Essential Questions
1. Did the compromises the Congress made effectively address slavery and sectionalism?
2. How did popular sovereignty lead to violence in Kansas?
3. What was the significance of the Dred Scott decision?
4. What role did the theory of state's rights play in the outbreak of the Civil War?
2. How did popular sovereignty lead to violence in Kansas?
3. What was the significance of the Dred Scott decision?
4. What role did the theory of state's rights play in the outbreak of the Civil War?
Vocabulary
sectionalism: loyalty to one's own region of the country, rather than to the nation as a whole
fugitive: running away or trying to run away
secede: to leave or withdraw
abstain: to not take part in some activity, such as voting
popular sovereignty: political theory that government is subject to the will of the people; before the Civil War, the idea that people living in a territory had the right to decide by voting if slavery would be allowed there
civil war: conflict between citizens of the same country
border ruffians: Missourian who traveled in armed groups to vote in Kansas' election during the mid-1850's
arsenal: a storage place for weapons and ammunition
martyr: a person who sacrifices his or her life for a principle or cause
secession: withdrawal from the Union
state's rights: rights and powers independent of the federal government that are reserved for the states by the Constitution; the belief that states' rights supersede federal rights and law
fugitive: running away or trying to run away
secede: to leave or withdraw
abstain: to not take part in some activity, such as voting
popular sovereignty: political theory that government is subject to the will of the people; before the Civil War, the idea that people living in a territory had the right to decide by voting if slavery would be allowed there
civil war: conflict between citizens of the same country
border ruffians: Missourian who traveled in armed groups to vote in Kansas' election during the mid-1850's
arsenal: a storage place for weapons and ammunition
martyr: a person who sacrifices his or her life for a principle or cause
secession: withdrawal from the Union
state's rights: rights and powers independent of the federal government that are reserved for the states by the Constitution; the belief that states' rights supersede federal rights and law