2024_AQA: AS HISTORY America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877 Component 2J The Origins
of the American Civil War, c1845–1861 (Merged Question paper and marking scheme):
Monday 20 May 2024.
AS
HISTORY
America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
Component 2J The origins of the American Civil War, c1845–1861
Monday 20 May 2024 Afternoon Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Materials
For this paper you must have:
an AQA 16-page answer book.
Instructions
Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is
7041/2J.
Answer two questions.
In Section A answer Question 01.
In Section B answer either Question 02 or Question 03.
Information
The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
The maximum mark for this paper is 50.
You will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
Advice
You are advised to spend about:
– 50 minutes on Section A
– 40 minutes on Section B.
,AS History: America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
Component 2J: The Origins of the American Civil War, c1845–1861: May 2025
Key Areas to Revise:
1. The Expansion of Slavery and Territorial Disputes (1845–1861):
Manifest Destiny: Understand the idea of Manifest Destiny and its role in justifying westward
expansion. Study how this expansion increased tensions between the North (anti-slavery) and the
South (pro-slavery) over whether new states and territories should permit slavery.
The Annexation of Texas (1845): Examine how the annexation of Texas as a slave state in 1845
heightened sectional tensions, particularly with Mexico and the North, who feared the spread of
slavery.
2. The Compromise of 1850:
Background: The Compromise was a series of legislative measures aimed at easing tensions
between the North and South. Study the key components:
o California’s admission as a free state.
o The Fugitive Slave Act, which required Northerners to assist in the return of runaway
slaves.
o Popular sovereignty in territories like New Mexico and Utah, allowing settlers to decide on
the slavery issue.
Impact: Consider how the compromise temporarily avoided conflict but failed to resolve the core
issues between the North and South, exacerbating tensions.
3. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and the Birth of the Republican Party:
Kansas-Nebraska Act: Understand the significance of this act, which allowed for the popular
sovereignty principle in Kansas and Nebraska, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise of
1820. Study how this led to violent clashes in "Bleeding Kansas" as pro-slavery and anti-slavery
forces fought for control.
The Republican Party: Examine the rise of the Republican Party in the 1850s, which was formed
in opposition to the extension of slavery into the territories. The party attracted anti-slavery Whigs,
Free Soilers, and some northern Democrats, gaining significant support in the North.
4. The Dred Scott Decision (1857):
Supreme Court Case: Understand the ruling of the Dred Scott v. Sanford case, where the
Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, could not be citizens and
had no right to sue in federal court. Additionally, the Court declared the Missouri Compromise
unconstitutional, ruling that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.
Impact: The Dred Scott decision further polarized the nation, enraging Northern abolitionists and
strengthening Southern pro-slavery positions.
5. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858):
Debates Overview: Study the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas
during the Illinois Senate race of 1858. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery, while Douglas
advocated for popular sovereignty. Lincoln’s position that slavery was a moral, political, and
economic wrong resonated with many in the North.
Impact on Lincoln’s Political Rise: Understand how Lincoln’s position on slavery and his growing
national recognition set the stage for his election to the presidency in 1860, despite losing the
Senate seat to Douglas.
IB/M/Jun24/G4002/E4 7041/2J
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Source A
From the political programme of the Free Soil Party, published in Buffalo, New York,
22 June 1848. The Free Soil Party was against the expansion of slavery.
We have assembled in our Convention, forgetting all past political differences, to maintain
the rights of free labor against the aggressions of the ‘Slave Power’. It is the duty of the
Federal Government to avoid extending or permitting slavery into the territories which they
supervise. The only means of preventing slavery expansion into the new territories of
California and New Mexico is to prohibit its expansion by supporting the Wilmot Proviso. 5
The ‘Slave Power’ has forced this issue; and to the demand of the slave owners for more
slave states and more slave territory, our calm, but final answer is no more slave states,
and no more slave territory. Let the soil of our extensive lands be kept free!
Source B
From a speech to the Senate by South Carolina Senator, John Calhoun, 4 March 1850.
Calhoun’s speech was part of the 1850 Compromise debate in response to
Henry Clay’s bill.
The North is making the most strenuous efforts to dominate the territories acquired from
Mexico by excluding the South from them. The Union, since it declared its independence,
has acquired millions of square miles of territory from which the North has excluded the
South. If the North succeeds in monopolising the newly-acquired territories, about
three-quarters of the Union will be theirs, leaving the South with one quarter. The North 5
has the responsibility to maintain sectional peace and to do justice by conceding to the
South an equal right in the acquired territories. At all events, the responsibility of saving
the Union rests on the North, and not on the South.
0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, which
of these two sources is more valuable in explaining the disputes over the territories
acquired from the Mexican War?
[25 marks]
IB/M/Jun24/7041/2J
, 3
Section B
Answer either Question 02 or Question 03.
Either
0 2 ‘In c1845, the Union was stable.’
Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
[25 marks]
or
0 3 ‘The main reason for increased support for the Republican Party, in the years
1857 to 1860, was the Dred Scott decision.’
Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
[25 marks]
END OF QUESTIONS
IB/M/Jun24/7041/2J
, 4
There are no questions printed on this page
Copyright information
For confidentiality purposes, all acknowledgements of third-party copyright material are published in a separate booklet. This booklet is published after
each live examination series and is available for free download from www.aqa.org.uk
Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders may have been unsuccessful and
AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team.
Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.
IB/M/Jun24/7041/2J
,AS
HISTORY
7041/2J
America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
Component 2J The origins of the American Civil War, c1845–1861
Mark scheme
June 2024
Version: 1.0 Final
, MARK SCHEME – AS HISTORY – 7041/2J – JUNE 2024
Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant
questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the
standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in
this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’
responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way.
As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts. Alternative
answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the
standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are
required to refer these to the Lead Examiner.
It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and
expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark
schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of
assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination
paper.
No student should be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity and/or how they refer to the
gender identity of others in their exam responses.
A consistent use of ‘they/them’ as a singular and pronouns beyond ‘she/her’ or ‘he/him’ will be credited in
exam responses in line with existing mark scheme criteria.
Further copies of this mark scheme are available from aqa.org.uk
Copyright information
AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal
use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for
internal use within the centre.
Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.
2
, MARK SCHEME – AS HISTORY – 7041/2J – JUNE 2024
Level of response marking instructions
Level of response mark schemes are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The
descriptor for the level shows the average performance for the level. There are marks in each level.
Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s answer read through the answer and annotate it (as
instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the mark scheme.
Step 1 Determine a level
Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the
descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in
the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it
meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With
practice and familiarity, you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the
lower levels of the mark scheme.
When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in
small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If
the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit
approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within
the level, ie if the response is predominantly Level 3 with a small amount of Level 4 material it would be
placed in Level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the Level 4 content.
Step 2 Determine a mark
Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. The descriptors on how to allocate
marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will help. There will be an
answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This
answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer
with the example to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then
use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lead Examiner’s mark on the example.
You may well need to read back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to clarify points and
assure yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate.
Indicative content in the mark scheme is provided as a guide for examiners. It is not intended to be
exhaustive and you must credit other valid points. Students do not have to cover all of the points
mentioned in the Indicative content to reach the highest level of the mark scheme.
An answer which contains nothing of relevance to the question must be awarded no marks.
3
, MARK SCHEME – AS HISTORY – 7041/2J – JUNE 2024
Section A
0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, which of
these two sources is more valuable in explaining the disputes over the territories acquired
from the Mexican War?
[25 marks]
Target: AO2
Analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the period,
within the historical context.
Generic Mark Scheme
L5: Answers will display a very good understanding of the value of the sources in relation to the issue
identified in the question. They will evaluate the sources thoroughly in order to provide a
well-substantiated conclusion. The response demonstrates a very good understanding of context.
21–25
L4: Answers will provide a range of relevant well-supported comments on the value of the sources for
the issue identified in the question. There will be sufficient comment to provide a supported
conclusion but not all comments will be well-substantiated, and judgements will be limited. The
response demonstrates a good understanding of context. 16–20
L3: The answer will provide some relevant comments on the value of the sources and there will be
some explicit reference to the issue identified in the question. Judgements will however, be partial
and/or thinly supported. The response demonstrates an understanding of context. 11–15
L2: The answer will be partial. There may be either some relevant comments on the value of one
source in relation to the issue identified in the question or some comment on both, but lacking
depth and having little, if any, explicit link to the issue identified in the question. The response
demonstrates some understanding of context. 6–10
L1: The answer will either describe source content or offer stock phrases about the value of the
source. There may be some comment on the issue identified in the question but it is likely to be
limited, unsubstantiated and unconvincing. The response demonstrates limited understanding of
context. 1–5
Nothing worthy of credit. 0
4
, MARK SCHEME – AS HISTORY – 7041/2J – JUNE 2024
Indicative content
Note: This content is not prescriptive and students are not obliged to refer to the material
contained in this mark scheme. Any legitimate answer will be assessed on its merits according to
the generic levels scheme.
Students must deploy knowledge of the historical context to show an understanding of the
relationship between the sources and the issues raised in the question, when assessing the
significance of provenance, the arguments deployed in the sources and the tone and emphasis
of the sources. Descriptive answers which fail to do this should be awarded no more than Level 2
at best. Answers should address both the value and the limitations of the sources for the
particular question and purpose given.
In responding to this question, students may choose to address each source in turn or to adopt a more
comparative approach in order to arrive at a judgement. Either approach is equally valid and what
follows is indicative of the evaluation which may be relevant.
Source A: in assessing the value of this source as an explanation, students may refer to the
following:
Provenance and tone
the purpose of the platform, and indeed the Free Soil Party, was to prohibit slavery expansion into the
newly acquired territories after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in February 1848. This
offers value for showing Northern political attitudes towards what to do with the Mexican cession
the date was just months after the end of the Mexican War, showing how national politics was clearly
divided over what to do with the acquired land from the Mexican War. This was highlighted in the
Presidential election with the Free Soil Party gaining 10% of the popular vote
the tone is both aggressive and determined in their resistance against slavery going into the territories,
which offers value as the Free Soil Party was set up by disillusioned Democrats and abolitionists
dedicated to ensuring Free Soilism would spread into the new lands.
Content and argument
the platform places blame for the sectional tensions following the Mexican War on the ‘Slave Power’
which was associated with their political rivals, the Democrats. The Mexican War had been started by
aggressive expansionist President James Polk, who was widely viewed as an agent of the
‘Slave Power’: the North had repeatedly called the conflict ‘Mr Polk’s War’. The Democrats had been
associated with the ‘Slave Power’ conspiracy which had increased sectional tensions
the source also argues the federal government should protect the territories from slavery expansion
and endorse the Wilmot Proviso. The Wilmot Proviso of August 1846 was a proposed amendment to
the Mexican War bill to prevent slavery entering any territory acquired from Mexico, which passed in
the House of Representatives with a vote of 83-64, but failed in the Senate. Voting on this bill was
completely sectional
the source concludes with the ongoing argument that the land must remain free for free labour to
expand, and not slavery. Northerners had different economic ambitions with the new land, and many
feared economic competition with plantation owners.
5
of the American Civil War, c1845–1861 (Merged Question paper and marking scheme):
Monday 20 May 2024.
AS
HISTORY
America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
Component 2J The origins of the American Civil War, c1845–1861
Monday 20 May 2024 Afternoon Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Materials
For this paper you must have:
an AQA 16-page answer book.
Instructions
Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is
7041/2J.
Answer two questions.
In Section A answer Question 01.
In Section B answer either Question 02 or Question 03.
Information
The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
The maximum mark for this paper is 50.
You will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
Advice
You are advised to spend about:
– 50 minutes on Section A
– 40 minutes on Section B.
,AS History: America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
Component 2J: The Origins of the American Civil War, c1845–1861: May 2025
Key Areas to Revise:
1. The Expansion of Slavery and Territorial Disputes (1845–1861):
Manifest Destiny: Understand the idea of Manifest Destiny and its role in justifying westward
expansion. Study how this expansion increased tensions between the North (anti-slavery) and the
South (pro-slavery) over whether new states and territories should permit slavery.
The Annexation of Texas (1845): Examine how the annexation of Texas as a slave state in 1845
heightened sectional tensions, particularly with Mexico and the North, who feared the spread of
slavery.
2. The Compromise of 1850:
Background: The Compromise was a series of legislative measures aimed at easing tensions
between the North and South. Study the key components:
o California’s admission as a free state.
o The Fugitive Slave Act, which required Northerners to assist in the return of runaway
slaves.
o Popular sovereignty in territories like New Mexico and Utah, allowing settlers to decide on
the slavery issue.
Impact: Consider how the compromise temporarily avoided conflict but failed to resolve the core
issues between the North and South, exacerbating tensions.
3. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and the Birth of the Republican Party:
Kansas-Nebraska Act: Understand the significance of this act, which allowed for the popular
sovereignty principle in Kansas and Nebraska, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise of
1820. Study how this led to violent clashes in "Bleeding Kansas" as pro-slavery and anti-slavery
forces fought for control.
The Republican Party: Examine the rise of the Republican Party in the 1850s, which was formed
in opposition to the extension of slavery into the territories. The party attracted anti-slavery Whigs,
Free Soilers, and some northern Democrats, gaining significant support in the North.
4. The Dred Scott Decision (1857):
Supreme Court Case: Understand the ruling of the Dred Scott v. Sanford case, where the
Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, could not be citizens and
had no right to sue in federal court. Additionally, the Court declared the Missouri Compromise
unconstitutional, ruling that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.
Impact: The Dred Scott decision further polarized the nation, enraging Northern abolitionists and
strengthening Southern pro-slavery positions.
5. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858):
Debates Overview: Study the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas
during the Illinois Senate race of 1858. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery, while Douglas
advocated for popular sovereignty. Lincoln’s position that slavery was a moral, political, and
economic wrong resonated with many in the North.
Impact on Lincoln’s Political Rise: Understand how Lincoln’s position on slavery and his growing
national recognition set the stage for his election to the presidency in 1860, despite losing the
Senate seat to Douglas.
IB/M/Jun24/G4002/E4 7041/2J
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Source A
From the political programme of the Free Soil Party, published in Buffalo, New York,
22 June 1848. The Free Soil Party was against the expansion of slavery.
We have assembled in our Convention, forgetting all past political differences, to maintain
the rights of free labor against the aggressions of the ‘Slave Power’. It is the duty of the
Federal Government to avoid extending or permitting slavery into the territories which they
supervise. The only means of preventing slavery expansion into the new territories of
California and New Mexico is to prohibit its expansion by supporting the Wilmot Proviso. 5
The ‘Slave Power’ has forced this issue; and to the demand of the slave owners for more
slave states and more slave territory, our calm, but final answer is no more slave states,
and no more slave territory. Let the soil of our extensive lands be kept free!
Source B
From a speech to the Senate by South Carolina Senator, John Calhoun, 4 March 1850.
Calhoun’s speech was part of the 1850 Compromise debate in response to
Henry Clay’s bill.
The North is making the most strenuous efforts to dominate the territories acquired from
Mexico by excluding the South from them. The Union, since it declared its independence,
has acquired millions of square miles of territory from which the North has excluded the
South. If the North succeeds in monopolising the newly-acquired territories, about
three-quarters of the Union will be theirs, leaving the South with one quarter. The North 5
has the responsibility to maintain sectional peace and to do justice by conceding to the
South an equal right in the acquired territories. At all events, the responsibility of saving
the Union rests on the North, and not on the South.
0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, which
of these two sources is more valuable in explaining the disputes over the territories
acquired from the Mexican War?
[25 marks]
IB/M/Jun24/7041/2J
, 3
Section B
Answer either Question 02 or Question 03.
Either
0 2 ‘In c1845, the Union was stable.’
Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
[25 marks]
or
0 3 ‘The main reason for increased support for the Republican Party, in the years
1857 to 1860, was the Dred Scott decision.’
Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
[25 marks]
END OF QUESTIONS
IB/M/Jun24/7041/2J
, 4
There are no questions printed on this page
Copyright information
For confidentiality purposes, all acknowledgements of third-party copyright material are published in a separate booklet. This booklet is published after
each live examination series and is available for free download from www.aqa.org.uk
Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders may have been unsuccessful and
AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team.
Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.
IB/M/Jun24/7041/2J
,AS
HISTORY
7041/2J
America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
Component 2J The origins of the American Civil War, c1845–1861
Mark scheme
June 2024
Version: 1.0 Final
, MARK SCHEME – AS HISTORY – 7041/2J – JUNE 2024
Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant
questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the
standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in
this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’
responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way.
As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts. Alternative
answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the
standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are
required to refer these to the Lead Examiner.
It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and
expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark
schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of
assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination
paper.
No student should be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity and/or how they refer to the
gender identity of others in their exam responses.
A consistent use of ‘they/them’ as a singular and pronouns beyond ‘she/her’ or ‘he/him’ will be credited in
exam responses in line with existing mark scheme criteria.
Further copies of this mark scheme are available from aqa.org.uk
Copyright information
AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal
use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for
internal use within the centre.
Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.
2
, MARK SCHEME – AS HISTORY – 7041/2J – JUNE 2024
Level of response marking instructions
Level of response mark schemes are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The
descriptor for the level shows the average performance for the level. There are marks in each level.
Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s answer read through the answer and annotate it (as
instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the mark scheme.
Step 1 Determine a level
Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the
descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in
the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it
meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With
practice and familiarity, you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the
lower levels of the mark scheme.
When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in
small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If
the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit
approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within
the level, ie if the response is predominantly Level 3 with a small amount of Level 4 material it would be
placed in Level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the Level 4 content.
Step 2 Determine a mark
Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. The descriptors on how to allocate
marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will help. There will be an
answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This
answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer
with the example to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then
use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lead Examiner’s mark on the example.
You may well need to read back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to clarify points and
assure yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate.
Indicative content in the mark scheme is provided as a guide for examiners. It is not intended to be
exhaustive and you must credit other valid points. Students do not have to cover all of the points
mentioned in the Indicative content to reach the highest level of the mark scheme.
An answer which contains nothing of relevance to the question must be awarded no marks.
3
, MARK SCHEME – AS HISTORY – 7041/2J – JUNE 2024
Section A
0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, which of
these two sources is more valuable in explaining the disputes over the territories acquired
from the Mexican War?
[25 marks]
Target: AO2
Analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the period,
within the historical context.
Generic Mark Scheme
L5: Answers will display a very good understanding of the value of the sources in relation to the issue
identified in the question. They will evaluate the sources thoroughly in order to provide a
well-substantiated conclusion. The response demonstrates a very good understanding of context.
21–25
L4: Answers will provide a range of relevant well-supported comments on the value of the sources for
the issue identified in the question. There will be sufficient comment to provide a supported
conclusion but not all comments will be well-substantiated, and judgements will be limited. The
response demonstrates a good understanding of context. 16–20
L3: The answer will provide some relevant comments on the value of the sources and there will be
some explicit reference to the issue identified in the question. Judgements will however, be partial
and/or thinly supported. The response demonstrates an understanding of context. 11–15
L2: The answer will be partial. There may be either some relevant comments on the value of one
source in relation to the issue identified in the question or some comment on both, but lacking
depth and having little, if any, explicit link to the issue identified in the question. The response
demonstrates some understanding of context. 6–10
L1: The answer will either describe source content or offer stock phrases about the value of the
source. There may be some comment on the issue identified in the question but it is likely to be
limited, unsubstantiated and unconvincing. The response demonstrates limited understanding of
context. 1–5
Nothing worthy of credit. 0
4
, MARK SCHEME – AS HISTORY – 7041/2J – JUNE 2024
Indicative content
Note: This content is not prescriptive and students are not obliged to refer to the material
contained in this mark scheme. Any legitimate answer will be assessed on its merits according to
the generic levels scheme.
Students must deploy knowledge of the historical context to show an understanding of the
relationship between the sources and the issues raised in the question, when assessing the
significance of provenance, the arguments deployed in the sources and the tone and emphasis
of the sources. Descriptive answers which fail to do this should be awarded no more than Level 2
at best. Answers should address both the value and the limitations of the sources for the
particular question and purpose given.
In responding to this question, students may choose to address each source in turn or to adopt a more
comparative approach in order to arrive at a judgement. Either approach is equally valid and what
follows is indicative of the evaluation which may be relevant.
Source A: in assessing the value of this source as an explanation, students may refer to the
following:
Provenance and tone
the purpose of the platform, and indeed the Free Soil Party, was to prohibit slavery expansion into the
newly acquired territories after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in February 1848. This
offers value for showing Northern political attitudes towards what to do with the Mexican cession
the date was just months after the end of the Mexican War, showing how national politics was clearly
divided over what to do with the acquired land from the Mexican War. This was highlighted in the
Presidential election with the Free Soil Party gaining 10% of the popular vote
the tone is both aggressive and determined in their resistance against slavery going into the territories,
which offers value as the Free Soil Party was set up by disillusioned Democrats and abolitionists
dedicated to ensuring Free Soilism would spread into the new lands.
Content and argument
the platform places blame for the sectional tensions following the Mexican War on the ‘Slave Power’
which was associated with their political rivals, the Democrats. The Mexican War had been started by
aggressive expansionist President James Polk, who was widely viewed as an agent of the
‘Slave Power’: the North had repeatedly called the conflict ‘Mr Polk’s War’. The Democrats had been
associated with the ‘Slave Power’ conspiracy which had increased sectional tensions
the source also argues the federal government should protect the territories from slavery expansion
and endorse the Wilmot Proviso. The Wilmot Proviso of August 1846 was a proposed amendment to
the Mexican War bill to prevent slavery entering any territory acquired from Mexico, which passed in
the House of Representatives with a vote of 83-64, but failed in the Senate. Voting on this bill was
completely sectional
the source concludes with the ongoing argument that the land must remain free for free labour to
expand, and not slavery. Northerners had different economic ambitions with the new land, and many
feared economic competition with plantation owners.
5
