Historic debates, both in substance and form, were held between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in the Illinois Senate race in 1858. Read about the debates, where tht two men stood on the issue of slavery, and its place in the...

A quick comprehension check over sectional conflict and regional differences.

In this Curriculum Unit, students will consider "The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America: A House Dividing" in 4 Lessons. The unit also includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource...

This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. Like most northern colleges, Columbia admitted no black students before the...

This 12-question multiple choice quiz is immediately scored and covers facts about slavery in the Civil War era.

As Missouri became a state, America was divided by slavery. This site from the Library of Congress offers a description of the events, as well as a railroad map, a painting of the Missouri Squadron, and a bust of Henry Clay, designer of...

As Missouri became a state, America was divided by slavery. This site from the Library of Congress offers a description of the events, as well as a railroad map, a painting of the Missouri Squadron, and a bust of Henry Clay, designer of...

A look at a little-studied action in American History when men, known as filibusters raised private armies to invade foreign countries. See what these filibusters had to do with the desire to spread slavery.

A brief overview of the state of the United States between the election of 1960 and 1968. See how a nation full of enthusiasm and confidence could become so divided in eight short years.

Explore an attempt at a slave uprising at Harpers Ferry to end slavery by John Brown during the Civil War on this site.

A brief overview of what was in store for the United States after the controversial Dred Scott decision.

Political patronage was a big problem in the late 19th century and led to corruption within the government. This made it difficult to reform the civil service. Tariffs were another big issue and affected economic groups in different...

[Free Registration/Login Required] This is an interactive map of the United States in the year 1861, as the Confederacy formed and separated from the Union.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Advanced Placement U.S. History learning module on Civil War era America and the transformation of society, 1844-1877. Comprehensive study tools include videos, essays, primary source documents, and...

Article introducing the Civil War. The author provides background information on the debates between the North and South eventually leading to war.

This article on the government of Mauritania, based on information from the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes, discusses the difficulties in running a nation which is divided by ethnic tensions.

In 1954, a peace conference in Geneva temporarily divided Vietnam in two: a pro-communist North and an anti-communist South. The political factions in North and South Vietnam -- supported by their communist and capitalist allies in the...

This website describes the creation and implementation of the Justinian Code, or "The Body of Civil Law" for the Roman Empire. The site is divided into sections, including a description of the code itself, the type of laws within it,...

Though the legacy of World War II Nazi death camps looms over Europe, a lesser-known camp network arose after the war with a diametrically opposed vision: to give traumatized populations a new lease on life. Established by the victorious...

Read about the attempt to keep slavery out of the newly acquired Mexican Cession, and so how this attempt revealed an increased split between North and South.

Presents key ideas for examining the events and issues that led to the American Civil War.

As new free and slave states were admitted to the Union prior to the Civil War, political divisions kept growing, despite attempts to balance the numbers of each. The South pushed for slavery to expand westward, while anti-slavery...

The years leading up to, during, and following the Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) are most often remembered for the tension between North and South, the question of slavery, President Lincoln, and social and political changes...

This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. This article looks at the different approaches among Columbians to the...