A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America—Curriculum Unit Overview—
IntroductionIn this unit, students will trace the development of sectionalism in the United States as it was driven by the growing dependence upon, and defense of, black slavery in the southern states. Initially seen as contrary to freedom but tolerated in order to produce the U.S. Constitution, by the 1830s the "peculiar institution" found advocates who saw it as a "positive good." Its expansion into Missouri, southern outrage over federal tariffs, and westward expansion into new territory produced a volatile and persistent debate over slavery that increasingly threatened to divide the American union. By 1860, the nation found an old Democratic Party split over the right to extend slavery into federal territory, and a new Republican Party nominating an anti-slavery, though not abolitionist, president. When Abraham Lincoln's election produced no national consensus to settle the matter of slavery's future, a southern "secession" sealed the fate of the Union. What characterized the debates over American slavery and the power of the federal government for the first half of the 19th century? How did regional economies and political events produce a widening split between free and slaveholding states in antebellum America? Who were the key figures and what were their arguments regarding the legitimacy of slavery and the proper role of the national government in resolving its future in the American republic? This unit of study will equip students to answer these questions through the use of interactive maps, primary texts, and comparative biographies. Guiding Questions
Learning ObjectivesUpon completing the lessons in this unit, students should be able to:
Preparing to Teach This Curriculum UnitReview each lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other useful websites. Download and print out documents you will use and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing. Download the blackline masters for this lesson, available here as a PDF file. Print out and make an appropriate number of copies of any handouts you plan to use in class. Each activity in this unit of study is designed for use as a stand-alone lesson, comprising three forty-five minute class periods. Taken all together, the lessons provide an overview of the causes of sectionalism that led to the American Civil War. Since available time and curriculum needs vary by classroom, the following guidelines for use are provided:
Unit Lesson PlansLesson One—An Early Threat of Secession: The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Nullification CrisisLesson Two—Slavery's Opponents and DefendersLesson Three—The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over SlaveryLesson Four—Abraham Lincoln, the 1860 Election, and the Future of the American Union and SlaverySelected EDSITEment Websites
Other InformationStandards Alignment |