1) Under what grounds does Daniel Webster (Document #1) oppose the ability of a state to
nullify federal laws, also known as the Doctrine of Nullification? What justifications does
South Carolina (Document #2) employ t
...
1) Under what grounds does Daniel Webster (Document #1) oppose the ability of a state to
nullify federal laws, also known as the Doctrine of Nullification? What justifications does
South Carolina (Document #2) employ to defend their decision to nullify federal laws? In
comparing these two primary documents, whose arguments regarding the concept of
nullification are most persuasive to you and why?
2) In examining the 1851 political cartoon (Document #3), how are Southerners arguing
against Northern protests of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act? To what extent does this image
relate to the issues raised regarding nullification in Documents #1 and #2? How does the
1856 political cartoon (Document #4) relate to the issues arising from the Kansas-Nebraska
Act? To what extent did slavery complicate the process and politics of westward expansion
in the 1840s and 1850s?
3) How did the Dred Scott Decision (Document #5) support the doctrine of nullification and
limit the ability of the federal government to restrict the expansion of slavery? What
position did this Supreme Court decision assign people of African descent in the United
States of America? What inconsistencies does Frederick Douglass (Document #6) identify
with the founding principles of the nation and the current status of people of African
descent within it? In what ways does the Dred Scott Decision confirm and/or challenge
Douglass’ arguments?
4)What is the “irrepressible conflict” according to William H. Seward (Document #7) and
how does he specifically define the two sides involved? How does Alexander Stephens
(Document #8) define the Confederacy and why does he believe secession is justified and
necessary? How does President Lincoln (Document #9) frame the Civil War and effort to
restore the Union as a moral imperative?
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