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Document-Based Activities on Sectionalism,
1820–1860
Using Primary Sources and the Internet
Michael Hutchison, Writer
Kerry Gordonson, Editor
Bill Williams, Editor
Dr. Aaron Willis, Project Coordinator
Jonathan English, Editorial Assistant
Social Studies School Service
10200 Jefferson Blvd., P.O. Box 802
Culver City, CA 90232
http://socialstudies.com
[email protected]
(800) 421-4246
All the Web addresses in this book can be found on our Web site:
http://www.socialstudies.com/uslinks.html
Updated 2005
© 2004 Social Studies School Service
10200 Jefferson Blvd., P.O. Box 802
Culver City, CA 90232
United States of America
(310) 839-2436
(800) 421-4246
Fax: (800) 944-5432
Fax: (310) 839-2249
http://www.socialstudies.com/
[email protected]
Permission is granted to reproduce individual worksheets for classroom use only.
Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN: 1-56004-133-1
Product Code: ZP202
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Teacher Introduction ................................................................................................ v
Overview: Sectionalism ............................................................................................. vii
LESSONS:
1. The Missouri Compromise of 1820
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 1
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 3
2. The Compromise of 1850
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 7
Student Worksheet................................................................................................ 9
3. The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 13
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 15
4. The Dred Scott Decision
Teacher Page ....................................................................................................... 19
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 21
5. John Brown
Teacher Page ...................................................................................................... 25
Student Worksheet ............................................................................................... 27
Culminating Activities ............................................................................................ 31
Appendix
Answer Key ......................................................................................................... 35
Rubrics ................................................................................................................ 41
Related Web Sites ................................................................................................ 47
Suggested Curriculum Materials ........................................................................ 49
iv
v
DOCUMENT-BASED ACTIVITIES ON SECTIONALISM
TEACHER INTRODUCTION
Description:
In this unit, students investigate various aspects of the period leading up to the Civil War,
focusing in particular on issues relating to political debates over slavery as well as the
growing separation between North and South in the period from 1820 to 1860. Students
will use primary source material to develop a general concept of the era. First-person
accounts, speeches, and documents provide a variety of sources for students to analyze.
Unit Objectives:
Knowledge: students will
•
•
•
understand the issues and events which led to the secession of the Southern states
evaluate various viewpoints and beliefs of Northerners and Southerners
assess how these views and beliefs caused political strife
Skills: students will
•
•
•
analyze, evaluate, and interpret primary source documents
discuss and debate issues
use relevant and adequate evidence to draw conclusions
Prior Knowledge Required:
Students should have a basic knowledge of the major events of the period from 1820–
1860, as well as background in the social, political, and economic issues of that time.
They should know the principal leaders of that period and be familiar with the political
parties of the time.
Lesson Format:
Each lesson consists of two parts: a teacher page containing an introduction, objectives,
URL(s) used in the lesson, teaching strategies, wrap-up questions, and an extension
activity; and a reproducible student page with a brief introduction that sets the context for
the lesson, URL(s) used, and questions to be answered about the source.
vi
Assessment:
Based on the time available, you may want to select which answers you want to assess in
each activity. Most questions require short answers. Others will require a response of
anywhere from a paragraph to a full page (or longer if preferred).
Suggested rubrics are in the appendix.
Additional Sources:
The appendix contains answer keys, primary source documents, an annotated list of Web
sites on the sectional period, rubrics and supplemental materials available from
http://www.socialstudies.com.
vii
OVERVIEW: SECTIONALISM, 1820–1860
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure
permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved— I do not
expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one
thing, or all the other.”
—Abraham Lincoln, 1858
When Abraham Lincoln spoke these words during his unsuccessful campaign against
Stephen Douglas for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois, it was obvious that tensions
between North and South were at a boiling point, and that the nation was quickly headed
toward civil war.
However, the tensions Lincoln saw at this point did not just “happen.” They took many
years to develop, and political and social leaders strove to stop them while at the same
time promoting their own interests and views. Figures like Henry Clay, Daniel Webster,
and John C. Calhoun dominated politics and protected regional interests in the North and
South; social leaders who opposed slavery yet wanted to increase the size and territory of
the United States promoted their views as well.
While the Northern states felt that they needed high tariffs, internal improvements such as
roads and canals, and a strong central government to protect their industrial interests, the
Southern states, dependent on agriculture, saw the idea of tariffs and internal
improvements as being expensive, and not benefiting their area. They saw a large central
government as being detrimental to their way of life, their economic system, and the
“peculiar institution” of slavery.
One way that the government sought to eliminate or limit tension was by keeping the
number of slave and free states equal. So, in 1820, when Missouri met the requirements
for statehood and applied for admission to the Union as a slave state, a possible shift in
the balance in favor of slave states threatened disaster. Only a compromise to keep the
balance equal as well as to divide the rest of the Louisiana Territory into “slave” and
“free” sections kept the Union secure.
After the Mexican War, a similar issue arose. At the end of the war, Mexico ceded a great
deal of territory to the United States, including most of the Southwest and California. In
order to maintain the Union, still another group of agreements, packaged together and
called the “Compromise of 1850,” was approved by Congress. These compromises were
a “mixed bag” which benefited both North and South: they allowed for California to be
admitted as a free state, for the other Mexican Cession territory to be admitted under the
idea of “popular sovereignty” (in which the people of a territory would determine if their
new state was to be free or slave), and also abolished the slave trade in the District of
Columbia. While many historians contend that the Compromise of 1850 actually
benefited Southern states more than the North, by this point the South, already very
suspicious of Northern motives, had to be coaxed into accepting the Compromise.
viii
One part of the Compromise involved a provision that forced Northern law enforcement
officials to return runaway slaves to their masters; it soon became a cause of particular
concern. The “Fugitive Slave Law” was met with resistance in the North, and some states
passed “personal liberty laws” which forbade enforcement of the fugitive slave laws.
Regardless of whether the rules were followed or not, slaves sought to escape and flee to
the North; some received assistance from Northern Quakers while others escaped through
a series of paths and “safe houses” that became known as the Underground Railroad.
In still another attempt to defuse the issue of slavery, Congress passed a bill introduced
by Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas which called for “popular sovereignty” in the Kansas
and Nebraska territories, allowing the residents of the two territories to decide on their
own whether their states would be slave or free. The result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
was that armed conflicts broke out in various Kansas settlements as proslavery and
antislavery factions flooded into the territory to make sure their side won. When
proslavery groups were declared victorious in Kansas, antislavery forces disputed the
results and refused to recognize the governor and legislature—instead, they assembled a
separate legislature and declared their own governor.
Still other issues tended to divide North and South. Southerners felt that Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s popular novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin gave a biased picture of slavery, slaveholders,
and life in the South. Sectional tensions came to a head even in the halls of Congress, as
members carried firearms to sessions for protection, and fights even sometimes broke out.
The most famous such incident occurred when Congressman Preston Brooks of South
Carolina severely beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane, seriously
injuring him.
In 1857, the United States Supreme Court heard the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford, in
which a slave who had been taken to free territory by his master claimed to be free. The
Court ruled that slaves could not be citizens, and therefore could not bring a case to court.
However, in a major victory for proslavery forces, the Court also ruled that since slaves
were property, masters could take them anywhere and still retain their power over them,
regardless of whether they were in free or slave territory. With this single ruling, all the
compromises that had held the Union together were torn apart. Many constitutional
scholars believe that the Dred Scott decision made the Civil War inevitable.
In 1859, a group of blacks and whites, led by a fanatic abolitionist named John Brown,
was stopped in an attempt to arm slaves by seizing weapons at the federal arsenal at
Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Although a federal court convicted Brown and sentenced him to
hang, many Southerners saw every Northerner as another John Brown, someone ready to
do anything to end slavery—even start a race war.
In the North, a new political party known as the Republicans was created to oppose the
expansion of slavery into the territories. In 1856, the party had a good showing in the
presidential election, and in 1860, the Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln of
Illinois as their presidential candidate. Fearful that Lincoln would seek to free slaves,
ix
Southern states began to threaten that if Lincoln won the election, they would secede
from the Union.
In November, 1860, Lincoln won a divided election over three other candidates: two
Democrats (one of which was Stephen Douglas), and a nominee from the new proslavery
“Constitutional Union” party. A few weeks later, South Carolina became the first state to
secede from the Union; other states soon followed. The beginning of the Civil War was
only months away.
x
1
The Missouri Compromise of 1820
Teacher Page
Overview:
After the Constitutional Convention, Congress continually sought to maintain some sort
of balance between Northern and Southern states. The population of the North was
greater than that of the South, giving the North a majority in the House of
Representatives. In the Senate, however, each state was allotted two seats; since there
were an equal number of slave and free states, the chamber was thus evenly divided. The
admission of Missouri as a slave state, as well as the disposition of other territory
acquired in the Louisiana Purchase, threatened the balance.
The Missouri Compromise seemed to solve the problem by admitting Missouri as a slave
state and Maine as a free state, as well as dividing the rest of the Louisiana Purchase into
slave and free territory. However, some were critical of the compromise.
Objectives:
Students will:
•
•
•
read and analyze both the Missouri Compromise and a letter from Thomas
Jefferson about the compromise
develop hypotheses regarding Jefferson’s motives and interests
make conclusions as to the impact of the compromise and its effect on later
sectional issues
Web Sites Used in this Lesson:
Students will utilize two sources in the lesson.
• A transcript of the legislation which allowed for the creation of the state of Missouri,
as well as setting up the dividing line between slave and free territory in the
remaining Louisiana Purchase. It can be found at
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@missouri_compromise1820.
(Note: Students will focus on Section 8 of the compromise legislation.)
• A letter written by Thomas Jefferson about the passage of the compromise bill,
located on the Library of Congress site at
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@jefferson_holmes.
Strategies:
Introduce the lesson discussing the definition of the term “compromise” and why
compromises are necessary in life as well as legislation. You should also discuss the
balance between slave and free states in Congress, and how the admission of Missouri
threatened that balance.
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Using the textbook or map, review the basic components of the compromise, which
included the admission of Missouri as a slave state, the admission of Maine as a free
state, and the drawing of the 36o30' line which separated slave and free territory in the
remainder of the Louisiana Territory. (A map of the compromise can be found at
http://www.wfu.edu/%7Ezulick/340/maps/map3.html).
Have students complete the worksheets.
Student answers for each question should range from two or three sentences to as much
as a single paragraph or a page, depending on the time available and the depth of answer
desired.
Wrap-Up:
Discuss Jefferson’s general views on slavery: You can either have students refer to
textbook material or you can have them read excerpts from Jefferson’s writings (one
good source is at http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@jefferson_
onslavery). What did Jefferson see as the main obstacles to emancipation?
Extension Activity:
Have students assume the roles of newspaper editors in the 1820s and write editorials
either supporting the compromise or opposing it, using evidence from the resources in the
lesson and from their textbook to support their arguments.
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The Missouri Compromise of 1820
Student Worksheet
Introduction:
Frequently, disputes or arguments between people are best solved through compromise:
each side gets part of what it wants, but has to give a little to the opposition as well. This
was true in 1820 with the admission of Missouri to the Union. Northern states and
Southern states sought to protect their interests while at the same time ensuring the
expansion of the United States.
While many hailed the compromise for meeting the concerns of both regions, others saw
trouble in its provisions.
All Web links for this lesson can be found at:
http://www.socialstudies.com/uslinks.html
Directions:
Transcript of the Missouri Compromise
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@missouri_compromise1820
Read the document, then answer the following questions:
1. Look at “SEC. 8” of this document. According to this section, how was the
Louisiana Purchase to be divided into slave and free territory? Regarding slavery,
what does the document say about the status of Missouri?
2. What does this section of the document state about fugitive or “runaway” slaves?
Why do you think the document didn’t include the word “slave” here even though
it obviously was referring to slaves?
Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes, April 22, 1820
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@jefferson_holmes
Read the source, then answer the following questions:
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3. Describe what this source is.
4. What phrase did Jefferson use to describe his reaction to the announcement of the
Missouri Compromise? What do you think he meant by this phrase?
5. Jefferson also noted that he considered this the “knell of the Union,” adding, “this
is a reprieve only, not a final sentence.” What do you believe Jefferson meant by
this remark?
6. To what is Jefferson referring here: “A geographical line, coinciding with a
marked principle, moral and political, once conceived and held up to the angry
passions of men, will never be obliterated; and every new irritation will mark it
deeper and deeper”? What do you think he meant by this sentence?
7. Jefferson next notes that “we have the wolf by the ears, and we can neither hold
him, nor safely let him go.” What do you think he meant by this statement?
8. Further on in the letter, why does Jefferson claim that the “sacrifice” of the
“generation of 1776” was being “thrown away by the unwise and unworthy
passions of their sons”? Why does he portray the compromise as an “act of
suicide”?
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9. Assume you are Thomas Jefferson, continuing to write the letter to Holmes.
Propose an alternative to the compromise in your letter. Be sure to give specifics
as well as reasons why, as Jefferson, you believe your plan would be more
effective than the Missouri Compromise as it was enacted.
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The Compromise of 1850
Teacher Page
Overview:
After the Mexican War, the United States acquired a substantial amount of new territory,
including what eventually would become the state of California. With the discovery of
gold in the California territory, the state’s population skyrocketed, and California soon
applied for statehood.
The rules which had been set in the Missouri Compromise weren’t effective to determine
whether California would be slave or free, so a set of compromises were developed by
Henry Clay. These compromises, which collectively became known as the Compromise
of 1850, still faced an uphill struggle for Congressional approval.
Objectives:
Students will:
•
•
•
read and investigate a primary source account related to the Compromise of 1850
speculate as to the impact of the source on the debate over the compromise
make inferences regarding the effects of the compromise
Web Sites Used in this Lesson:
Students will read excerpts from Daniel Webster’s “Seventh of March Speech”; the
complete text of the speech can be found at
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@webster_7thmarch.
Supplemental links:
The entire text of the Compromise of 1850 can be found at
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@compromise_1850.
South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun’s response to the compromise can be found at
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@calhoun_claycompromise.
Strategies:
Introduce the lesson with an overview of the Mexican War and the territory the U.S.
acquired as a result of the war. You might also wish to graphically show how the
Missouri Compromise’s 36o30' line cut the California territory into two halves.
Next, review the provisions of the Compromise of 1850. Most textbooks will have a
condensed version of each of Clay’s proposals, which you can write on a chalkboard or
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overhead. Ask students to speculate as to which side (North or South) each provision
favored.
Have students complete the worksheets.
Student answers for each question may vary, but should average three to five sentences.
Some answers may range from one paragraph to a page, depending on the depth of
answer desired and the amount of time allotted for completion.
Wrap-Up:
After students have completed the worksheets, have a discussion focused on the
following issue:
Why was there reluctance in the South to accept the Compromise of 1850, even though it
tended to benefit the South over the North?
Extension Activity:
Have students read the speech by Calhoun regarding the compromise. Ask them to write
an essay comparing and contrasting Calhoun’s view with that of Webster.
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The Compromise of 1850
Student Worksheet
Introduction:
After the Mexican War, the United States acquired a substantial amount of new territory
and it became evident that the Missouri Compromise would not be effective, especially
regarding the admission of California. A new set of compromises would be needed, and
there was sure to be heavy debate in Congress.
Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky developed a group of proposals to resolve several
issues; however, Southerners were reluctant to make the compromises that would be
involved. On March 7, 1850, Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts spoke in an
attempt to persuade senators to vote in favor of the proposals.
All Web links for this lesson can be found at:
http://www.socialstudies.com/uslinks.html
Directions:
Daniel Webster, “Seventh of March” speech
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@webster1850
Read the document, then answer the following questions:
1. In your view, why does Webster begin his remarks with “I wish to speak today,
not as a Massachusetts man, nor as a Northern man, but as an American”?
2. In Webster’s words, for what purpose(s) was he addressing the Senate in this
speech?
3. Summarize how Webster perceived how Southerners justified slavery. How does
he use the Bible in his argument? Why do you think Webster used this sort of
argument?
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4. What did Webster have to say regarding returning escaped slaves in Northern
states to the South? Why do you think he took the position he did on this issue?
5. What was Webster’s view regarding abolitionists and abolition societies? What
did he see as the effect of abolition societies in the North?
6. How does Webster describe the idea of what he describes as “peaceable
secession”?
7. How does Webster attempt to convey to the Senate how secession would be
viewed by “our fathers and grandfathers” as well as “our children and
grandchildren”? Why do you think Webster included this statement in his speech?
8. Webster notes in his speech that he believed that secession would lead to war. In
your view, do you think that many others in the Senate held that view? Why do
you think Webster made that statement? Explain your answers.
9. Webster was a Northerner, yet he makes several points in his speech that supports
the Southern view. Why do you think he did this?
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10. Webster’s speech helped pass the Compromise of 1850, yet sectional tensions
continued to rise. Was it realistic for Webster and others devoted to compromise
to think that appeals to the abstract ideal of “Union” would prevent an ultimate
conflict over slavery? Justify your opinion.
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The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Teacher Page
Overview:
As with other issues regarding the organization of territories acquired by the United
States, the organization of Kansas and Nebraska sparked a great deal of debate over
sectional issues, including slavery.
Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas introduced an act that would allow the citizens of the
territories to vote to decide whether to be slave or free, a concept called “popular
sovereignty.” Some believe that Douglas’s interest in the organization of these territories
was personal because he had presidential aspirations as well as financial interests in a
possible transcontinental railroad route.
Objectives:
Students will:
•
•
•
read an excerpt from the Kansas-Nebraska Act and make conclusions regarding
the reading
speculate as to the reasoning and motives of the framers of the act
make conclusions as to the effect of the Kansas-Nebraska Act on sectionalism
Web Sites Used in this Lesson:
Students will read excerpts from two documents. The full text of each document is listed
below.
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act:
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@kansas_nebraska1854
• Abraham Lincoln’s speech against the Kansas-Nebraska Act:
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@lincoln_kansasnebraska
Strategies:
Begin the lesson with an overview of the various compromises of the period, including
the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. You may also wish to show the
Kansas and Nebraska territories on the map to demonstrate their geographic location.
Have students complete the worksheets.
Answers to most questions will average three to five sentences, while some answers may
range from a paragraph to a full page, depending on the amount of time given and the
depth of answer desired.
Wrap-Up:
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After the activity, lead the class in a debate on the merits of popular sovereignty. Was it
realistic to think that the issue of slavery in the territories could be resolved by a simple
referendum, or should the government have foreseen that, as Frederick Douglass noted,
the bill would be “an open invitation to a fierce and bitter strife”? Given that the Act led
proslavery and antislavery forces to swarm into the territories to influence the vote—
often by violent means—ask students to debate whether the Congress and the President
should have considered repealing the act or proposing some other legislation to replace it.
Extension Activity:
Have the class debate whether the idea of “popular sovereignty” has any place in
America today. Among the issues to discuss: Is it a good way to resolve troublesome
issues? Is it constitutional? Is it a good measure of “the will of the people” or is it just a
way for the federal government to “abandon its job”? Compare and contrast popular
sovereignty with state practices of referendum, initiative, and recall.
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The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Student Worksheet
Introduction:
In the early 1850s, debate continued regarding admission of the Kansas and Nebraska
Territories. Would these territories enter the Union as slave or free?
Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas pushed through legislation which eventually became
known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act. His view was to allow the citizens of the two
territories to determine themselves whether to be slave or free. Some believed that this
method of “popular sovereignty” was an equitable way to solve this issue. Many national
leaders in the mid-1850s had strong opinions about the Act, including Abraham Lincoln.
All Web links for this lesson can be found at:
http://www.socialstudies.com/uslinks.html
Directions:
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@kansas-nebraska
Read the document, then answer the following questions:
1. What was the basic purpose of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
2. What does the opening paragraph of the act (which starts, “Be it enacted…”) state
about slavery as it pertained to the admission of these territories?
3. What provisions does the opening paragraph make in regard to treatment of
Indians? Given that the main debate regarding Kansas and Nebraska was over
slavery, why do you think these provisions regarding Indians received such a
prominent place in the Act?
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4. Next, look at the paragraph marked “Sec. 10.” What does the act say regarding
“fugitives from justice and persons escaping from the service of their masters”?
What do you think “persons escaping from the service of their masters” means?
Why do you think this section was added to the act?
5. Next, look at Section 32. What reference(s) does this section make to Missouri?
In your view, why were these references added to the act?
Abraham Lincoln, Speech on the Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@lincoln1854
Read the document, then answer the following questions:
6. Based on your reading of the document, was Lincoln in favor of the act or
opposed to it? Give evidence to support your view.
7. What does Lincoln say about the issue of whether expanding slavery into new
territories increases the number of slaves in the nation as a whole?
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8. What does Lincoln note about the addition of slavery into new territories and
states, in regard to the nation as a whole? In your view, what can we infer from
Lincoln’s statements here about his own beliefs regarding slavery?
9. In your view, do you think most people shared Lincoln’s view of slavery being
detrimental to “poor white people”? If not, why do you think Lincoln made such
statements?
10. Had the Kansas-Nebraska Act not been passed, do you think the Missouri
Compromise would have been acceptable to solve the issue about whether slavery
would have been allowed in the Kansas and Nebraska Territory? Why or why
not?
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The Dred Scott Decision
Teacher Page
Overview:
Throughout the early to middle part of the 19th century, various compromises and pieces
of legislation had kept the nation united. However, in the mid-1850s a court case raised
the possibility that the weak framework holding the nation together might collapse. A
slave named Dred Scott had sued for his freedom, with the case going to the United
States Supreme Court on appeal. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case would
destroy the system of compromises keeping the nation together, and would make the
Civil War inevitable.
Objectives:
Students will:
•
•
•
read and make inferences about a legal document
speculate as to the impact of this court case on the American political and legal
landscape of the mid-19th century
make conclusions about how this source was influenced by and affected
sectionalism
Web Sites Used in this Lesson:
Students will utilize excerpts from the text of the Dred Scott decision. The full text of the
decision is located at http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@dredscott_full.
Strategies:
Begin with an overview of the compromises and legislation which had been implemented
to keep the nation together, including the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the
Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Next, give an overview of the Dred Scott case itself, using a map to demonstrate the
geography of the case, especially in regard to the compromises. (For example, show that
Missouri, where the Dred Scott case initiated, was a slave state under the terms of the
Missouri Compromise, and that Illinois was a free state under the terms of the Northwest
Ordinance of 1787.)
In addition, you may also wish to discuss the concept of citizenship as it relates to the
case, including the factor of whether or not a non-citizen is entitled to file a lawsuit in a
state or federal court.
Have students complete the worksheets.
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Answers to most of the questions will average three to five sentences, while answers to
some may average one half to one full page.
Wrap-Up:
After students have finished the worksheets, have the class use their answers from
question 9 and debate whether the Dred Scott decision made the Civil War inevitable.
Extension Activity:
Ask students to compare the Dred Scott decision with the decisions of Plessy v. Ferguson
and Brown v. Board of Education. (Note: the Plessy decision can be found online at
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@plessy_ferguson. The Brown decision
can be found at http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=347
&invol=483.)
Students should compare the decisions as to their effects on the rights of African
Americans, and whether the decisions supported or overturned the ideas in the Dred Scott
decision.
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The Dred Scott Decision
Student Worksheet
Introduction:
Throughout the years prior to the Civil War, various compromises were enacted to keep
the North and South together. States and territories were set apart as “slave” or “free,”
and other areas were allowed to determine that issue on their own through “popular
sovereignty.”
However, the Dred Scott case threatened to destroy all these compromises and tear the
nation apart. Scott, a slave owned by an Army physician, had been moved from Missouri
to Illinois, then back to Missouri. Scott’s feeling was that when he was moved from
Missouri, a slave state, to Illinois, a free state, he became a free man. It was up to the
United States Supreme Court to determine whether his claim was legitimate. Chief
Justice Roger Taney wrote the decision for the court.
All Web links for this lesson can be found at:
http://www.socialstudies.com/uslinks.html
Directions:
The Dred Scott Decision
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@dredscott
Read the document, then answer the following questions:
1. According to the decision, there were two “leading questions” presented by the
record. What were those two questions?
2. How does the decision describe Dred Scott and his family? How does it describe
the relationship between Dred Scott and Sandford?
3. How does Justice Taney describe the question of “negro citizenship”?
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4. Justice Taney writes that “the words ‘people of the United States,’ and ‘citizens’
are synonymous terms, and mean the same thing.” What did Justice Taney believe
they meant? Do you agree with his view? Why or why not?
5. Describe how Justice Taney used the Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution to help answer the question of whether slaves were also citizens of
the United States.
6. How did Justice Taney finally rule on the issue of citizenship of the slaves? How
did this affect the case? In your view, was this part of the decision fair? Why or
why not?
7. Justice Taney continued with his decision, mentioning “another point in the case,
which depends on State power and State law.” What was this point? How did
Justice Taney rule in this regard?
8. In your view, what did this part of the decision mean in regard to the Missouri
Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act? Explain
your answer.
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9. Some historians believe that the Dred Scott decision made the Civil War
“inevitable.” Do you agree or disagree? Explain your position on this statement.
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John Brown
Teacher Page
Overview:
While sectional feelings simmered in the 1850s, the trial of John Brown and his followers
caused the distrust between the North and South to boil over. Brown, a fanatical
abolitionist, was tried and convicted on a charge of treason for attempting to seize the
federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown’s plan was to arm slaves so they could
fight for their freedom.
Objectives:
Students will:
•
•
•
read and compare two sources about John Brown
make conclusions and comparisons regarding the sources
speculate as to the effect and impact of John Brown on sectionalism
Web Sites Used in this Lesson:
Students will utilize two sources:
• John Brown’s Final Address to the Court (November 2, 1859). This source is located
at http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@brown_trial.
• An editorial from the Raleigh, North Carolina Register from December 3, 1859, titled
“Execution of John Brown.” This source is located at
http://history.furman.edu/~benson/docs/ncrrjb59c03a.htm.
Strategies:
Review with students the differences of opinion within the abolitionist movement on the
best way to get rid of slavery (violent vs. nonviolent means, legal vs. extralegal measures,
gradual vs. immediate emancipation). Next, highlight aspects of John Brown’s life and
career, including the “Pottawatamie massacre.”
Have students complete the worksheets.
Answers to most questions will average three to five sentences. However, some questions
may require an answer of a paragraph to an entire page, depending on the amount of time
and the depth of answers required.
Wrap-Up:
After the student worksheets have been collected, lead a discussion on the effect of John
Brown’s raid on the antislavery movement. Did it impact the movement in a negative or
positive way?
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Extension Activity:
Have students conduct further research on the John Brown/Harpers Ferry case. You may
want to have them debate whether it was possible for Brown to have received a fair trial.
Students can research information about Brown in sources such as the University of
Virginia archives of the Staunton Spectator (http://www.iath.virginia.edu/jbrown/
spectator.html) and the Alabama Law Review transcript of John Brown’s 1859 trial
(http://www.law.ua.edu/lawreview/lubet522.htm).
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John Brown
Student Worksheet
Introduction:
In 1859, John Brown, an antislavery fanatic, led a band of 21 black and white men into
Harpers Ferry, Virginia to seize the federal arsenal there. His plan was to give the
weapons from the arsenal to slaves in the area in hopes of starting an uprising.
However, the raid failed, eight of Brown’s men were killed, and Brown himself was
captured and convicted of treason. Executed for the crime, Brown was celebrated by
some in the North as a martyr for the antislavery cause and vilified by some in the South
as a monster.
All Web links for this lesson can be found at:
http://www.socialstudies.com/uslinks.html
Directions:
John Brown’s Trial Speech
http://www.socialstudies.com/article.html?article@brown_trial
Read the document, then answer the following questions:
1. Where was this address made? On what date was the address made? What were
the circumstances under which Brown made this speech?
2. In the first paragraph of John Brown’s statement, what did he deny? What did he
admit to?
3. Why did Brown object to the “penalty” to which he had been sentenced? Under
what circumstances did Brown rationalize that those witnesses might have
deemed his conduct “an act worthy of reward rather than punishment”?
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4. How did Brown use the Bible to justify the raid? What did he say about the
prospect of being executed?
5. Brown stated that he felt no “consciousness of guilt”? What do you think he
meant by this?
“Execution of John Brown”
http://history.furman.edu/~benson/docs/ncrrjb59c03a.htm
Read the document, then answer the following questions:
6. Describe what this source is, and what region of the country it comes from.
7. How does the source describe “fanaticism” in the North? How does the source
describe how the city of Boston was dealing with the upcoming execution of
Brown?
8. What does the source suggest that Governor Wise do with the gallows and rope
used in the execution? What does the source suggest might happen with the
gallows and rope otherwise?
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9. In your view, was John Brown a hero, a traitor, or neither? Do you think the
Harpers Ferry raid hurt or helped the abolitionists’ cause? Justify your answer.
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Culminating Activities
1. Have students role-play various persons who were involved in the sectionalism
dispute in one form or another, including examples from the resources in this unit
as well as from their own research. The role play can be in “talk show” format
with a moderator asking questions about specific issues.
Examples of persons to role play:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dred Scott
Roger B. Taney, the Supreme Court justice who wrote the Dred Scott decision
John C. Calhoun
Daniel Webster
Stephen Douglas
John Brown
Abraham Lincoln
2. Have students write essays about the impact and effectiveness of the various
compromises and legislation from the sectionalist period, such as the Missouri
Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In
their essays, students should note the main purposes and points of each
compromise, who promoted or developed each, and whether it was effective in
reducing tensions between North and South.
3. Have students research and conduct mock trials of John Brown and/or Dred Scott.
Students should research the decisions and trial transcripts. Assign the roles of
Brown and/or Scott and the attorneys representing the different sides in each case;
have the remainder of the class (or outside students and teachers) participate as
jury members.
4. Ask students to write “editorials” for newspapers of the day, summarizing the
major differences between the North and South during the sectional period, and
suggesting ways to ease tension between the two sections.
5. Have students research the Lincoln-Douglas debates. (One good source of
transcripts of the debates is the Lincoln Home National Park Service Web site,
located at http://www.nps.gov/liho/debates.htm.) Students can either write essays
critiquing the two candidates for senator from Illinois, or can role-play the two
candidates in mock debates.
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APPENDIX
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Answer Key
Lesson 1:
1. According to SEC. 8 of the law, in all territory located above 36o30', slavery was
prohibited, except as punishment for crimes. In regard to the status of Missouri, the
document specifically exempts it—the territory mentioned above the 36o30' line
includes the wording “not included within the limits of the state.”
2. It notes that “any person escaping into the same [territory designated as free], from
whom labour or service is lawfully claimed, in any state or territory of the United
States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming
his or her labour or service as aforesaid.” In essence, this statement requires the return
of runaway slaves to their masters. Answers to the second part of the question will
vary.
3. This source is a transcript of a letter sent by Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes
approximately a month after the passage of the Missouri Compromise.
4. Jefferson noted in the letter that “this momentous question, like a fire bell in the
night, awakened me and filled me with terror.” Answers will vary as to Jefferson’s
meaning; however, students will probably equate “fire bell in the night” with a smoke
detector alarm: if the smoke alarm sounds in the middle of the night, it would startle
whoever in the house heard it.
5. Jefferson noted that the compromise would probably temporarily resolve the issues of
sectionalism and slavery, but that it would not be a perfect or total solution. In
Jefferson’s view, the question would come up again, and would have to be dealt with.
6. Jefferson is referring to the 36o30' line. Answers to the second part of the question
will vary, but most should note that Jefferson viewed the line as something that, since
it was a product of “marked principle,” would be transformed by the “angry passions
of men” into a bone of contention between the regions in the future.
7. Answers will vary, but Jefferson’s general thrust is that the compromise made gradual
emancipation impossible because it recognized and legitimized slavery in a way that
hadn’t been done at the national level before. Jefferson saw the compromise as
trading the “justice” of emancipation for the temporary goal of “self-preservation.”
8. Answers will vary, but Jefferson essentially believes that the Missouri Compromise
was a mistaken attempt to satisfy an “abstract principle” by dividing the country. The
compromise enshrined “scission” instead of “union.”
9. Answers will vary depending on the amount of time given for the answer and the
depth of the response desired.
Lesson 2:
1. Webster probably wanted his fellow senators to see him as conciliatory toward the
South, rising above sectional interests for the good of the nation as a whole.
2. Webster notes that he speaks “out of a solicitous and anxious heart for the restoration
to the country of that quiet and harmonious harmony which makes the blessings of
this Union so rich, and so dear to us all.”
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3. Webster notes that while Northerners might have felt that slavery was a moral and
religious wrong, Southerners accepted it because of the way that they were raised. He
noted that “there are thousands of religious men, with consciences as tender of any of
their brethren in the north, who do not see the unlawfulness of slavery…and finding
slavery to be an established relation of the society in which they live, can see no way
in which, let their opinions on the abstract question be what they may, it is in the
power of the present generation to relieve themselves from this relation.” Answers to
the final question will vary. Some students may note that while slavery is noted in the
Bible, the teaching of “do unto others as you would want done unto you” might have
been used as an argument against slavery.
4. Webster took the rather unpopular view that runaway slaves should be returned to
their masters. He was probably looking for some sort of way to conciliate the South
and get them to accept the compromise, and the idea of supporting the Fugitive Slave
Law appeared to him as the best way to get the Southern senators, especially John C.
Calhoun, to support the compromise. In addition, he also notes an earlier Supreme
Court decision which supported his view of the Fugitive Slave Law.
5. Webster in the speech is generally critical of abolition societies and abolitionists,
noting that he did not find them “useful,” adding that he believed that “their
operations for the last twenty years have produced nothing good or valuable.” He
does note, however, that he believes “thousands of their members to be honest and
good men, perfectly well-meaning men.” He also adds that “everything these
agitating people have done has been, not to enlarge, but to restrain, not to set free, but
to bind faster the slave population of the South…”
6. In essence, Webster notes that “peaceable secession” was an impossibility. He asks
“What is to remain American?” and “Where is the line to be drawn?” He also notes
that secession could only lead to war.
7. Webster notes that “our fathers and grandfathers would rebuke and reproach us,” and
that “our children and grandchildren would cry out shame upon us.” Answers will
vary as to why Webster included this statement; however, some students might note
the senators’ loyalty to family ties and patriotism, as well as a responsibility to
safeguard American ideals and beliefs for future generations.
8. Answers will vary. Some students may argue that many members of the Senate would
be opposed to a war that would tear the country apart, and would feel that Webster
had tried to appeal to that opposition.
9. Answers will vary. Some students may note that Webster may have felt that a
compromise in which it was necessary to give more to the South to save the Union
was necessary, and more important than the Northern view or his own philosophy.
10. Answers will vary.
Lesson 3:
1. The basic purpose of the Kansas-Nebraska Act was to “organize the territories of
Nebraska and Kansas.”
2. The act states that “the said Territory or any portion of the same, shall be received
into the Union with (or) without slavery, as their constitution may prescribe at the
time of admission.” (Note: various transcripts of the act have the same wording —
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
“with without slavery.” However, the original document clearly states “with or
without slavery.”)
“That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to impair the rights of person or
property now pertaining to the Indians in said Territory so long as such rights shall
remain unextinguished by treaty between the United States and such Indians, or
include any territory which, by treaty with any Indian tribe, is not, without the
consent of said tribe, to be included within the territorial line or jurisdiction of any
State or Territory; but all such territory shall excepted out of the boundaries, and
constitute no part of the Territory of Nebraska, until said tribe shall signify their
assent to the President of the United States to be included within the said Territory of
Nebraska, or to affect the authority of the government of the United States make any
regulations respecting such Indians, their lands, property, or other rights, by treaty,
law, or otherwise, which it would have been competent to the government to make if
this act had never passed.” Answers to the second part of the question will vary.
Most students would note that “persons escaping from the service of their masters”
was a thinly veiled reference to slaves. It could be inferred from this paragraph that
runaway slaves might be returned to their masters, just as escaped prisoners
(“fugitives from justice”) should be returned to the “scene of the crime,” or where
they were convicted, to serve out their sentence.
Essentially, the act repeals the Missouri Compromise. Specifically, the section notes
that “…commonly called the Compromise Measures, is hereby declared inoperative
and void.” The logic for this would be that the Missouri Compromise line would have
dictated whether the Kansas and Nebraska territories would be slave or free instead of
the “popular sovereignty” provision of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Most students would believe that Lincoln was opposed. For example, in the opening
paragraph of the excerpt, he notes that the idea that slavery would stay out of Kansas
and Nebraska with popular sovereignty is a “palliation—a lullabye.” He also notes,
“But, however this may be, we know the opening of new countries to slavery, tends to
the perpetuation of the institution, and so does KEEP men in slavery who otherwise
would be free. This result we do not FEEL like favoring, and we are under no legal
obligation to suppress our feelings in this respect…”
Lincoln notes that there is some truth to the idea that expanding slavery into new
territories actually decreases the number of slaves overall, but he also adds that the
slave trade nationwide is still in effect, and the demand for slaves in new territories
actually increases, thereby increasing the importation of slaves into the nation and
increasing the number of slaves.
Lincoln states that “The whole nation is interested that the best use shall be made of
these territories. We want them for the homes of free white people. This they cannot
be, to any considerable extent, if slavery shall be planted within them. Slave States
are places for poor white people to remove FROM; not to remove TO. New free
States are the places for poor people to go to and better their condition. For this use,
the nation needs these territories.” Answers to Lincoln’s beliefs will vary. Some
students may infer from Lincoln’s statement that while he was against slavery in
principle, his views about keeping slavery out of new territories might have been
more to benefit whites and their settlement and employment in these territories than
to show that slavery was a moral wrong.
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9. Answers will vary. Some students may believe that many did see slavery as an
institution that only benefited rich white men. On the other hand, Lincoln may have
merely been trying to subtly introduce this argument in order to drive a wedge
between rich and poor whites in the South.
10. Answers will vary. Most students will probably say that the Missouri Compromise
line would have given most, if not all, of the territory to the free states, and that would
have been unacceptable to the South. However, some may note that the Compromise
could have been amended in order to create some slave territory.
Lesson 4:
1. “Had the Circuit Court of the United States jurisdiction to hear and determine the case
between these parties? If it had jurisdiction, is the judgment it has given erroneous or
not?”
2. “The plaintiff [Dred Scott]... was, with his wife and children, held as slaves by the
defendant [Sandford], in the State of Missouri; and he brought this action in the
Circuit Court of the United States for [Missouri], to assert the title of himself and his
family to freedom.” “The declaration is . . . that he and the defendant are citizens of
different States; that... he is a citizen of Missouri, and the defendant a citizen of New
York.”
3. “The question is simply this: Can a negro, whose ancestors were imported into this
country, and sold as slaves, become a member of the political community formed and
brought into existence by the Constitution of the United States, and as such become
entitled to all the rights, and privileges, and immunities, guarantied by that instrument
to the citizen? One of which rights is the privilege of suing in a court of the United
States in the cases specified in the Constitution....”
4. Justice Taney notes that “they both describe the political body who…form the
sovereignty, and who hold the power and conduct the Government through their
representatives.” Most students would probably agree with Justice Taney’s concept of
citizenship as involving “membership” in a national body, and might consider that
most citizens gain citizenship by place of birth, citizenship of their parents, or by
naturalization.
5. Justice Taney states in the decision that “it becomes necessary, therefore, to
determine who were citizens of the several States when the Constitution was
adopted…” He notes that “the language in the Declaration of Independence show that
neither the class of persons who had been imported as slaves, nor their descendants,
whether they had become free or not, were then acknowledged as a part of the people,
not intended to be included with the general words used in that memorable
instrument.” Taney also states that while the Declaration states that “all men are
created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…,”
black slaves were not meant to be included. In regard to the text of the Constitution,
Taney cites two clauses. The first clause reserved to each of the thirteen states the
right to import slaves until 1808. In the second, the states pledge “to maintain the
flight of property of the master, by delivering up to him any slave who may have
escaped from his service, and be found within their respective territories.”
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6. Justice Taney ruled that, based on his analysis of historic documents, Dred Scott was
not a citizen of Missouri, and therefore was not entitled to sue in Missouri courts.
Therefore, the court had no jurisdiction in the case, and its original ruling in favor of
Scott was erroneous. Students would probably find this part of the decision unfair for
several reasons. Noncitizens can be tried in U.S. courts in criminal cases, and in
instances where crimes are committed against them, those defendants are also tried in
U.S. courts. In addition, students might look at instances where lawsuits have been
filed by terrorists’ victims and their survivors against noncitizens who have
committed acts of terrorism or who are suspected of committing acts of terrorism.
7. Justice Taney ruled on Dred Scott’s contention that he became a free man when he
was moved from Missouri to Illinois. Citing a precedent from an 1850 case, Justice
Taney said that his status, free or slave, depended on the law of Missouri, and not of
Illinois. In essence, Justice Taney believed that since Dred Scott’s master was a
citizen of Missouri, the laws of the state of Illinois had no impact as to Dred Scott’s
status as a slave.
8. Students’ answers will vary, but they will probably note that since Justice Taney ruled
that ownership of a slave was dependent on the citizen’s state of residence, and not
the location of that slave, the decision would have probably neutralized most aspects
of those compromises.
9. Answers will vary. Some students may note that the decision wiped out all the
compromises that kept the North and South together, and therefore that made Civil
War an inevitability. Other students may note that it could have been possible for a
constitutional amendment to be ratified or for another Supreme Court opinion to be
decided which would have nullified the Dred Scott decision. They may also have
noted that regardless of the Dred Scott decision, it is possible that both sides might
have felt that a war would have been too destructive to consider.
Lesson 5:
1. Brown made this speech in the court which had just convicted him of treason and
sentenced him to death. The speech was made on November 2, 1859.
2. Brown denied that he ever intended to commit murder, or treason, or the destruction
of property, or to excite or incite slaves to rebellion, or to make insurrection. He did
admit to “a design on my part to free slaves,” noting that he was able to help slaves
escape from Missouri into Canada “without the snapping of a gun on either side.” He
noted that he “designed to do the same thing again on a larger scale.”
3. Brown states that he believed it was “unjust” that he should suffer such a penalty,
claiming that if he had “interfered” on behalf of “the rich, the powerful, the
intelligent, the so called great”—instead of on behalf of slaves—it “would have been
all right.”
4. Brown noted that he “sees a book kissed, which I suppose to be the Bible… which
teaches me that all things whatsoever I would that men do to me, I should do even so
to them. It teaches me, further, to remember that them that are in bonds as bound with
them.” He notes about his sentence of death, “I believe that to interfere as I have
done, as I have always freely admitted I have done, in behalf of his despised poor, I
did not wrong but right. Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life
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for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood
of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are
disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I say let it be done.”
5. He said “I have stated from the first what was my intention, and what was not.”
6.
7.
8.
9.
Student answers to what Brown meant by this will vary. Most will point to what
Brown says in the rest of the paragraph, as he claims that although he was trying to
free slaves, he did not promote slave insurrection nor commit treason.
The source is an editorial from the Raleigh, North Carolina Register (newspaper)
from December 3, 1859.
The editorial begins by talking about the “excitement at the North” regarding
Brown’s execution. The editorial continues by saying “Fanaticism at the North is
rampant, and overrides everything.” The editorial also notes that “On yesterday, the
godly city of Boston, built up and sustained by the products of negro slave labor,
went into mourning, fasting and prayer, over the condign punishment of a negro
stealer, murderer and traitor, and from fifty pulpits the Praise-God-Bare-bones
belched forth volumes of blasphemy and treason.”
The source suggests that both the gallows and rope be burned, and that the fact be
publicized. The source notes that “The Yankees have no objection of mingling money
making with their grief, and they will, unless Brown’s gallows is known to be
burned….” The editorial also urges that the same be done to the rope, “or we shall
see vast quantities of breast pins, lockets, and bracelets, containing bits of the “rope
which hung ‘Old Brown’ for sale.”
Answers will vary.
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Argumentative Paragraph/Essay Rubric
Structure-Introduction
– states thesis/main idea
– introduces main points
Weighting
Level 1 (50-59)
- simple opening statement
- limited identification of main points
SCORE
Level 2 (60-69)
- thesis stated but unclear
- main points unclear
Level 3 (70-79)
- thesis is stated but somewhat unclear
- main points introduced with moderate clarity
Level 4 (80-100)
- thesis is precisely stated
- main points clearly introduced
Structure-Conclusion
– summarizes thesis/main
idea
– summarizes main points
Level 1 (50-59)
- abrupt ending; limited summarizing of main
points
Level 2 (60-69)
- thesis summarized but unclear
- main point summarized but unclear
Weighting
Level 3 (70-79)
- thesis summarized but somewhat unclear
- main points summarized but unclear
Level 4 (80-100)
- thesis clearly summarized
- main points clearly summarized
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Supporting Reasons or
Arguments
- arguments are related to
the main idea logically
Weighting
Level 1 (50-59)
- arguments are unrelated
Level 2 (60-69)
- arguments are unclear and not logically related
to the main idea
Level 3 (70-79)
- arguments are usually clear and logically related
to the main idea
Level 4 (80-100)
- arguments are quite clear and logically
related to the main idea
Evidence and Examples
Level 1 (50-59)
- relevant supporting evidence - limited support of points, evidence mostly
- sufficient quantity of facts
irrelevant
- limited or unrelated facts used
used
Weighting
SCORE
Level 2 (60-69)
- some points have been supported, some
evidence not relevant
- insufficient or missing some facts
Level 3 (70-79)
- most points have been supported with relevant
evidence
- sufficient use of facts
Level 4 (80-100)
- each point has been supported with relevant
evidence
- substantial facts used
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43
Mechanics of Writing
– correct grammar and
spelling used
– use of correct citation
method
Weighting
Level 1 (50-59)
- grammar and spelling used with limited
accuracy and effectiveness
- citation method not followed or absent
SCORE
Level 2 (60-69)
- grammar and spelling used with some accuracy
and effectiveness
- citation method used but with significant errors
Level 3 (70-79)
- grammar and spelling used with considerable
accuracy and effectiveness
- minor errors in citation method
Level 4 (80-100)
- correct grammar and spelling used with
accuracy and effectiveness almost all of the time
- precise use of citation method
Additional Criteria
Weighting
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44
Debate Rubric
Clear articulation of position
Level 1
- position is not clearly stated
SCORE
Level 2
- position is recognized, but only clarified
through prompting
Level 3
- a clear position is stated
Level 4
- a clear position is stated and fully articulated
Provides support for position
Level 1
- limited support for initial position
SCORE
Level 2
- support for initial position is present but lacks
clarity of presentation
Level 3
- support for initial position is clearly presented
and reasoned based on evidence
Level 4
- supporting arguments for position are both
reasoned and persuasively presented
Considers other positions
Level 1
- limited sensitivity to other positions
SCORE
Level 2
- other positions acknowledged but not
considered
Level 3
- other positions acknowledged and considered
Level 4
- other positions considered and effectively
incorporated or countered
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45
Effectively critiques positions
Level 1
- limited sensitivity to other positions
SCORE
Level 2
- other positions acknowledged but not
considered
Level 3
- other positions acknowledged and considered
Level 4
- other positions considered and effectively
incorporated or countered
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46
Oral Presentation Rubric
Your Name: ______________________
Topic:_____________________________
Criteria
Possible
Self-Assessment
Points
Provided depth in coverage of topic.
Presentation was well planned and
coherent.
Presenters were models of thoughtfulness.
Personal experience integrated where
relevant and appropriate. Explanations
and reasons given for conclusions.
Teacher
Assessment
10
10
10
Communication aids were clear and useful.
10
Bibliographic information for others was
complete.
10
Total Possible Points
50
Rate each category according to the following scale:
•
•
•
•
•
•
9–10 = excellent
7–8 = very good
5–6 = good
3–4 = satisfactory
1–2 = poor
0 = unsatisfactory
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47
Related Sectionalism Web Sites
Politics and Sectionalism in the 1850s
This Web site contains various primary source materials of the sectionalist period,
including the Dred Scott case, the Compromise of 1850, “Bleeding Kansas,” and the
Kansas-Nebraska Act.
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/E/1850s/polixx.htm
Sectionalism
A group of various Web-based resources (some are student produced) from the period.
Included are links to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad,
the WPA Slave Narratives, and the Amistad incident.
http://cvip.fresno.com/~jsh33/sect.html
Shotgun’s American Civil War Homepage’s “Sectionalism: Wedges of Separation in
the Civil War”
An explanation page of the various pressures that tore at the North and South during the
prewar years. Another page on the same site (http://www.civilwarhome.com/secession
justificationpart4.htm) explains how sectionalism became the undercurrent which led to
secession of the Southern states.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/sectionalism.htm
University of Virginia Sectionalism link page
This Web page contains several links to the trial of John Brown, Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
“Bleeding Kansas,” and other sectional issues.
http://www.iath.virginia.edu/seminar/unit4/unit4.html
Africans in America
The accompanying Web site for a PBS series on slavery, this site contains several links to
sectional issues as well as companion historical information.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/
Teachers Discovering History as Historians: Sectionalism
This Web page on sectionalism includes primary source material, links to Web quests,
and multimedia materials.
http://www.teachersdiscoveringhistoryashistorians.com/2nd%20Level/Teacher_Res
ources/Sectionalism/
Mr. Lincoln and Freedom
This Web site contains several primary source links related to Lincoln speeches and
writings on the Civil War period as well as sectionalism.
http://www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org/
African American Odyssey
This Library of Congress exhibit contains several links regarding the sectional issue.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart3b.html
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48
National History Project – Conflict and Cooperation: Potential Third-Order
Documents
This page contains several good primary source documents, including speeches by Clay,
Calhoun, Lincoln and Douglas, as well as secession orders from various Southern states.
http://www.history.ilstu.edu/nhp/conflict/third-order.html
Anti-railroad Propaganda Poster – The Growth of Regionalism, 1800 - 1860
This online lesson plan provided by the National Archives contains a lesson plan as well
as related links.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/anti-rail/
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49
Resources on Sectionalism
available from Social Studies School Service
To order, go to http://www.socialstudies.com/mproduct.html and enter the code and
quantity of the desired titles or call toll-free 800-421-4246.
CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR: United States History Video Collection. Explores a
number of factors, including plantation slavery, the rise of King Cotton, the industrial
North, sectional polarization, the Missouri Compromise, free blacks and the abolition
movement, black resistance to slavery, Nat Turner’s Rebellion, the ascent of the
Republican Party, the Compromise of 1850, popular sovereignty, the Underground
Railroad, Dred Scott, Abraham Lincoln, and the secession of Southern states. An
entertaining mix of archival imagery, reenactments, dramatic readings, and interviews
with historians provides facts in context and from many perspectives, including those of
often underrepresented groups. Grades 5–12. Closed captioned. Color. 35 minutes.
Schlessinger. ©1996.
LV438V
VHS videocassette
$39.95
LV438DV
DVD
$39.95
DANIEL WEBSTER: Profiles in Courage. Set in 1850, this episode from the acclaimed
Profiles in Courage series examines the likelihood of civil war, sectional interests versus.
Unionism, and the costs of compromise. Webster (played by Martin Gabel) defies his
abolitionist supporters and sacrifices his chance for the presidency to support the
Compromise of 1850. Believing the measure necessary to prevent secession, the senator
decides to “stand by the Union” rather than oppose slavery at all costs. Black-and-white.
50 minutes. Zenger.
ZF103V
VHS videocassette, guide
$49.95
ZF103DV
DVD
$49.95
THE CIVIL WAR: A New Birth of Freedom. Narration geared for taking notes,
animated maps, and a smooth progression of visuals highlight this overview. Divided into
sections with inside titles, the video gives students clear explanations of slavery issues in
the Constitution, the Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, impact of the Dred Scott
Decision, abolitionists and their work, how war began, the conflict's grand strategies and
major battles, Lincoln's political leadership, the pivotal roles of Lee and Grant, and the
aftermath of war. The 19-page, 8½" x 11" guide has reproducible worksheets, notetaking
questions, study project ideas, and video script. Grades 4–8. Color and black-and-white.
32 minutes. Knowledge Unlimited. ©2002.
ED235V
VHS videocassette, guide
$59.95
Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only. © 2004 Social Studies School Service. (800) 421-4246 socialstudies.com
50
CIVIL WAR: Eyewitness Books. By John Stanchak. From Bleeding Kansas to
Reconstruction, the Civil War springs to life in 29 double-page spreads. Short articles are
enhanced with hundreds of finely detailed photos, sketches, prints, and portraits, along with
close-up views of weapons, uniforms, flags, documents, and other artifacts. Illustrations are
extensively captioned and many have separate labels with pointer lines. Endpaper maps
show the Union and Confederacy—states, major cities, battle sites, forts, and territories.
Among the headings: The Long Argument, Slave Life, The Election of 1860, The
Underground Railroad, Secession, Raising Armies, Women at War, Bull Run, Army Camp
Life, Field Artillery, Gettysburg, Northern Life, Confederate Culture, War on the Water,
and The Fates of Two Leaders (Lincoln and Davis). Grades 4 and up. Index. 8½" x 11".
Dorling Kindersley. 64 p. ©2000.
DKP156
Hardback
$15.99
THE CIVIL WAR: Why, Who, What, Where, When. Carefully designed for the
classroom, these two programs focus precisely on the main points most important for
students to know, making them excellent for either introducing or reviewing a unit on the
Civil War. Each video begins with onscreen lists of essential vocabulary terms
(Compromise of 1850, Bleeding Kansas, secession), and then a clear narration explains
those terms and puts them into context while archival images, maps, and guest historians
illustrate and drive home the narrator’s points. The videos end with onscreen review
questions that can be used as a quiz. Part 1 explains why the war was fought. Part 2
covers who were the chief participants (identifying significant minority figures as well as
key leaders), what strategies shaped the war, and where and when major battles were
fought. Grades 6–12. Color. Total time: 44 minutes. Educational Video Network. ©1999.
EUF121V
BOXED SET: 2 VHS videocassettes
$59.95
EUF121DV
DVD
$59.95
Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only. © 2004 Social Studies School Service. (800) 421-4246 socialstudies.com