Section 1 - Question 2

Which of the following was the MAIN reason why popular sovereignty failed to preserve the Union in the years leading up to the Civil War?

A

The entry of new states upset the pro and anti-slavery balance in the Senate

The Senate refused to accept the results of the votes in Kansas and Nebraska as valid

C

The pros and anti-slavery factions in territories resorted to guerrilla warfare to get the results they wanted

The process was corrupted by people who only moved to the territories long enough to vote for or against slavery.

The correct response is Option C: The pros and anti-slavery factions in territories resorted to guerrilla warfare to get the results they wanted.

Explanation:

There was a significant degree of pre-Civil War violence in the United States between 1854 and 1861, especially in the region of Kansas and Missouri for example where there was an ideological conflict over slavery and a lot of political discord as a result. There were raids and retributive murders carried out by the pro-slavery "Border Ruffians" and the anti-slavery "Free-Staters." One example is the Pottawatomie Massacre which was one of many raids or skirmishes that predate the civil war and are known collectively as Bleeding Kansas. Bleeding Kansas involved conflicts between pro - and anti-slavery settlers because there was a lot of fighting over whether the Kansas Territory would enter the Union as a slave state or free state.