The road to the Civil War: compromises that failed and the election of 1860

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card A (December 24, 1860): "South Carolina's declaration of causes". Who made it: South Carolina's secession convention. For whom: the people of South Carolina and the other states. Why: to give its reasons for leaving the Union. Excerpt (as printed in Charleston, 1860, and in the convention's journal, 1861): "...an increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the Institution of Slavery, has led to a disregard of their obligations..." What it changed for people: It explained the secession that its convention had voted 169 to 0. How far can I trust it? For: The convention gives its own reasons, in its own words. Against: It was written to persuade, and it speaks for the convention, not for the enslaved people of South Carolina. Card B (January 1861): "Mississippi's declaration of causes". Who made it: Mississippi's secession convention. For whom: the people of Mississippi and the other states. Why: to give its reasons for leaving the Union. Excerpt (as printed in Jackson, 1861, in the convention's address and its journal): "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery -- the greatest material interest of the world." What it changed for people: It explained Mississippi's secession, one of six in January 1861. How far can I trust it? For: The convention gives its own reasons, in its own words. Against: It was written to persuade, and it speaks for the convention, not for the enslaved people of Mississippi. Card C (March 4, 1861): "Lincoln's First Inaugural Address". Who made it: Abraham Lincoln, the new president. For whom: the whole nation. Why: to speak to a divided nation as he took office. Excerpt (as printed in 1861 and in 1896): "One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended." What it changed for people: It named the dispute, but the seceded states did not return. How far can I trust it? For: Lincoln names the dispute himself, as president. Against: It is one leader's view, given while he tried to hold the Union together. Below the strip: Historians name slavery as the central cause of the Civil War; the declarations of 1860 and 1861 name it themselves.

3. 1.

   In card B's line, what does Mississippi say its position is identified with, Ari asks?

   • The institution of slavery
   • Trade with Mexico
   • The rights of the free states in the North
   • A new president
4. 2.

   In card A's line, what does South Carolina blame, Bo asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • A war that Lincoln had started on South Carolina
   • Taxes on Southern cotton
   • Free states' hostility to slavery
   • A ruling of the Supreme Court
5. 3.

   By card C, what did the first section Lincoln names believe, Esme asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • That it should end at once everywhere
   • That it is wrong and ought not spread
   • That Congress must hold a new vote on it each year
   • That it is right and ought to be extended
6. 4.

   Which evidence best supports 'slavery was the central cause', Jun asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Fort Sumter was in South Carolina
   • The war began in April 1861
   • Both declarations name slavery as their reason
   • Lincoln won about 40 percent of the vote
7. 5.

   Whose voices are missing from cards A and B, Luz asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Mississippi's convention members
   • The enslaved people of those states
   • The members of the conventions that wrote them
   • The leaders of South Carolina
8. 6.

   A note says, 'Mississippi seceded before South Carolina.' What fix does Noah make?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Keep it; the note is right
   • Change Mississippi to Kansas
   • South Carolina seceded first, in December 1860
   • Say that both states seceded together back in 1854
9. 7.

   Which claim about card C is careful, Pia asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Lincoln left slavery out of the speech
   • Lincoln said slavery must end at once everywhere
   • Lincoln named slavery's spread as the dispute
   • Lincoln's speech ended the crisis
10. 8.

    Could Lincoln's election alone explain secession, Ren asks?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • Yes; nothing came before 1860
    • No; decades of quarrels over slavery came first
    • No; secession came in 1820
    • Yes; the declarations ignore slavery
11. 9.

    How many years passed from the Missouri Compromise (1820) to Mississippi's secession (1861), Tala asks?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • 3,681 years
    • 51 years
    • 41 years
    • 40 years
12. 10.

    Which claim uses all three cards carefully, Zee asks?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • The cards show that each Southerner agreed
    • The cards show the war was about tariffs
    • The cards were written after 1877
    • Leaders on both sides named slavery as the dispute