In 1850 the South was in good political shape. Each of the following descriptions explains why that was true except?
A. Zachary Taylor, the president, was a southern slave-owner
B. The majority of the presidential cabinet were southerners
C. Most of the justices on the US Supreme Court were southerners
D. There was an exact balance of slave/free states in the US Senate
E. In the House southerners dominated the chairmanships of all the important committees
Is the answer D?
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Yes, the correct answer is D. In 1850, the South was not in good political shape despite there being an exact balance of slave/free states in the US Senate. While it is true that having an equal number of slave and free states in the Senate would normally be advantageous for the South, there were several other factors that affected their political position at that time.
To arrive at this answer, we need to evaluate each of the given options:
A. Zachary Taylor, the president, was a southern slave-owner: This statement suggests that having a southern slave-owner as president would favor the South. Therefore, this option explains why the South was in good political shape.
B. The majority of the presidential cabinet were southerners: This statement implies that having a majority of southerners in the presidential cabinet would benefit the South. Hence, this option explains why the South was in good political shape.
C. Most of the justices on the US Supreme Court were southerners: This statement suggests that having a majority of southern justices on the Supreme Court would favor the South. Therefore, this option explains why the South was in good political shape.
D. There was an exact balance of slave/free states in the US Senate: This statement implies that having an equal number of slave and free states in the Senate would benefit the South. However, this option is the exception and does not explain why the South was in good political shape.
E. In the House, southerners dominated the chairmanships of all the important committees: This statement indicates that having southern dominance in the House committees would favor the South. Hence, this option explains why the South was in good political shape.
Therefore, the answer is D because it does not explain why the South was in good political shape in 1850.