This Document-Based Question (DBQ) will help you explore the causes and consequences of sectionalism in the United States leading up to the Civil War. By analyzing five different documents, you will uncover how economic systems, territorial expansion, political divisions, population demographics, and personal experiences of slavery contributed to the growing divide between the North and the South. Each document provides a unique perspective, ranging from maps of slave populations and cotton production to the personal narrative of Frederick Douglass. Together, these sources reveal the complexities of sectionalism and how it ultimately made the Civil War inevitable.
Your task is to carefully examine each document and answer the questions provided. These questions are designed to guide your understanding of the documents and help you connect the evidence to broader themes. After completing the individual document analysis, you will bring everything together by writing a 5-sentence essay. This essay will synthesize the information you’ve learned and demonstrate your understanding of how sectionalism shaped America’s history. Remember, your goal is to make connections between the documents and explain how the forces of sectionalism tore the nation apart.