Before we can move on to the Causes of the Civil War, we need to go back and review two concepts we have covered earlier in the year.
Go back in your notes or look up the system of Federalism and States' Rights. These are key concepts in the causes of the Civil War that must be mastered in order to understand the rest of the causes.
I CAN ... explain that the federal system of government created under the U.S. Constitution raised questions during the first half of the 19th century over the power of the federal government versus the powers reserved to the states. States’ rights arguments were first outlined in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798-99.
Review: Go back and look at the Alien and Sedition Acts and briefly describe them.
The reaction against the Alien and Sedition Acts came in the form of the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions written by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. The Resolutions are the historical justification for the idea of States' Rights that people used as backup for their thoughts.
Look up what was written in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions. It is better to find an analysis of the the documents rather that reading the actual documents (they are very wordy and difficult to understand)
I CAN explain ...Northern entrepreneurs favored high tariffs to protect their businesses and avoid competition from foreign products. Many southerners, who imported manufactured products, wanted low tariffs to keep their costs low. They also feared that foreign countries would retaliate against American tariffs by not importing southern cotton and other products.
Protective Tariff
Tariff of Abominations
Webster-Hayne Debate
Nullification Crisis
Watch the Video and look for information about the Tariff of Abominations and the Nullification Crisis and write about how these issues relate to the ideas of States' Rights vs. Federalism.