Contrast the lives of free blacks (including those who escaped from slavery) with the lives of free whites and enslaved peoples.
Conditions of antebellum slavery from PBS; Free Blacks in the South from "African American Odessey" exhibit at the Library of Congress;
Describe the role of the Northwest Ordinance and its effect on the banning of slavery.
Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance from History.com; there is a statement about how the NW Ordinance contributed to the downfall of slavery at the very end of this passage from PBS.
Describe the competing views of Calhoun, Webster, and Clay on the nature of the union among the states.
Examine the following to explain how each caused increased sectional tensions:
Describe the resistance of enslaved people and effects of their actions before and during the Civil War.
Describe how major issues debated at the Constitutional Convention such as disagreements over the distribution of political power, rights of individuals (liberty and property), rights of states, election of the executive, and slavery help explain the Civil War.
Command terms for this unit