Growing Discord

A growing discord took place between the North and South as settlers’ expanded westward. Heated debates took place over the admission of new states to the Union decades before the Civil War. The issue was whether the number of “free states” and “slave states” would remain balanced, thus affecting the distribution of power in the Congress. Martina and Terrance are at a place in the nation’s history where Civil War is approaching. In this topic, you will investigate how the nation struggled to resolve sectional issues, producing a series of crises and compromises. You will also learn the rationale for the division of the nation and the dissolution of the Union.

Essential Questions

• What issues divided America prior to the Civil War?
• What were the impacts of the Abolitionist Movement and the Women's Suffrage Movement?