close reading work—the background essay · web viewin what section of the us were most slaves and...

What Caused the Civil War DBQ

Causes of the Civil War DBQ Packet of 18

Close Reading Work—The Background Essay


Essay continued on the next page….

1. What are the possible reasons for the Civil War given in the background essay?2. List the details for those reasons.

3. What is the analytical question for the DBQ? _______________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________4. What two terms must be defined in the question? Define or expalin each

_____________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________5. Restate the analytical question in your own words. _____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________


Document A

Document A

6. In what section of the US were most rail lines concentrated? ___________________7. What does this say about that section as compared to the others? __________________________

____________________________________________________________________8. In what section of the US were most slaves and cotton plantations? __________________


9. What does this say about sectional differences? ________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

10. Which two causes do the maps imply as possible sparks of the Civil War?

a. _____________________________________________________________________b. _____________________________________________________________________

Document B

11. How does the population, free and enslaved, compare in the North to the South? _______________ ___________________________________________________________________

12. What do the pie charts indicate about the differences in the economies between the North and the South?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


13. Give specific details about economic differences from question #13 based on the charts. _______________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. Which cause(s) would be supported by Document B? _____________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

Document C

15. What do Helper (Doc C) and Hammond (Doc D) have in common? ____________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

16. How are Helper and Hammond different from each other? ________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


17. What is the value of the documents in writing an essay on the causes of the Civil War? _______________ ______________________________________________________________________

18. What is the Point-of-View of Helper (Doc C) and his concern for the South? ______________________ ______________________________________________________________________

19. What is the purpose of Hammond’s (Doc D) writing? ____________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Document E

20. What is the claim of Senator Calhoun in Document E? ______________________________ ________________________________________________________________


21. How does President Lincoln counter Calhoun’s claim in Document F? ____________________ ________________________________________________________________

22. Why might Calhoun take this stance in light of Documents C and D? ____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

23. Why would Lincoln give this counter-claim in Document F when he did? __________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Document G

24. What cause(s) do Documents G and H speak to in regard to the Civil War? ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________

25. Considering the sources of Documents G and H, what value does each have in analyzing the source in answering

the question, i.e., how valid are the two sources? _____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________


26. How do the “notes” help you to evaluate the validity of Documents G and H? ____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

27. Douglass (Doc G) points to the irony of the Fourth of July. Summarize the contradictions he gives. _______ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

28. In synthesizing these documents in an essay, how might you see Fitzhugh as an answer to Douglass? ______ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Document I


29. What kind of source is this (Doc I)? Does the type of source make it more or less or equal to a primary source?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

30. What is the main idea of this passage (Doc I) from the textbook, THE AMERICANS? __________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

31. Which cause of the Civil War does Document I address? __________________________________32. What other documents might you use for synthesis of Document I in an essay? ___________________

_____________________________________________________________________


Document J

33. Which cause(s) can be detailed or backed by Document J? _______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

34. Go back to the Background Essay and define Popular Sovereignty here: _______________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

35. At the time, Stephen Douglas’ popular sovereignty seemed like a good compromise. Why might we now

consider it short-sighted? ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________


Document K

36. Who are the two men depicted in this cartoon? ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

37. What are the issues (causes of the Civil War) of Document K? ____________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

38. What is the POV of Document K and how can you tell? ________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________


Document L

39. What is the main idea in Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney’s majority opinion (Doc L) in the Dred Scott

(1857) case? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

40. How does Abraham Lincoln use Taney’s decision (Doc L) in his “House Divided” speech (Doc M) of 1858?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


41. What cause do both Documents L and M address? Which other documents might you use synthesize

Documents L and M? ________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Document N

42. There were 303 Electoral College votes cast. Look at the percentage of popular votes. Did Lincoln win or was the election thrown to the House as Representatives according to the rules of the Constitution? Explain.

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

43. Where (region) did each of the four candidates have the most support according to Document N?

a. Lincoln: _______________________b. Breckenridge: _______________________c. Douglas: _______________________


d. Bell: _______________________44. What cause can be backed by Document N? __________________________________________

I. Write the analytical question: _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

II. Write a working title: _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

III. Narrow the causes down to three buckets and label each with one of the causes above it

IV. Drop each of the 13 documents by LETTER into at least one of the three buckets by writing the letters in the bucket

V. Give outside information from the background essay and text to support each bucket in the boxes below the bucket (not in documents)

VI. Complete the “chicken foot” as your thesis and road mapVII. Complete the Thesis to Essay worksheetVIII. Type your five-paragraph essay using the graphic organizers and worksheet

____________________ ___________________ ____________________


From Thesis to Essay WorksheetI. Working Title: ____________________________________________________II. Paragraph 1: The Introduction

A. The Grabber: ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

B. Background information: _________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

C. Thesis with road map: ____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

III. First Body Paragraph (from the first toe and “empty” the bucket to match)A. Baby thesis (cause 1): ____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________B. Documents cited with details:

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

C. Outside information from the drips: _________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________

D. Transition to Paragraph 3 __________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

IV. Second Body Paragraph (from the 2nd toe and “empty” the bucket to match)A. Baby thesis (cause 2): ____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________


B. Documents with details: (from the first toe and “empty” the bucket to match) ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

C. Outside information: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

D. Transition to Paragraph 4 _________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

V. Third Body Paragraph (3rd toe and corresponding bucket)A. Baby thesis (cause 3): ___________________________________________

______________________________________________________________B. Documents cited with details:

_______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

C. Outside information: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

D. Transition to Conclusion __________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

VI. ConclusionA. Restatement of thesis _____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________B. “Although statement” ____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________C. Significance/Perspective of topic ___________________________________

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
