The sectional crisis and the Civil War
Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
South Carolina's declaration of causes
Who made it: the South Carolina secession convention. When: December 24, 1860. Where: Charleston, South Carolina. For whom: the other states and the public. Why: to explain and justify leaving the Union. Excerpt (Declaration of the Immediate Causes (South Carolina, 1860); the 1860 Charleston pamphlet, p. 9): "A geographical line has been drawn across the Union, and all the States north of that line have united in the election of a man to the high office of President of the United States whose opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery. He is to be entrusted with the administration of the Common Government, because he has declared that that "Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free," and that the public mind must rest in the belief that Slavery is in the course of ultimate extinction."
Jun wants to know why South Carolina's convention said it was leaving. Which use of the declaration is soundest?
- As unreliable on motives, because a justification written for the public may leave out reasons
- As the convention's own stated reasons, to be compared with other states' declarations
- As evidence of what Lincoln intended to do, since the declaration describes his opinions
- As proof of the real motive of each secessionist, since the convention spoke for the whole state
Frederick Douglass on the Fourth of July
Who made it: Frederick Douglass, a formerly enslaved abolitionist and speaker. When: July 5, 1852. Where: Rochester, New York. For whom: an audience in Corinthian Hall, Rochester. Why: to tell his audience what the Fourth of July meant to an enslaved person. Excerpt (Oration, Rochester, July 5, 1852; the 1852 Rochester pamphlet, p. 20): "What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless …"
Pia reads Douglass's speech of July 5, 1852. Which question can that speech best help answer?
- How a formerly enslaved abolitionist described the holiday for the enslaved in 1852
- How enslaved people themselves would have described the holiday, since he speaks for them
- How most free Black Northerners felt about the holiday in 1852, since he spoke for them
- What the Constitution required Congress to do about slavery in 1852, since he discusses it
Lincoln's order of freedom
Who made it: President Abraham Lincoln, as Commander-in-Chief. When: January 1, 1863. Where: Washington. For whom: the nation, the armed forces and the states in rebellion. Why: to free, as a war measure, people held as slaves in the states in rebellion. Excerpt (Emancipation Proclamation; the Statutes at Large, vol. 12, pp. 1268-1269): "… all persons held as slaves within said designated states and parts of states are, and henceforward shall be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons."
Bo reads the Emancipation Proclamation. Which description of it as a source is most accurate?
- A later summary by historians, showing how the order was received in the North in 1863
- A war order from the Commander-in-Chief, showing what Lincoln claimed authority to do in rebelling states
- A law passed by Congress, showing that the nation had decided to end slavery everywhere
- A private letter by Lincoln, showing what he privately believed about slavery in the states
The Missouri Compromise, 1820, in brief
Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Missouri asked to join the Union as a state that allowed slavery. In 1820 Congress let Missouri in as a slave state and, at the same time, Maine as a free state, so the number of free states and slave states stayed equal. A slave state is one where the law allowed slavery, and a free state is one where the law banned it. Congress also banned slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Territory north of 36 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. Who gained: people in Missouri who supported slavery, whose state could keep it, and people who wanted slavery kept out of the northern Louisiana Territory. Who lost: enslaved people in Missouri, who stayed enslaved. Source card "The Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In 1854 Congress created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The act repealed the Missouri Compromise ban on slavery north of 36 degrees 30 minutes. It said the settlers of each territory would decide by popular sovereignty whether slavery would be legal there. Settlers who supported slavery and settlers who opposed it rushed to Kansas, and the conflict turned violent. Opponents of the act helped found the Republican Party. Who gained: people who wanted slavery to spread into the territories. Who lost: people who wanted slavery kept out, because the ban of 1820 was repealed.
Milo compares the Missouri Compromise with the Kansas-Nebraska Act. How did the 1854 act change the 1820 rule?
- It applied popular sovereignty to slavery for the first time, in the Louisiana Territory
- It extended the 1820 line to the Pacific and banned slavery in the lands north of it
- It kept the 1820 line but let Congress decide each new territory case by case
- It repealed the 1820 ban north of 36 degrees 30 minutes and let settlers decide by popular sovereignty
South Carolina's declaration of causes
Who made it: the South Carolina secession convention. When: December 24, 1860. Where: Charleston, South Carolina. For whom: the other states and the public. Why: to explain and justify leaving the Union. Excerpt (Declaration of the Immediate Causes (South Carolina, 1860); the 1860 Charleston pamphlet, p. 9): "A geographical line has been drawn across the Union, and all the States north of that line have united in the election of a man to the high office of President of the United States whose opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery. He is to be entrusted with the administration of the Common Government, because he has declared that that "Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free," and that the public mind must rest in the belief that Slavery is in the course of ultimate extinction." Source card "Mississippi's declaration, 1861, in our words". Who made it: the Mississippi secession convention. When: January 1861. Where: Mississippi. For whom: the other states and the public. Why: to explain and justify leaving the Union. Summary in our words, not a quotation: When Mississippi left the Union in January 1861, its convention issued a declaration of its reasons. It begins by saying that the state's position was thoroughly tied to slavery, which it called a great material interest of the world. It then lists what it saw as attacks on slavery: the ban on slavery in the northern Louisiana Territory in 1820, laws in free states that blocked the Fugitive Slave Law, and the refusal to admit new slave states. It was written by the convention of Mississippi's leaders.
Kira compares South Carolina's declaration with Mississippi's. What do the two share?
- Both tie leaving the Union to slavery, though they cite different grievances
- South Carolina stresses slavery while Mississippi stresses economic interests apart from it
- Both put tariffs and states' rights ahead of slavery, which appears in passing
- Both blame actions Lincoln took as President after his inauguration in March 1861
Lincoln's order of freedom
Who made it: President Abraham Lincoln, as Commander-in-Chief. When: January 1, 1863. Where: Washington. For whom: the nation, the armed forces and the states in rebellion. Why: to free, as a war measure, people held as slaves in the states in rebellion. Excerpt (Emancipation Proclamation; the Statutes at Large, vol. 12, pp. 1268-1269): "… all persons held as slaves within said designated states and parts of states are, and henceforward shall be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons." Source card "The Emancipation Proclamation: its limits". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Lincoln issued the proclamation as a military measure. It covered the states in rebellion, and slavery in the loyal border states of Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri was left as it was. Parts of the Confederacy that Union forces already held were also left out. The promised freedom depended on a Union victory. The proclamation did not end slavery across the nation, but from January 1, 1863, each Union advance widened the area of freedom. It also announced that Black men would be accepted into the Union Army and Navy.
Ren reads the Proclamation and the card on its limits. What did the order free, and what did it leave alone?
- It freed people in the slave states generally, but delayed enforcement in the border states
- It freed people in the rebelling states and in Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri together
- It freed people in rebelling areas and left the loyal border states alone
- It freed people in rebelling states, but covered those who reached Union lines first
Frederick Douglass calls Black men to enlist
Who made it: Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist and editor. When: 1863. Where: Rochester, New York. For whom: free Black men in the North. Why: to urge Black men to join the Union army. Excerpt ("Men of Color, To Arms!" as printed in Life and Times; Life and Times, 1881, pp. 414-415): "Liberty won by white men would lose half its luster. 'Who would be free themselves must strike the blow.' … I am authorized to assure you that you will receive the same wages, the same rations, the same equipments, the same protection, the same treatment, and the same bounty, secured to white soldiers."
Luz reads Douglass's call to enlist. What does he ask free Black men to do, and what argument does he give?
- Enlist, because the Proclamation guaranteed freedom to the families of Black soldiers
- Enlist, because the army had promised higher wages than civilian work offered Black men
- Enlist, because liberty won by white men alone would lose half its luster
- Wait, because freedom should be given by the government and not struck for by those who need it
The Dred Scott decision, 1857, in brief
Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In 1846 Dred Scott, an enslaved man, and Harriet, his wife, went to court in St. Louis and asked to be free. They said they had lived in a free territory. The case reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in March 1857 that people of African descent whose ancestors were brought to the country and sold as slaves could not be citizens, and that Congress was not allowed to ban slavery in a federal territory. Scott lost his case. The 13th and 14th Amendments later overturned the decision. Who gained: people who wanted slavery allowed in the territories. Who lost: Dred and Harriet Scott, who lost their case for freedom. Source card "The ban of 1820: repeal and ruling". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Missouri Compromise banned slavery north of 36 degrees 30 minutes in the rest of the Louisiana Territory. Congress repealed the ban with the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. In 1857 the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott case that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
In 1857 a new territory asks whether Congress may ban slavery there. Tala reads the Dred Scott card. What does the ruling say?
- The ruling concerned the Scotts' case, leaving Congress free to ban slavery elsewhere
- Congress had no power to ban slavery in a federal territory, so such a ban was unconstitutional
- Congress may ban it north of 36 degrees 30 minutes, as the 1820 compromise did
- Congress may ban it, but the settlers could overturn the ban by a vote
The election of 1860, in brief
Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: On November 6, 1860, voters elected Abraham Lincoln the 16th president. He was the first president from the Republican Party, which was against letting slavery spread into new territories. The Electoral College gave Lincoln 180 of the 303 electoral votes, and 152 were needed to win.
The card says Lincoln won 180 of 303 electoral votes in 1860. Esme asks which claim it supports.
- He won a majority of the popular vote as well, since he won the electoral vote
- He won a clear electoral majority; the card gives no popular vote
- He won by the narrowest margin possible, since 152 votes were needed to win
- He carried the Southern states too, since 180 is more than half of 303
Use this
Source card "Secession, 1860 and 1861, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: South Carolina left the Union on December 20, 1860. Six more states followed: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. In February 1861 delegates met in Montgomery, Alabama, to form the Confederate States of America, and Lincoln took office on March 4, 1861. After the attack on Fort Sumter, Lincoln called on April 15 for 75,000 volunteers. Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee then left the Union. In all, eleven states joined the Confederacy.
A classmate says the South left because Lincoln took office. Noah reads the card and strip. Which reply is best supported?
- His election explains the exits of eleven states, including the four after Sumter
- Eleven states left after his inauguration, so his term was the cause of the exits
- Seven states left before he took office, so his election drove those exits
- Seven states left after Fort Sumter, so the attack began the process of secession