Students learn how shifting political parties, regional voting patterns, and the election of 1860 intensified sectional conflict, led Southern leaders toward secession, and revealed why compromise failed as slavery and federal power reshaped the nation.
Students are introduced to key vocabulary and the lesson focus on how political change and sectional conflict led toward the Civil War. Working in small groups, they examine thematic maps of the 1856 and 1860 presidential election results, discuss visible changes and regional patterns, and post questions on a discussion wall about what might explain the shifts. They then review the experience objectives and how they will investigate the Election of 1860 and secession.
Teacher MovesPreview the experience, emphasizing that political parties and their platforms change over time and that 19th-century parties differ from those today. Pre-arrange small groups and support students in closely reading the electoral maps by prompting them to identify specific regional patterns and differences between North and South. Highlight strong student questions on the wall and connect observations to prior learning about slavery, federal power, and sectional tensions. Conclude by reviewing the objectives and clarifying that students will use evidence from maps, texts, and primary sources to understand why secession occurred.
Students read The Rise of the Republican Party to learn how conflicts over slavery and westward expansion weakened the Whig Party and helped create new political alignments in the 1850s. They answer multiple-choice questions that ask them to identify causes of the Whig Party’s decline, explain how the Republican Party grew, and select textual evidence to support their answers. Next, students read The Election of 1860 and watch the video Election of 1860: A Nation, Torn to compare the positions of major parties on slavery, federal power, and the Union, then complete a drag-and-drop matching activity that links party or regional groups to their stated positions in the 1860 election.
Teacher MovesAfter students complete the questions on party change, lead a discussion about what it meant for Americans to see a major party collapse amid rising conflict over slavery. Ask students to consider how voters might react when their long-time party no longer agrees on key issues and why slavery and expansion strained older parties. Connect these shifts to the outbreak of the Civil War and to broader ideas about political realignment. Following the matching activity, facilitate a conversation about how sharply divided party platforms had become by 1860, pressing students to explain why such deep disagreements made compromise difficult and how this growing division increased sectional tension. Before moving on, organize students into small groups for the next scene.
In small groups, students view the image of an Abraham Lincoln campaign banner, then watch Secession and the Civil War and read Secession After the Election of 1860 to understand Southern reactions to Lincoln’s victory. They collaborate on a concept map that records reasons Southern states gave for secession, such as protecting slavery, concerns about lost political power, and anger over Northern resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act. Next, groups read the Excerpt from the South Carolina Declaration of Secession and complete a graphic organizer by answering questions about the authors’ identity, the event they are responding to, how they describe Lincoln and slavery, how they justify leaving the Union, and how their arguments are tied to slavery. Finally, students respond individually on a discussion wall to the question of whether the election of 1860 was the cause of Southern secession, citing evidence from lesson sources and adding supporting evidence to a classmate’s post.
Teacher MovesIf possible, briefly review the Nullification Crisis to remind students of earlier conflicts over federal and state power. As you review concept maps, highlight entries that connect slavery, states’ rights, and federal authority, and ask how Lincoln’s election changed Southern leaders’ views of their future in the Union and how South Carolina’s secession influenced other Southern states. When discussing the declaration excerpt, press students to analyze the authors’ language about Lincoln, slavery, and the federal government, and to identify what they believed was under threat. Guide students to consider credibility and bias in this official declaration, noting how it both reflects genuine beliefs and attempts to persuade. During the final wall discussion, focus on helping students see the election of 1860 as part of a longer chain of events, asking how political decisions can intensify existing conflicts and why secession became a turning point rather than an isolated reaction.
Students examine a historical political cartoon about secession to explore how Americans at the time interpreted its causes and consequences. Using a drawing tool, they annotate the cartoon by circling key details, boxing important symbols or figures, starring evidence of the artist’s opinion about secession, and marking elements that suggest what might happen next. They then respond to three discussion wall prompts: who likely created the image and why, what opinion about secession the creator is expressing, and how knowledge of events in the United States at the time helps them interpret the cartoon’s details and message.
Teacher MovesReview students’ annotated images and prompt them to explain how specific visual details support their interpretations. Draw attention to commonly noted symbols, figures, and motion, asking how these elements work together to communicate a message rather than simply depict an event. Emphasize that political cartoons are arguments shaped by point of view, and ask students what choices the creator made and how those choices reveal an opinion about secession. Use the discussion wall responses to deepen conversation about how historical context clarifies the cartoon’s meaning and how such images could influence public opinion during the secession crisis.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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