Understanding the American Civil War

What event marked the beginning of the Civil War?

• The election of Abraham Lincoln

• The signing of the Missouri Compromise

• The firing on Fort Sumter

• The Dred Scott decision

What was the main cause of the Civil War?

• Economic differences

• Slavery

• Tariffs

• State rights

What did the Confederate States argue about the Constitution?

• It allowed states to secede at will

• It banned slavery in all states

• It supported the Union's power

• It required states to follow federal laws

Which amendment did the Confederate States use to justify secession?

• Thirteenth Amendment

• First Amendment

• Tenth Amendment

• Fifth Amendment

What is a tariff?

• A military strategy

• A law about slavery

• A tax on trade

• A type of government

What was the Missouri Compromise?

• A tax on Southern goods

• An agreement dividing new lands between free and slave states

• A law that ended slavery

• A decision allowing states to secede

What did the Dred Scott decision declare?

• The Missouri Compromise was constitutional

• States could not secede from the Union

• African-Americans could never be U.S. citizens

• Slavery was illegal in all states

What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act allow?

• New states to decide on slavery themselves

• The start of the Union

• The end of the Civil War

• All states to be free states

Why did Southern states secede after Lincoln's election?

• They wanted to support the Union

• They disagreed with the Dred Scott decision

• They feared Lincoln would end slavery

• They wanted to increase tariffs

Which states were known as border states during the Civil War?

• California and Texas

• Florida and Georgia

• New York and Pennsylvania

• Delaware and Maryland