1. Topic 1c-1800s America: Expansion, Sectionalism, and Conflict
Objectives:
Explain how American values contributed to causing the Civil War through the division of opinion on slavery (by writing a paragraph describing one of the causes of the Civil War and how American values led to differing opinions on what both sides determined to be right)

2. Major challenge of the Constitution
New Constitution ties all 13 states together under the federal gov. which governs all states
“one gov. to rule them all”
Certain powers/rights reserved for the state governments
They control their individual states.
Issue:
Who has more power?
Creates many problems throughout the 1800s
Power of the Federal Government
Powers of the State Governments
Who should have more authority/power to pass, enforce, and interpret the law you live under, the state or federal government?
Look at a map of the United States. Why would this be a problem for the United States going into the future?
What are some issues today in the 21st century in which there is contention between state/federal government?

3. Nullification Crisis State vs. Federal Government
Large tariffs (taxes on imported goods) were passed in 1828
Used to protect Northern industries by making European goods more expensive.
Southern planters couldn’t afford American goods.
State of South Carolina threatens to leave the United States if they don’t repeal the Tariff.
South Carolina nullifies the Tariff
President Andrew Jackson threatens S.C. with the military if they don’t back down.
Congress compromises with a lower, new Tariff.
In the story of the Nullification Crisis, where do we see the traditional American values at play? Who is involved and how do they interpret that value?

4. US Expansion and Compromise
State vs. State governments
Slavery vs. Free-Soil
Louisiana Purchase sees annexation of entire Louisiana territory
As America expands west, what do we do with slavery?
North: “we don’t want it – we like our factory workers who earn low wages, slavery could put us out of business”
South: “this is our way of life, of course we want to keep slaves.”
To prevent a fight, Congress passes the Missouri Compromise
Missouri (slave) & Maine (free)
36’30’ line
Why was the question of slavery in new states of such critical importance? Why was the North afraid of it? Why was the South afraid of it not spreading?
What is the potential problem of this compromise? How could this relate to other problems with future land annexation?

5. Continued Land Expansion
Mexican-American War in signing of Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
New Mexico, California, Texas, Utah, Nevada, & Colorado
Increases size of US by a third
Debate on slavery in new states/territories
Compromise of 1850
California
Fugitive Slave Act
Popular Sovereignty
Define concept of popular sovereignty. What is potentially an issue with this concept? Which early American value are the American people expressing almost a century later? (It’s not that it’s new, or even that they’re doing it on purpose, the point is to establish that it’s a part of the American identity.)

6. Kansas/Nebraska Kansas-Nebraska Act Nebraska-not slavery conditions
Opens up both Kansas and Nebraska to slavery by popular sovereignty
Nebraska-not slavery conditions
Pro-slavery and anti-slavery flocked to Kansas trying to tip vote in their favor
Bleeding Kansas
Led to huge fighting in Kansas-looting of homes, murders, etc.
Kansas not admitted as a state (free) until 1861-start of Civil War
What does Bleeding Kansas tell us about the success of Popular Sovereignty? How does it rip Americans apart?

7. Continued Problems of 1850s
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott (slave) had moved to a free state and sued for his freedom
Supreme Court said owners could take their slaves wherever
Slaves = property therefore slavery is legal everywhere.
John Brown
Abolitionist who attempted to steal weapons from federal arsenal and arm slaves for insurrection
Killed many in Bleeding Kansas and at the arsenal
Failed and was put to death and marked as a hero in North (even though he was violent!)
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln elected as President in 1860
Southern states began to immediately secede seeing him as an abolitionist (he was not)
Southern states form the Confederate States of America
Lincoln aimed to preserve the Union and enters the Civil War
The system of compromise the US used throughout history eventually failed as no compromise could be reached on the issue of slavery.
Constitutional Convention: successful
Bill of Rights: successful
Issues on Federalism: failure
Issues on Slavery: super failure
Read through the list of continued problems in the 1850s. Find and label instances of Natural Rights and the Social Contract ripping the country apart. The biggest question is though, why is it ripping the nation apart? Annotate and bullet point an answer below.