Curated OER
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery
High schoolers read selections from the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Wilmot Proviso of 1846. They contrast the maps of 1820 and 1854 to analyze developments in the national debate over slavery. They...
PBS
Pbs: Bleeding Kansas 1853 1861
This site details events surrounding the era known as "Bleeding Kansas" due to the conflict surrounding slavery in what is now Kansas.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Lincoln Home: The Lincoln Douglas Debates of 1858
This site provides the transcripts to all 7 of the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.
![Huntington Library: A House Divided: Slavery and the Civil War [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Huntington Library: A House Divided: Slavery and the Civil War [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: A House Divided: Slavery and the Civil War [Pdf]
In this lesson, 8th graders look at how slavery contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War, at Abraham Lincoln's efforts to save the Union, and at what impact the Emancipation Proclamation had on the North's view of the war. Includes...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Lesson3: The Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty
Lesson plan focuses on the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, popular sovereignty, the political polarization over slavery, Stephen Douglas, and Abraham Lincoln. It provides four detailed activities for use with the lesson and includes...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: The Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854
An exploration of how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 impacted the debate between free and slave states, and the precarious political equilibrium. It looks at how Stephen Douglas tried to avoid a national conflict in the debate over...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: Mr. Lincoln and Friends
Lincoln was surrounded by friends and family. What were those people like? How did they impact his life? Discover the lawyers, the politicians, the members of Congress -- as well as Lincoln's wife and children. Groups who surrounded...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: A Divided Nation
This page from the American Revolution Project of the University of Groningen discusses how the 1850s were a time of conflicting ideas between North and South regarding the expansion of slavery. Scroll down to the third paragraph and...
Civil War Home
Home of the American Civil War: The Kansas Nebraska Act
Provides information on the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the consequences of its passing. From "The Civil War and Reconstruction" by Randall and McDonald.
Digital History
Digital History: The Crisis of 1850 [Pdf]
Read excerpts of the contentious debate about slavery in the territories as the U.S. Congress tried to hammer out legislation that could be passed by both houses and signed into law by the president. Find the provisions of the Compromise...
Digital History
Digital History: Civil War in Kansas [Pdf]
The Compromise of 1850 did not solve all the slavery issues in the territories, which was not surprising. Read about the Kansas-Nebraska Act, put forth by Sen. Stephan Douglas, who proposed that the issue be decided by popular...
Digital History
Digital History: Lincoln vs. Douglas [Pdf]
The Licoln-Douglas debates pitted two great speakers who were espousing different courses for the country in regard to the issue of slavery. Read a snopsis of their seven debates and see what four major issues they debated. [pdf]
Digital History
Digital History: The Civil War Begins [Pdf]
The election of 1860 showed the deep divisions that split the country. With four candidates representing four very different approaches to the issue of slavery, the outcome resulted in the secession of South Carolina, followed eventually...
Digital History
Digital History: The Compromise of 1850
Before finding the final terms of the Compromise of 1850, read about the disputes and debate that accompanied the attempts to pass something that would address Northern and Southern concerns.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Election of 1860
The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was a watershed moment for the union of the country. Read about the political conventions, several candidates, and the votes that were split among them. Find a map that shows how the electoral...
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...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Kansas Nebraska Act
Read about the essential repeal of the Missouri Compromise, which had established which states could be slave and which would be free for thirty years, with the rancorous passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. See who supported it and why,...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Compromise of 1850
Find the various parts of the Compromise of 1850, proposed by Henry Clay, that extended slavery in some cases, prohibited in others, and added California as a free state. A clear chart shows what parts of the law were beneficial to the...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Popular Sovereignty
Read about the concept of popular sovereignty in relation to issue of expansion of slavery in the territories. It was not as simple as it seemed. Find out about how the issue of slavery was addressed in the election of 1848. Included is...
CommonLit
Common Lit: The Election of 1860
A learning module that begins with "The Election of 1860" by USHistory.org, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Election of 1860
Online resource that provides detailed data for the presidential election of 1860 won by Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln.
The History Cat
The History Cat: Countdown to Civil War
Describes the events leading up to the start of the American Civil War. Looks at clashes between pro- and anti-slavery groups, the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the fight over California, the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act,...
Other
Knox College: Old Main
This resource provides information regarding the Old Main building and architectural landmark at Knox College which is the site that Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln debated in 1858.
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...