US presidents faced many problems in the nineteenth century.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2024). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] He signed the Fifteenth Amendment which guaranteed universal male suffrage, including black Americans.
2. [1] The Force Acts helped defeat the Ku Klux Klan.
3. [1] His laws of 1871 strengthened the federal government's ability to deal with terrorism against black Americans.
4. [1] The 1875 Civil Rights law banned racial discrimination in public transport and stopped black Americans from being excluded from jury service.
5. [1] The concept of 'civil rights' was established during his presidency.
6. [6] (Level 4) The main reason why new territories caused problems was slavery. When territories applied to become members of the Union, the crucial question for most people was: will they be a slave state or a free state? The North thought that making new states slave states was a way of spreading slavery, while the South thought that making new states free states was a way of killing off slavery. The 1850 Compromise was an attempt to find a way around this when Southern states started to threaten to secede. For example, California was added as a free state, while Utah and New Mexico could decide for themselves.
7. [5] (Level 3) The main reason why new territories caused problems was slavery. The North thought that making new states slave states was a way of spreading slavery, while the South thought that making new states free states was a way of killing off slavery. The 1850 Compromise was an attempt to find a way around this when Southern states started to threaten to secede.
8. [1] (Level 2) The main problem was slavery.
9. [1] (Level 2) Abolitionists thought acquiring new land was simply a way of spreading slavery.
10. [1] (Level 2) Americans were divided over whether the US should acquire the whole of the continent.
11. [1] (Level 2) Some Americans thought some of the acquisitions represented imperialism.
12. [1] (Level 2) The Louisiana Purchase was regarded by some as unconstitutional.
13. [1] (Level 1) Some Americans thought that having more territory would simply bring more problems for the USA to sort out.
14. [10] (Level 5) I do not think the South's defeat was a surprise or not a surprise. When the war started, both sides had their strengths and weaknesses and either side could have won. The fact that the war lasted so long and so many men were killed shows that. The North had greater resources but also had to conquer enormous areas of land. The South was fighting for its way of life and had victories at the beginning. Either side could have won.
15. [6] (Level 3) It was not a surprise. This was because of the far greater resources of the North. The North had more men, more money and much larger industrial resources to produce armaments. It had the resources to keep going longer than the South and most people in the North were able to live their lives as normal, largely unaffected by the war. This helped keep the North's will and morale going. At the same time, much of the South was being ravaged and this led to a fall in morale in the South.
16. [6] (Level 3) The defeat of the South was a surprise. When the war started, many people thought it had a good chance to win and indeed it did well in the first part of the war. The men were fighting for something that was dear to them - their culture, their liberty and their way of life – and so they fought bravely. Also, the North had to conquer huge amounts of territory to win. However, they should have managed their resources much better. The main mistake was to print too much money and causing inflation which damaged the South's economy and lowered morale. The South could have done much better if Lee had not focused just on Virginia. He neglected the West and so lost the war.
17. [1] (Level 2) The greater resources of the North.
18. [1] (Level 2) The North had a lot more money.
19. [1] (Level 2) The North did not suffer much from the war.
20. [1] (Level 2) Many Northerners experienced prosperity during the war.
21. [1] (Level 2) The North was never invaded in a serious way.
22. [1] (Level 2) The South had its cotton exports.
23. [1] (Level 2) The South did well at first – the victory at Bull Run.
24. [1] (Level 2) The South might have got support from Europe.
25. [1] (Level 2) The North had a much better navy.
26. [1] (Level 2) The soldiers of the South were highly motivated.
27. [1] (Level 2) The soldiers of the North were fighting to save the Union.
28. [1] (Level 2) It was very difficult to blockade the South's coast.
29. [1] (Level 1) I think it was a surprise because the people of the South thought they could win, otherwise they would not have gone to war.