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AP®HistoryCollege BoardUS HistoryExam QuestionsPeriod 5: 1844-1877Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences

Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

4 mins4 questions
11 mark

“Political events exacerbated the anti-Catholicism fanned by these religious controversies. Referring to Winfield Scott’s attempt to woo immigrant voters in the presidential campaign of 1852, a nativist newspaper promised that the Know-Nothings would “teach American Demagogues that the time has come for them to cease their everlasting and stereotype prattle of ‘the rich Irish brogue and sweet German accent’”. Native-born citizens deemed Scott’s remark to be merely the most famous example of an all to common trend.”

Tyler G. Anbinder, “Nativism and Slavery: The Northern Know Nothings and the Politics of the 1850s”, 1994

The anti-Catholicism described in the excerpt most directly reflects which of the following historical developments in the 1850s?

  • Growing abolitionist beliefs and its opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act

  • A backlash against the increasing numbers of Irish and German Catholic immigrants

  • Influence of Jacksonian Democracy on political participation by marginalized groups

  • Debates surrounding the annexation of Texas and its admission as a slave state

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21 mark

“Political events exacerbated the anti-Catholicism fanned by these religious controversies. Referring to Winfield Scott’s attempt to woo immigrant voters in the presidential campaign of 1852, a nativist newspaper promised that the Know-Nothings would “teach American Demagogues that the time has come for them to cease their everlasting and stereotype prattle of ‘the rich Irish brogue and sweet German accent’”. Native-born citizens deemed Scott’s remark to be merely the most famous example of an all to common trend.”

Tyler G. Anbinder, “Nativism and Slavery: The Northern Know Nothings and the Politics of the 1850s”, 1994

The criticisms of Winfield Scott’s comments about immigrants in the 1852 presidential campaign, as described in the excerpt, most directly illustrate which of the following?

  • Shifting political ideology caused by the Industrial Revolution

  • A growing divide between Northern and Southern states over the expansion of slavery

  • Influence of regional tensions on the breakdown of national political parties

  • Nativist concerns about the perceived political power of immigrant communities

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31 mark

“Political events exacerbated the anti-Catholicism fanned by these religious controversies. Referring to Winfield Scott’s attempt to woo immigrant voters in the presidential campaign of 1852, a nativist newspaper promised that the Know-Nothings would “teach American Demagogues that the time has come for them to cease their everlasting and stereotype prattle of ‘the rich Irish brogue and sweet German accent’”. Native-born citizens deemed Scott’s remark to be merely the most famous example of an all to common trend.”

Tyler G. Anbinder, “Nativism and Slavery: The Northern Know Nothings and the Politics of the 1850s”, 1994

Which of the following best describes how Tyler Anbinder uses evidence in the excerpt to support his argument about the rise of nativism?

  • Referencing primary sources, such as nativist newspapers, to illustrate the intensity of anti-immigrant sentiment

  • Analyzing economic data to demonstrate how immigration increased competition for jobs and fueled nativist attitudes

  • Focusing on oral histories of immigrants to explain their experiences and challenges in the United States

  • Comparing the rise of nativism in the 1850s to similar movements in Europe during the same period

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41 mark

“Political events exacerbated the anti-Catholicism fanned by these religious controversies. Referring to Winfield Scott’s attempt to woo immigrant voters in the presidential campaign of 1852, a nativist newspaper promised that the Know-Nothings would “teach American Demagogues that the time has come for them to cease their everlasting and stereotype prattle of ‘the rich Irish brogue and sweet German accent’”. Native-born citizens deemed Scott’s remark to be merely the most famous example of an all to common trend.”

Tyler G. Anbinder, “Nativism and Slavery: The Northern Know Nothings and the Politics of the 1850s”, 1994

The rise of the Know Nothing Party in the 1850s most directly illustrates which of the following political developments in the United States?

  • The expansion of universal suffrage to immigrant men

  • The fragmentation of the second-party system due to tensions over immigration

  • The growing influence of regional and cultural identities on political affiliation

  • The federal government’s increasing regulation of immigration through legislation

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