Worksheet on Civil War Causes featuring a chart for students to complete with descriptions and explanations of key historical terms.

Here is the completed chart with explanations for each term related to the causes of the Civil War:

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Civil War Causes

| Term | Describe: What does this term mean? | Explain: How did this lead to the tensions that resulted in the Civil War? |
|---------|----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| States’ rights | This term refers to the struggle between the federal government and individual states over political power. | Prior to the Civil War, this struggle focused heavily on the issue of slavery and whether the federal government had the right to regulate or even abolish slavery within an individual state. This led to increased tension between Southern states and the federal government. |
| Westward expansion | This refers to the movement of American settlers toward the western territories of the United States, including lands acquired through purchase, war, or treaty. | As new territories were added, debates arose over whether slavery would be allowed in these areas. The expansion intensified sectional conflict between the North and South, as both sides sought to maintain political balance in Congress by controlling whether new states would be free or slave states. |
| Missouri Compromise | A law passed in 1820 that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance between free and slave states in Congress. It also established the 36°30′ parallel as a dividing line: slavery was prohibited north of this line (except in Missouri). | While it temporarily eased tensions, the Missouri Compromise highlighted the deep divisions over slavery’s expansion. Its eventual repeal in the 1850s contributed to rising sectional conflict, showing that compromises could not permanently resolve the issue of slavery. |
| Compromise of 1850 | A series of laws passed in 1850 that aimed to resolve disputes over slavery in newly acquired territories after the Mexican-American War. Key provisions included the admission of California as a free state, the abolition of the slave trade in Washington D.C., and the Fugitive Slave Act, which required citizens to assist in capturing runaway slaves. | Although intended to ease tensions, the Compromise of 1850 inflamed sectional hatreds. The Fugitive Slave Act angered Northerners, who resented being forced to help capture escaped slaves, while Southerners felt their rights were protected. This heightened distrust and polarization between North and South. |
| Ostend Manifesto | A secret document drafted in 1854 by U.S. diplomats suggesting that the United States should acquire Cuba from Spain, either by purchase or by force if necessary. | The Ostend Manifesto alarmed many Northerners, who saw it as an attempt to expand slavery into new territories. The proposal revealed Southern ambitions to extend slavery, further deepening sectional divisions and contributing to the growing belief in the North that the South was aggressively pursuing the spread of slavery. |

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Summary of How These Factors Led to the Civil War:

Each of these terms reflects key political, territorial, and moral issues that fueled the divide between the North and South. The central issue—slavery—was at the heart of all these developments. As the nation expanded westward, the question of whether new states would allow slavery became increasingly contentious. Attempts at compromise, such as the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, only delayed inevitable conflict. Meanwhile, debates over states’ rights and federal authority, combined with aggressive proposals like the Ostend Manifesto, revealed irreconcilable differences between regions. Ultimately, these tensions escalated until they erupted into the Civil War in 1861.

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