Chapter 7: Slavery and the Civil War
Now you may have noticed that we are skipping a lot of US History right now. This time period should have been covered in your 8th grade US History class. If you didn't learn about things that happened during this period, do some research on your own or ask your teacher for some resources to learn about it.
Causes of the Civil War
There are many causes of the Civil War. The first one started even before the Constitution was written and ratified. Even before the French and Indian war, colonies believed that they were individual. If you lived in Virginia, went on vacation and someone asked, "Where are you from?" your answer would be "Virginia". This didn't change with the Articles of Confederation because each state was sovereign (meaning each state ruled itself and didn't report to anyone else). The Articles of Confederation were like the "Pirates Code" from Pirates of the Caribbean: "They're more like guidelines anyway". If the congressional body of the Articles of Confederation wanted every state to close down all roads from noon to 1:00pm every day, the states really didn't have to do it. They were not under law to do what the Articles of Confederation told them to do. When the Constitution was passed, many states still felt the same way. They felt that the federal (national) government set laws that were more like guidelines and if they disagreed, they could leave the United States. This wasn't just how state governments felt either. This was how the people felt as well. A person from South Carolina, visiting France would not say they were from the United States. They would still say they were from South Carolina because they felt that their state had the sovereign power. The Constitution, they felt, could be interpreted to say that the state had more power than the federal government due to the Tenth Amendment. It says "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." They believed that this meant the federal government only had the power given in the Constitution, no more. Though we focus on slavery, states' rights was the biggest issue leading to the Civil War.
That isn't to say that slavery was not an issue. Slavery was an enormous issue. Read about the history of slavery in the United States here: http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/slavery.html
The desire for westward expansion was another cause leading to the war. From early in the nation's history, Americans have believed in "manifest destiny". Manifest destiny is the belief that Americans have the divine right to expand, from one ocean to the other. Read about how manifest destiny would affect the coming war here: http://www.civilwarinart.org/exhibits/show/causes/introduction/westward-expansion
For a summary of the causes of the Civil War, watch this video: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/causes-of-the-civil-war/
That isn't to say that slavery was not an issue. Slavery was an enormous issue. Read about the history of slavery in the United States here: http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/slavery.html
The desire for westward expansion was another cause leading to the war. From early in the nation's history, Americans have believed in "manifest destiny". Manifest destiny is the belief that Americans have the divine right to expand, from one ocean to the other. Read about how manifest destiny would affect the coming war here: http://www.civilwarinart.org/exhibits/show/causes/introduction/westward-expansion
For a summary of the causes of the Civil War, watch this video: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/causes-of-the-civil-war/
Events Leading to the Civil War
There were many events that led to the Civil War. Here are a few of the highlights: http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/triggerevents.html
One other event the last article didn't include happened on the floor of the House of Representatives. Read about it here: http://www.ushistory.org/us/31e.asp
One other event the last article didn't include happened on the floor of the House of Representatives. Read about it here: http://www.ushistory.org/us/31e.asp
Assignment #8
1. What is manifest destiny?
2. How did manifest destiny contribute to the causes of the Civil War?
3. Explain how the tenth amendment affected the onset of the Civil War.
4. Describe the Missouri compromise from a northerner's perspective.
5. Describe the Missouri compromise from a southerner's perspective.
6. Describe the results of the Dred Scott case.
7. What happened in the Brooks-Sumner affair?
8. Write a 5-paragraph essay describing and ranking which of the following events were most influential in causing the Civil War: Missouri Compromise, Dred Scott case, and the election of Abraham Lincoln. If you use information from a website (including the websites given above) make sure to use MLA citations and include a works cited section. Do not use Wikipedia or wikis as sources.
2. How did manifest destiny contribute to the causes of the Civil War?
3. Explain how the tenth amendment affected the onset of the Civil War.
4. Describe the Missouri compromise from a northerner's perspective.
5. Describe the Missouri compromise from a southerner's perspective.
6. Describe the results of the Dred Scott case.
7. What happened in the Brooks-Sumner affair?
8. Write a 5-paragraph essay describing and ranking which of the following events were most influential in causing the Civil War: Missouri Compromise, Dred Scott case, and the election of Abraham Lincoln. If you use information from a website (including the websites given above) make sure to use MLA citations and include a works cited section. Do not use Wikipedia or wikis as sources.