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

   • A war that Lincoln had started on South Carolina
   • Taxes on Southern cotton
   • A ruling of the Supreme Court
   • Free states' hostility to slavery
4. 2.

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

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • The war began in April 1861
   • Lincoln won about 40 percent of the vote
   • Both declarations name slavery as their reason
   • Fort Sumter was in South Carolina
5. 3.

   Why does each declaration's trust line say 'written to persuade', Kira asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Each is a law passed by Congress in Washington
   • Each argues for the convention's choice
   • Each was written in 1900
   • Each was written by Lincoln
6. 4.

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

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • The enslaved people of those states
   • The leaders of South Carolina
   • The members of the conventions that wrote them
   • Mississippi's convention members
7. 5.

   A note says, 'The declarations never mention slavery.' What fix does Milo make?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Change declarations to speeches
   • Keep it; the note is right
   • Both name slavery in their own words
   • Say that Lincoln's speech is the one that mentions it
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
   • Say that both states seceded together back in 1854
   • Change Mississippi to Kansas
   • South Carolina seceded first, in December 1860
9. 7.

   Which claim about card C is careful, Pia asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

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

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

    Use the picture in question 1.

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

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

    Use the picture in question 1.

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

    Which claim uses all three cards carefully, Zee asks?

    Use the picture in question 1.

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