In 1854, Anthony Burns, a fugitive slave from Alexandria, Virginia, was arrested in Boston and returned to Virginia. Which federal legislation provided the basis for Burns’s arrest?

A. The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Incorrect. The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1850.

B. The Homestead Act
Incorrect. The Homestead Act encouraged westward migration by providing land to settlers.

C. The Compromise of 1850
Correct! The Compromise of 1850 strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act as well as balanced the number of free and slave states admitted.

D. The Gadsden Purchase
Incorrect. The Gadsden Purchase was the result of a land dispute settlement between the United States and Mexico.

Which of the following geographic features was established as a western boundary by the Proclamation of 1763?

A. Hudson River
Incorrect. The Hudson River was to the north of the proclamation line.

B. Appalachian Mountains
Correct! The Appalachian Mountains were the western boundary of the Proclamation Line of 1763.

C. Rocky Mountains
Incorrect. The Rocky Mountains were west of the Mississippi which was far west of the proclamation line.

D. Great Lakes
Incorrect. The Great Lakes were northwest of the proclamation line.

Thomas Jefferson authorized the purchase of which territory that nearly doubled the size of the United States in the 19th century?

A. Mississippi Territory
Incorrect. The Mississippi Territory was not purchased.

B. Oregon Territory
Incorrect. The Oregon Territory was not purchased.

C. Ohio Valley
Incorrect. Thomas Jefferson did not authorize the purchase of the Ohio Valley.

D. Louisiana Territory
Correct! President Jefferson authorized the 15 million dollar purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France.

Which of the following was a key issue in the debate over the admission of new states to the Union?

A. To allow slavery within the states
Correct! Congress was concerned with the balance of free and slave states after the Missouri Compromise of 1850.

B. To build more railroads
Incorrect. There was no debate over the building of railroads during the 1850s.

C. To support homesteading
Incorrect. Homesteading policies did not become a concern until after the 1850s.

D. To allow women the right to vote
Incorrect. Women’s right to vote becomes a key issue later in the century.