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Unit 8: Civil War Model Organizer and Scoring Guide

Resource Overview

This document is designed to help teachers support and assess students as they complete the unit’s deconstructed DBQ organizer. It breaks down each section of the organizer and provides model responses and examples to guide instruction.

Pair this resource with the Teacher Resource document for additional background on each primary source in the DBQ set. For guidance on teaching the necessary skills, refer to the mini-lesson slide deck.

Question: How did fundamental disagreements over slavery and its expansion lead to a devastating civil war that transformed the United States?

Breakdown: Answers will vary. Sample responses are provided.

Example: How did fights over slavery and where it could spread cause a huge war that changed America?

Graphic Organizer: Answers will vary.

Thesis: Answers will vary. Sample responses are provided.

Examples:

  1. The expansion of slavery into new territories created deep divisions between Northern and Southern states, which led to the Civil War.
  2. Disagreements over the spread of slavery in new territories fueled political tension between the North and South, setting the stage for secession and the Civil War.
  3. Southern states believed that slavery was essential to their economy and way of life, while Northern opposition to its expansion into new territories fueled sectionalism, resulting in the Civil War.
“VIEW”ing the Documents: Answers will vary.

Sample Grouping:

Group 1: In Support of Slavery and Secession

 

Document C: Excerpt from the Secession Statement from South Carolina (December 24, 1860)

Document D: Excerpt from the Secession Statement from Georgia (January 29, 1861)

Document E: Excerpt from Jefferson Davis Inaugural Address (February 18, 1861) Document G: Excerpts from Alexander Stephens’ Cornerstone Address (March 21, 1861)

Group 2: Against the Spread of Slavery and Secession

 

Document A: Republican Party Platform 1860

Document B: Excerpt from Daniel Webster “7th of March” Speech (1850)

Document F: Excerpts from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1861)

VIEW Examples:

Document A: Excerpt from the Republican Party Platform (1860)

  • Voice: The Republican Party, representing a growing political movement against the expansion of slavery in the United States.
  • Intent: To declare the party’s firm opposition to the spread of slavery into new U.S. territories and affirm its commitment to the principles of freedom and equality.
  • Environment: The United States in 1860, amid increasing tensions between Northern and Southern states over slavery and its expansion into new territories.
  • Who: American voters and political leaders, particularly those involved in debates over slavery’s future in new territories.

Document B: Excerpt from Daniel Webster’s “7th of March” Speech (1850)

  • Voice: Daniel Webster, a Northern politician and statesman known for his efforts to preserve the Union through compromise.
  • Intent: To argue that preventing the spread of slavery was historically accepted and legal under federal law, and that the South’s claims of Northern aggression were unfounded.
  • Environment: Delivered in the Senate during a period of intense debate over slavery’s expansion and sectional tensions.
  • Who: Senators and political leaders debating the spread of slavery and the preservation of the Union.

Document C: Excerpt from the Secession Statement from South Carolina (December 24, 1860)

  • Voice: The state government of South Carolina, the first Southern state to secede from the Union.
  • Intent: To justify secession by accusing Northern states of violating the powers of Southern states and failing to uphold constitutional obligations related to slavery.
  • Environment: Written during the height of sectional tensions, just after Lincoln’s election and amid fears that the Republican administration would work to undermine slavery and threaten the Southern way of life.
  • Who: Southern political leaders and citizens also considering secession from the Union.

Document D: Excerpt from the Secession Statement from Georgia (January 29, 1861)

  • Voice: The state government of Georgia, formally announcing its separation from the United States.
  • Intent: To explain Georgia’s reasons for leaving the Union, primarily centered on defending slavery and accusing Northern states of violating constitutional rights.
  • Environment: The Deep South, just before the Civil War, when Southern states were beginning to form the Confederacy.
  • Who: Southern political leaders and citizens also considering secession from the Union.

Document E: Excerpt from Jefferson Davis’s Inaugural Address (February 18, 1861)

  • Voice: Jefferson Davis, the newly elected President of the Confederate States of America.
  • Intent: To justify the South’s secession as a defense of Southern rights and to express hope for peaceful coexistence with the United States, while also preparing for the possibility of war.
  • Environment: Montgomery, Alabama, during the early formation of the Confederacy as Southern states unified under a new government.
  • Who: Confederate citizens and political leaders solidifying their government.

Document F: Excerpts from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1861)

  • Voice: Abraham Lincoln, newly inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States.
  • Intent: To reassure the South that the federal government would not interfere with slavery where it already existed but to firmly state that secession was illegal and the Union must be preserved. Lincoln sought to avoid war while maintaining federal authority.
  • Environment: Washington, DC, just before the outbreak of the Civil War, with Southern states already seceding.
  • Who: National political leaders and citizens facing the possibility of war.

Document G: Excerpts from Alexander Stephens’ Cornerstone Address (March 21, 1861)

  • Voice: Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America.
  • Intent: To publicly declare that the Confederacy was founded in opposition to the idea that “all men are created equal” as stated in the Declaration of Independence.
  • Environment: Savannah, Georgia, during the early months of the Confederacy’s existence, when Southern states were solidifying their government.
  • Who: Southern leaders and citizens embracing the Confederate cause.
Providing Evidence: Answers will vary. Sample responses are provided.

Examples:

Document A: Republican Party Platform (1860)

  • VIEW Sentence: The Republican Party Platform expresses the party’s intent to stop the spread of slavery, revealing the growing division between North and South over the future of slavery in new U.S. territories.
  • Quote/Summary for Grouping: “we deny the authority of Congress, of a Territorial Legislature… to give legal existence to slavery in any Territory of the United States.”
    • Grouped under: Against the Spread of Slavery and Secession
  • Connection to Thesis: This platform statement shows how debates over slavery’s expansion became a key dividing line in national politics, pushing the United States closer to Civil War.
  • Historical Context: In 1860, Abraham Lincoln ran on the Republican platform, which opposed the spread of slavery into western territories. Southern leaders saw this as a threat to their way of life and economic system, which relied heavily on enslaved labor.

Document B: Daniel Webster’s “7th of March” Speech (1850)

  • VIEW Sentence: Daniel Webster’s speech reflects his desire to keep the Union together by supporting compromise on slavery. He believed slavery was wrong and needed to end, but that the power to abolish slavery lied with the states.
  • Quote/Summary for Grouping: “…The Convention meant to leave slavery in the State as they found it, entirely under the authority and control of the States themselves”
    • Grouped under: Against the Spread of Slavery and Secession
  • Connection to Thesis: Webster’s speech reveals how some leaders tried to resolve tensions peacefully based on the Constitution, even while they deeply disagreed with slavery.

Document C: Secession Statement from South Carolina (1860)

  • VIEW Sentence: South Carolina’s secession statement shows how the state saw the election of Lincoln and Northern resistance to slavery as a threat to its state powers and the institution of slavery.
  • Quote/Summary for Grouping: “Those States have assume the right of deciding upon the propriety of our domestic institutions; and have denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the States and recognized by the Constitution;”
    • Grouped under: In Support of Slavery and Secession
  • Connection to Thesis: This document supports the idea that Southern states seceded because they believed the federal government would overstep its powers and abolish slavery.
  • Historical Context: South Carolina was the first state to secede after Lincoln’s election, beginning the process that led to the formation of the Confederacy and eventually the Civil War.

Document D: Secession Statement from Georgia (1861)

  • VIEW Sentence: Georgia’s statement lists its grievances with the United States, drawing on the Declaration of Independence as inspiration.
  • Quote/Summary for Grouping: “The people of Georgia having dissolved their political connection with the Government of the United States of America, present to their confederates and the world the causes which have led to the separation.”
    • Grouped under: In Support of Slavery and Secession
  • Connection to Thesis: This source makes clear that slavery was at the heart of the South’s decision to secede, not just abstract ideas about states’ “rights” or their Constitutional powers.
  • Historical Context: Georgia, like other Southern states, used its secession statement to justify leaving the Union by arguing that its sovereignty and institutions were under attack.

Document E: Jefferson Davis’s Inaugural Address (1861)

  • VIEW Sentence: Jefferson Davis frames the creation of the Confederacy as a legal and peaceful move, while defending the Southern states’ decision to break from the Union and resort to violence if necessary.
  • Quote/Summary for Grouping: “But, if this be denied to us…, it will but remain for us, with firm resolve, to appeal to arms and invoke the blessings of Providence on a just cause…”
    • Grouped under: In Support of Slavery and Secession
  • Connection to Thesis: This speech shows how Southern leaders believed they were protecting their rights and way of life through secession, especially their right to maintain slavery.
  • Historical Context: After seceding, the Southern states formed the Confederate States of America. Davis was chosen as its president and delivered this speech in 1861.

Document F: Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address (1861)

  • VIEW Sentence: Lincoln’s speech tries to calm Southern fears by stating he won’t interfere with slavery where it already exists but firmly argues that secession is illegal.
  • Quote/Summary for Grouping: “No State upon its own mere motion can lawfully get out of the Union”
    • Grouped under: Against the Spread of Slavery and Secession
  • Connection to Thesis: This speech shows Lincoln’s struggle to hold the Union together peacefully, while not allowing the spread of slavery or acceptance of secession.
  • Historical Context: Lincoln was inaugurated in March 1861, just weeks before the Civil War began. His election had already sparked Southern secession, but he still hoped to avoid armed conflict.

Document G: Alexander Stephens’ Cornerstone Address (1861)

  • VIEW Sentence: Stephens explains that the new Confederate government is based on the belief that slavery and racial inequality are natural and justified. The Confederacy proclaims itself in opposition to the principle that “all men are created equal” from the Declaration of Independence.
  • Quote/Summary for Grouping: “Our new government is founded upon… the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery… is his natural and normal condition.”
    • Grouped under: In Support of Slavery and Secession
  • Connection to Thesis: Stephens’ speech is one of the clearest statements that slavery was the true “cornerstone” of the Confederacy.
  • Historical Context: As the vice president of the Confederacy, Stephens gave this speech in March 1861. His words make clear that slavery and the racist ideas that animate it were the foundation of the Confederacy.

Scoring Guides

1-point Rubric

Evidence of Proficiency Suggestions for Improvement
Claim

Clearly and directly answers the question with a strong, defensible claim.

Line of Reasoning

Provides a clear, logical structure that outlines key points.

Document Analysis

Clearly identifies the author, purpose, historical context, and audience for at least three documents. Provides insightful analysis of the document’s significance.

Context

Provides accurate and appropriate historical context that explains the significance of the source and relates it to the time period.

Document Grouping

Groups documents in a thoughtful and effective way that strengthens the argument.

Use of Evidence

Effectively integrates relevant evidence from documents to support the claim.

Use of Specific Details and Quotations

Specific details and well-chosen quotations are effectively used to support claims.

Clarity & Organization

Thesis is clearly written, well-organized, and easy to understand.

Mechanics & Grammar

Free of errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Scoring Matrix

Criteria 4 – Advanced 3 – Proficient 2 – Developing 1 – Beginning
Claim Clearly and directly answers the question with a strong, defensible claim. Answers the question with a defensible claim. Partially addresses the question with a weak or unclear claim. Does not address the question or lacks a claim.
Line of Reasoning Provides a clear, logical structure that outlines key points. Establishes a reasonable line of reasoning with some organization. Attempts a line of reasoning but lacks clarity or coherence. Does not establish a logical line of reasoning.
Document Analysis Clearly identifies the author, purpose, historical context, and audience for at least three documents. Provides insightful analysis of the document’s significance. Identifies the author, purpose, context, and audience for at least three documents, but some explanations may lack depth. Attempts to analyze three documents but misses key aspects of VIEW (e.g., unclear context or purpose). Provides minimal or incorrect analysis of the documents. Missing multiple components of VIEW.
Context Provides accurate and appropriate historical context that explains the significance of the source and relates it to the time period. Context provided is mostly clear and accurate, but may lack depth or connection to the thesis. Context attempts to explain significance and connection to time period but are unclear, too general, or contain inaccuracies. Context is confusing, missing, or incorrect, showing little understanding of the documents and time period.
Document Grouping Groups documents in a thoughtful and effective way that strengthens the argument. Groups documents in a logical way that supports the argument Groups documents, but the connections may be weak or unclear. Does not group documents or groups them in a way that does not support the argument.
Use of Evidence Effectively integrates relevant evidence from documents to support the claim. Uses relevant evidence to support the claim. Uses limited or somewhat relevant evidence. Does not use evidence or evidence is unrelated.
Use of Specific Details and Quotations Specific details and well-chosen quotations are effectively used to support claims. Quotations are smoothly integrated and properly contextualized. Specific details and quotations are used but may be somewhat general or not fully contextualized. Few specific details or quotations are included, and those that may not be well-chosen or clearly connected. Lacks specific evidence or relies on vague references to documents.
Clarity & Organization Thesis is clearly written, well-organized, and easy to understand. Thesis is organized and mostly clear. Thesis lacks clarity or has organization issues. Thesis is unclear and lacks organization.
Mechanics & Grammar Free of errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Minor errors that do not interfere with meaning. Noticeable errors that may distract from meaning. Frequent errors that make the thesis difficult to understand.

Total Score: ____ / 36

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