OpenStax
Open Stax: The Dred Scott Decision and Sectional Strife
By reading this section from a chapter on "The Tumultuous 1850s," students will understand the importance of the Supreme Court's Dred Scott ruling and be able to discuss the principles of the Republican Party as expressed by Abraham...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858 exemplified the rift in the nation concerning the issue of slavery and who should be able to determine whether states were free or slave. Read about this war of ideas that moved from the stage in...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Political Divisions
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart details the growing political divisions in the United States in the decade before the Civil War. It includes information on the election of 1856, the Dred Scott Decision, the Lincoln...