Document 1: Analysis of a Print
“Bleeding Kansas”
1.) Explain what was happening in this print.
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2.) Why did the fighting in Kansas break out?
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3.) How does “Bleeding Kansas” illustrate the growth of sectionalism in the United
States just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War?
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Document 2: Analysis of a Political Cartoon
Printed in a Northern Newspaper in reaction to the incident.
1.) What event is being portrayed in this political cartoon?
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2.) What was the reaction of the Southern senators regarding this incident? (use the
picture and your outside knowledge)
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3.) What was the reaction of Northerners to both the incident and the Southern
senator’s reaction?
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4.) How did this incident cause increased sectionalism in the United States just prior
to the Civil War?
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Document 3: Interpretation of a Book
An excerpt from Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
On the shores of our free states are emerging the poor, shattered,
broken remnants of families, -- men and women, escaped, by miraculous
providences, from the surges of slavery, -- feeble in knowledge, and, in
mane cases, infirm in moral constitution, from a system which confounds
and confuses every principle of Christianity and morality. They come to
seek a refuge among you; they come to seek education, knowledge,
Christianity.
What do you owe to these poor, unfortunates, O Christians? Does
not every American Christian owe to the African race some effort at
reparation for the wrongs that the American nation has brought upon
them? Shall the doors of churches and school-houses be shut down upon
them? Shall states arise and shake them out? Shall the Church of Christ
hear in silence the taunt that is thrown at them, and shrink away from the
helpless hand that they stretch out, and shrink away from the courage the
cruelty that would chase them from our borders? If it must be so, it will be
a mournful spectacle, If it must be so, the country will have reason to
tremble, when it remembers that fate of nations is in the hand of the One
who is very pitiful, and of tender compassion.
**Note – “reparation” means to pay back, restore, make up, pay for damages
done.
1.) How does the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin feel about slavery? Use information
from this portion of the book to support your answer.
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2.) What was the effect of the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin on the United States?
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Document 4: Interpreting a Supreme Court
Ruling
In the Supreme Court case Dred Scott vs. Sanford (1857), Chief Justice
Roger B. Taney announced the “Dred Scott decision” by announcing that:
 Any person descended from black Africans, whether slave or free, is
not a citizen of the United States.
 The Ordinance of 1787 could not confer (give) freedom or citizenship
within the Northwest Territory to black people.
 The provisions of the Act of 1820, known as the Missouri Compromise,
were voided as a legislative act because the act exceeded the powers
of Congress, insofar as it attempted to exclude slavery and impart
freedom and citizenship to Black people in the northern part of the
Louisiana cession.
1.) What was the immediate result of the Dred Scott decision of 1857?
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2.) How did the Dred Scott decision fuel sectionalism prior to the outbreak of the
American Civil War?
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Document 5: Analyzing a Map
Winner of the Election of 1860: Abraham Lincoln
40% Popular Vote
180 Electoral Votes
1.) What was the result of the Election of 1860?
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2.) How did Southerners react to the Election of 1860?
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3.) How will the Election of 1860 help lead to the American Civil War?
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Document 6: Interpreting a Speech
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe that 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 that it will cease to be divided.
It will become all one thing, or all the other.”
-Abraham Lincoln, June 16, 1858
1.) What is the “house” that Lincoln is referring to in this speech?
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2.) What issue is dividing the “house”?
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3.) How did Lincoln think that the issue would be settled?
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4.) What would southern reaction to Lincoln’s speech be?
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Document Based Question
This task is based on the accompanying six documents. Some of
these documents may have been edited for the purpose of this task.
This task is designed to test your ability to work with historical
documents. As you analyze the documents, take into account both
the source of each document and the author’s point of view.
 Directions: Read the documents in Part A and answer the
questions after each document. Then read the directions for Part
B and write your essay.
o Historical Context
The Civil War was a major war in our country’s history when
more than 600,000 people died during this conflict. There were
numerous reasons why this war occurred. Differences in the
economies and lifestyles in the North and South contributed
greatly to major disagreements within our country during the
early to mid 1800s. Through many compromises over many
years, leaders tried to promote a peaceful existence between
the North and the South, but there were too many serious
problems to heal; consequently, reconciliation was impossible
resulting with the Civil War.
o Task:
Using information from the documents and you knowledge of
United States History and geography, write an essay in which
you…
 Discuss what the major disagreements and their
causes in the U.S. were in the early to mid 1800s.
 Discuss how those disagreements “heated up” and
eventually led to a Civil War.