1. What accounted for the westward movement of Americans? How did the presence or absence of slavery affect developmental patterns in the new settlements?

2. What did Americans mean by Manifest Destiny? Why was territorial expansion so identified with the Democratic Party?

3. Who was responsible for the outbreak of the Mexican War? Were Mexicans the victims of American aggression? Why did the British make no effort to intervene?

4. How do you account for the great success of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin?

5. Between the time he was elected president in November and his inauguration in March, what options did Abraham Lincoln have for resolving the sectional crisis?

6. Northerners and southerners appealed to the same American ideals in support of their respective positions. Could they both have been correct?