Question

AP US History question:

For the period between 1844 and the Civil War, evaluate the impact of slavery as a political issue on the history of any THREE of the political parties: Democratic Party, Free Soil Party, Know-Nothings, Republican Party, Whig Party

Answer 1

The primary source of contention regarding slavery prior to the civil war was which new states would be free vs. slave. The Democrats were in favor of slave states because they depended on slavery mostly for their economy, while the Republicans viewed slavery as a moral wrong.