Grade 8
Student Response
The issue that surrounded the debate over slavery was choosing whether a state or territory was against
slavery or with slavery. For this reason the Kansas-Nebraska act was passed so the states or territories
could choose whether they wanted to be pro-slavery or against it. The Kansas-Nebraska act was passed
in 1854, because kansas’s dream was the movewestard or magnifest destiny. Popular Soveriegnty
played a big role in this debate because it was the fight whether Kansas would be a free state or a slave
state. The South Carolina goverment interperted the Kansas-Nabraska act because they choose their
own way, saying they would be against slavery and be a seperate and independent state. This was called
the South Carolina Declaration Of Secession. These chain of events led the the Civil War. It also changed
the way United States would decide whether a new state would become a free state or a slave state, the
Kansas-Nebraska act also made it easier for them to decide. These two documents, The KansasNebraska act and The South Carolina Declartion Of Secession, are two different views on a states right to
regulate itself.
Focus/Argument = 1
Reason for the score:
The student provides an argument but it does not address the given prompt.
Reason a higher score was not awarded:
N/A
Evidence = 2
Reason for the score:
The student uses evidence from both provided sources, but that evidence is not always relevant and, at
times, appears to derive from an inaccurate reading of those sources.
Reason a higher score was not awarded:
N/A
Argument = 3
Reason for the score:
The student adequately makes connections between ideas and uses domain-specific language.
Reason a higher score was not awarded:
N/A
Conventions = 2
Reason for the score:
The response is readable, however the errors present do affect reader understanding.
Reason a higher score was not awarded:
N/A