Look at the debate and eventual compromise, between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists that occurred around the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

Look at the tensions and differences of opinion that existed among early American states and citizens. Learn about the Articles of Confederation, why the first "constitution" didn't work, and how compromise led to the Constitution.

Even as national feeling was rising, there was also the emergence of regionalism in politics and economic though. Read about the interests of the three major sections of the country at this time.

An in-depth biography on American statesman and orator Henry Clay which lists his numerous life accomplishments as well as a discussion of his political life. Content includes information on his "American System," his views on slavery,...

From the U.S. Justice Department, this is a history of voting rights laws in the United States, including a discussion of the Fifteenth Amendment.

A list with descriptions of the major events that led up to the outbreak of the Civil War.

From the basics about slavery to the attitudes that defended it and the efforts of those who wanted to see it abolished, in this instructional activity students learn about this dark part of America's past.

An essay by the South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun, outlining his belief in a "concurrent majority" and the power of individual majority groups to determine whether to follow a particular law that had been passed.

A collection of forty-four primary resources including historical documents, literary texts, visual images, and maps, illuminated and contextualized by notes, thematic questions, and text-specific discussion questions for classroom...

The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards including Daniel Webster, Speech to the United States Senate, March 7, 1850.

A fictional depiction of the turmoil over the existence of slavery-and its human impact.

Scroll through this article to "Secession in the Upper South" to find out what was happening in southern states that had not yet seceded before April, 1861, and what convinced these states to secede. From an article by William L. Barney...

This site from the University of Groningen provides information on the life and political career of Vice President Elbridge Gerry.

This resource explains the conflict between Jackson and the state of South Carolina over the state's right to nullify federal tariffs. This conflict almost brought armed conflict between the federal government and the state.

During the time of rising segregation in the late 19th century two African-American leaders offered two opposite views about how to advance civil rights for African-Americans. Read about the philosophies of those leaders. Booker T....

Find short biographies of twenty-three of the fifty-five delegates to the Constitutional Convention and their ideas about government. These men were certainly not representative of the common man in the new United States, but they were...

Read the opinions of some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in regard to the very thorny issue of how states would be represented in the national legislature. [pdf]

Opposition to Congressional Reconstruction was strong in South Carolina. Read about how this opposition was carried out and how it affected the newly freed African Americans in state elections in South Carolina. The national election of...

Count von Beust's written memoirs of the Ausgleich, the focus of which is his fears. Modern History Sourcebook site by Fordham University.

The Dred Scott decision caused a ripple throughout the country. Read a summary of Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney's proslavery decision, and see how it intensified the rancor between the North and the South.

The election of 1800 was a revolution in a peaceful sense. Read about the election, how Thomas Jefferson became president, and the resulting 12th Amendment.

In this Curriculum Unit, students will consider "The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America: A House Dividing" in 4 Lessons. The unit also includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource...

This website, which is provided for by the University of Pennsylvania, reproduces an article by Richard Hayes from "Commonweal" in 1953. A good opportunity to see a review of "The Crucible" from the time the play originally appeared.

This site from The History Place provides an account of the history of Dred Scott, an African-American slave, who took his suit for his freedom to the Supreme Court. The information is somewhat brief, but worthwhile.