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Difficulty: MediumPolitical Realignment and the Election of 1860

"We support the Democratic candidate... We do this because the newly formed Republican party is a party of the North, organized against the South. A sectional party, having its center and all its strength in one half of the country, and carrying on a war of opinion against the other half, cannot fail to provoke a counter-organization in the other half, and thus divide the nation by a geographical line. If such a party should succeed in electing a President, the Union would be placed in immediate and extreme peril."

—Rufus Choate, former Whig Senator, letter to the Whig State Committee, 1856

Which of the following historical developments of the 1850s most directly contributed to the anxieties expressed by Choate in the excerpt?

  1. The fragmentation of the Whig Party and the emergence of a purely sectional political alignment.Answer
  2. B
    The general agreement among voters that popular sovereignty would resolve the territorial slavery issue.
  3. C
    The growth of sectional hostility stemming primarily from Southern opposition to federal industrial tariffs.
  4. D
    The immediate ratification of constitutional amendments guaranteeing civil rights to formerly enslaved people.

Answer

The fragmentation of the Whig Party and the emergence of a purely sectional political alignment.
The correct answer is correct because the 1850s witnessed the collapse of the Whig Party (a national party) due to internal divisions over slavery. This political realignment led to the rise of the Republican Party, which was a sectional party supported almost exclusively in the North. Former Whigs like Rufus Choate feared that the rise of a purely geographic party would destroy the Union, which is the central concern expressed in the excerpt.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source document
The author, Rufus Choate (a former Whig), is explaining why he is supporting the Democratic candidate in 1856 rather than the newly formed Republican Party, warning that a Republican victory would endanger the Union because the party is entirely sectional (Northern) and organized against the South.
Understanding the context of the source is essential for identifying the underlying historical developments.
2
Contextualize the political environment of the 1850s
During the 1850s, the Second Party System (Democrats and Whigs) collapsed, largely due to tensions over the expansion of slavery. The Whig Party disbanded, and the Republican Party arose as a major Northern sectional party dedicated to halting the expansion of slavery.
This links the specific concerns in the excerpt to the broader historical theme of political realignment.
3
Evaluate the options against the historical context
The rise of a purely sectional political alignment directly aligns with Choate's warning about a party 'having its center and all its strength in one half of the country.' The other options either misunderstand key concepts (popular sovereignty), misidentify the primary cause of sectionalism (tariffs instead of slavery), or are chronologically inaccurate (Reconstruction amendments).
Evaluating all choices ensures the selected answer is historically accurate and directly supported by the text.

Key Concept

The collapse of the Second Party System and the rise of sectional parties during the political realignment of the 1850s, leading to the Election of 1860.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Political Realignment and the Election of 1860

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