U.S. History quiz: Causes of the Civil War

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What this quiz should check

Topic: Causes of the Civil War (C3 D2.His.14.9-12). A good U.S. History quiz on this asks students to:

• Explain how slavery and its expansion into western territories drove sectional conflict
• Put key events in order, such as the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision, and explain each one's effect
• Explain why the election of 1860 led to secession
• Compare primary sources that show different views of the causes of the war

Misconceptions worth a question

• Treating "states' rights" as a cause without asking which right was at stake; several states' secession declarations name slavery directly
• Mixing up the order of the compromises and court decisions
• Seeing the war as inevitable instead of the result of choices people made

Teacher tip: Use short excerpts from secession declarations so students cite evidence instead of just recalling facts.

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U.S. History Causes of the Civil War lesson plan prompt →