CHAPTER
14
How to Read History
History Reading Skill Analyze Cause and Effect
What causes brought the Union to the brink
of war in the 1850s?
In this chapter, you will learn how to analyze causeand-effect relationships. Read the following speech by
Senator John C. Calhoun in which he explains why he
thinks the nation is so divided. The side notes show you
how to analyze causes and effects.
Primary
Source
Here is another
example of cause
and effect.
Two causes:
Southern states
must be able to
feel both safe
and honorable
in order to save
the Union.
In 1850, South Carolina Senator Calhoun wrote this speech in
defense of slavery and gave his view of the reasons for the current
division in the nation.
It is a great mistake to suppose that disunion can be effected
by a single blow. The cords which bound these states together
in one common union are far too numerous and powerful for
that. Disunion must be the work of time. It is only through a
long process that the cords can be snapped, until the whole
fabric falls asunder. Already the agitation of the slavery
question has snapped some of the most important and has
greatly weakened all the others.
If the agitation goes on, the same force, acting with
increased intensity, will finally snap every cord. Then nothing
will be left to hold the states together except force.
So, the question again recurs—how can the Union be
saved? To this I answer, there is but one way by which it can
be—and that is by adopting such measures as will satisfy the
states belonging to the southern section so that they can
remain in the Union consistently with their honor and their
safety.
Phrases such as
“the work of”
and “through a
long process”
highlight the
cause-and-effect
link.
Two effects: The
agitation of slavery
has weakened some
ties and destroyed
others.
—Senator John C. Calhoun, speech to the Senate, 1850
Analyze Cause and Effect
• Look for verbs and phrases that suggest how
one event led to another: lead to, snapped,
saved, weakened.
• Consider whether a cause has more than
one effect and whether an effect has more
than one cause.
480 Chapter 14
• Confirm that one event actually results from
another, rather than just occurring after it.
Document-Based Questions
1. Who gave this speech?
2. What issue does he say is dividing the
Union?
3. How does he say the Union can be saved?