with him. The crowd was so large and so angry that no one dared to go after them. Minkins was hidden and sent to Canada by the Underground Railroad a few days later. He was one of the lucky ones. Many times federal troops returned the fugitive to slavery. Many thought the new law would keep slaves from running away. They were wrong. The Underground Railroad was used the most in the ten years after the law was signed. The law helped more people become involved in fighting against slavery. The differences between the North and South were becoming much larger. There was little anyone could do to keep the country together.
20. What year was the Fugitive Slave Law passed?
A. 1850
B. 1950
C. 1750
D. 1860
21. The new law kept slaves from running away.
A. False
B. True
22. How much money could a person be fined for helping a slave?
23. What country did most African Americans run to after the law was passed?
A. Canada
B. Mexico
C. Russia
D. Maine
24. Imagine you are a slave. Would you have run away even after the Fugitive Slave Law was passed? Why or why not?
25. Who is Shadrach Minkins and how did the citizens of Boston help him?
Use your notes to answer questions 26 - 45.
26. What was John Brown's "cause"?
A. He was against slavery.
B. He thought everyone had the right to own a weapon.
C. He was against the U.S. government.
D. He was against violence.
27. What is a martyr?
28. How is John Brown a martyr?
29. Where was John Brown when he was captured?
30. What was John Brown trying to do when he was captured?
31. What is your opinion of John Brown?
32. What is your opinion of Frederick Douglass?
33. What is an abolitionist? (Look on the Internet if you don't know.)
34. What was the Underground Railroad?
35. What is an aristocracy?
36. How did the South have an aristocracy?
37. Why did the South believe slavery was good?
38. Why did the North believe slavery was bad?
39. What did our Founding Fathers believe would eventually happen to slavery?
40. What did Eli Whitney do?
41. What is Popular Sovereignty?
42. Why did the Kansas-Nebraska Territory of two governments?
43. What happened to Senator Charles Sumner?
44. What did the Supreme Court say about Dred Scott?
45. List the 14 causes of the Civil War that are in your notes: