Question

question 3

the _______ was one of several events that upended the second-party system of whigs and democrats and increased the membership of the republican party, which dedicated itself to the principles of _______.

• missouri compromise; equal rights
• attack on lawrence, kansas; abolitionism
• dred scott decision; free labor
• transcontinental railroad; popular sovereignty

Explanation:

Analyze the historical context

The question asks for an event that upended the Second Party System (Whigs and Democrats) in the 1850s and increased the membership of the newly formed Republican Party, along with the core principle that the Republican Party dedicated itself to.

Evaluate the options

• Missouri Compromise; equal rights: The Missouri Compromise occurred in 1820, long before the collapse of the Second Party System in the 1850s and the creation of the Republican Party (founded in 1854).
• attack on Lawrence, Kansas; abolitionism: While the violence in Kansas ("Bleeding Kansas") contributed to sectional tensions, the early Republican Party was not strictly an abolitionist party; rather, it was a coalition focused on preventing the expansion of slavery into the territories.
• Dred Scott decision; free labor: The Dred Scott Decision (1857) was a major catalyst that undermined the Second Party System by declaring that Congress had no power to exclude slavery from federal territories. This decision galvanized Northern opposition and drove massive membership to the Republican Party, which was strongly committed to the ideology of Free Labor (the belief that free, independent laborers should not have to compete with slave labor in the Western territories).
• transcontinental railroad; popular sovereignty: The transcontinental railroad did not upend the party system in this manner, and popular sovereignty was a Democratic doctrine championed by Stephen Douglas, which the Republican Party strongly opposed.

Confirm the correct match

The combination of the Dred Scott decision as the disruptive event and free labor as the core Republican principle perfectly aligns with the historical shift of the late 1850s.

Answer:

• (A) Missouri Compromise; equal rights
• (B) attack on Lawrence, Kansas; abolitionism
• (C) Dred Scott decision; free labor (Correct answer)
• (D) transcontinental railroad; popular sovereignty