Was the Southern states' decision to secede from the Union protected by the United States Constitution? Eighth graders discuss the constitutionality of the South's justification for secession, particularly the secession of South...

If you are previewing the film Glory for your young historians, this packet may help you spark ideas for discussion and offer some interesting facts and quotations that may add to your presentation of this Civil War narrative. It...

Looks at the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and the divisions between North and South that resulted. Shortly after the election, a group of Southern states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. The animosity between...

Article reviews several conditions of American society that sowed the seeds of civil war, particularly slavery and sectional conflict.

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

As new free and slave states were admitted to the Union prior to the Civil War, political divisions kept growing, despite attempts to balance the numbers of each. The South pushed for slavery to expand westward, while anti-slavery...

The democratic upheaval in politics exemplified by Jackson's election was merely one phase of the long American quest for greater rights and opportunities for all citizens. Another was the beginning of labor organization, primarily among...

This biography of James A. Garfield covers his participation in the Civil War, terms in the House of Representatives, and tumultous time in the presidency, serving only four months before he was shot by a would-be assassin.

he A lengthy biography of Stephen Douglas. Discusses his involvement in politics, in particular, his involvement with the slavery issue, his runs for presidency, his famous debates, and much more.

Read a brief biography of Winfield Scott Hancock, Democratic candidate for president in 1880. Read about his career in the military, and discover his fate as candidate.

Provides information about the Great Debate between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.