The American Civil War

The causes of the American Civil War were complex and involved many aspects of American life and culture in the nineteenth century.  However, the cause of the war can be summed up in one simple word: slavery. The Southern states favored slavery and the Northern states opposed it. Answer these questions to learn about the events leading up the the Civil War.

Compromises and Hot Issues

1. In 1818, how many free and slave states were there?  What happened when Missouri applied for statehood? What Compromise allowed Missouri to come in as a free state and Missouri to come in as a slave state?  How many free and slaves states were there after this compromise?

2. How many free and slave states were there by 1850? What state would have upset the balance? What two demands did southerners have about their slaves? What compromise temporarily settled the issues on slavery?

3. What book caused many Northerners to dislike the institution of slavery?

4. What law said that people moving into a new territory could vote to decide if the state would be free or slave?

5. Did the Supreme Court decide that Dred Scott was free or slave?

6. Who led the Abolitionist raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia, to try to get weapons to help slaves revolt?

7. What was Lincoln's position on slavery in the territories? How many votes did Lincoln receive in the Southern states? What did the Southern states say they would do if Lincoln were elected?

The Blue and the Gray

Fill in the two charts on your worksheets using the information from this Web site.