Civil War

Very good question, Devira. Needless to say there are a whole host of issues that were contributing causes to the Civil War, including States rights vs. Federal rights. With the limited space we had in this chapter on the Causes of the Civil War, we decided to focus more on the issues related to Free and Slave states and the challenges in trying to keep a political balance between the two, as well  the abolitionist movement and how it increased tensions between north and south.

The events related to these issues (Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Bleeding Kansas, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Underground railroad) are ones that are most often called for in state social studies standards. Focusing on them also allowed our author to write a coherent, chronological narrative of this very complex time period. That said, there's absolutely no reason why you can't also emphasize the additional issue of States vs. Federal rights as another important cause of the Civil War, with your students. Hope this helps!   -Kelly Shafsky, Creative Team Manager, TCI