Learn how the issue of slavery divided the nation in this excerpt from The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns. By mid-century, the country was deeply divided. Southerners feared the North might forbid slavery. Northerners feared slavery might move west. As each new state was added to the union, it threatened to upset the delicate equilibrium of power.

Learning Objective:

Students will be able to identify how sectionalism in the United States led to the Civil War. 

Key Vocab:

• Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• Bleeding Kansas
• Dred Scott