Possible Causes of the American Civil War Team Categorization ActivityName:______

As a team – review summary cards for topics that many historians consider as causes of the American Civil War then complete the steps below:

  1. Write a brief summary of each event in your team chart – bullet point the key ideas of each event from the event card in the chart below
  2. Rank each card (#1 = the event your team thinks gave the South no choice but to go to war)
  3. Justify the ranks for your top 3 choices – why does your team feel that those 3 things made war inevitable?
  4. Identify which region (North or South) was most affected by the event or the outcome of the event and how/why you chose that region. If you think each side was affected equally (or close enough to it) you can put BOTH in the Region box on the chart.

Possible Causes of the Civil War Team Event Chart

Event / Rank / Summary / Region
Missouri Compromise /
  • Passed in Congress 1820
  • Missouri admitted to the Union as a slave state
  • Maine admitted to the Union as a free state
  • 36° 30´ latitude line drawn west of the Mississippi River – slavery allowed in territory below the line – slavery illegal in territory above the line
/ Both – same # slave/free states in Congress
Wilmot Proviso /
  • Plan to eliminate slavery in territory gained from Mexican War
  • Proposed by Congressman David Wilmot (PA) to try to prevent the spread of slavery to new territories
  • Blocked by southern dominated Senate – but angered many over attempt to stop the spread of slavery
/ Both – N – Republican Party;
S – stop regulation of slavery
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
(1858)
Nullification Crisis
(South Carolina – 1832)
Compromise of 1850
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
(novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe)
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Event / Rank / Summary / Region
Dred Scott Supreme Court Case
(1857) /
  • Dred Scott slave in Missouri – traveled/lived in free states/territories returned to Missouri
  • Went to court to gain freedom based on having lived in free state/territory
  • Supreme Court ruled against Scott – slaves are not citizens so have no protection from gov’t/courts; Congress had no right to regulate slavery in territories
/ South –slaves not citizens; slavery legal in all of US
John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, VA
Presidential Election of 1860
Brooks/Sumner Attack
(US Senate)
South Carolina Secedes
Confederacy is Formed
(Confederate States of America)
Fort Sumter

Top 3 Causes of American Civil War Team Justifications:

Rank / Event / Justification
Cause #1
Cause #2
Cause #3