Apentix/AP US History/Unit 5: Period 5 (1844-1877)/Question
AP US Historyhardmcq1 pt

Which of the following best explains how the Kansas-Nebraska Act transformed the American party system?

A.By reopening the slavery question, it shattered the Whig Party and gave rise to the Republican Party, which united antislavery voters
B.It strengthened the Whigs by making them the party of western settlement
C.It ended all organized opposition to the Democratic Party until 1876
D.It caused the Democratic Party to adopt a national antislavery platform

Explanation

Core Concept

The Whigs split along sectional lines over the act, and northern Democrats lost ground too. Out of the wreckage, the Republican Party formed around opposition to slavery's expansion.

Correct Answer

ABy reopening the slavery question, it shattered the Whig Party and gave rise to the Republican Party, which united antislavery voters

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