Sectionalism Content Module
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Sectionalism Content Module This content module has been curated using existing Law-Related Education materials. This resource has been provided to assist educators with delivering the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for middle school U.S. History. This content module may be utilized as a tool to help supplement instruction. It is not intended to be a complete unit of study. Note: Arrows have been placed throughout the module to indicate areas where students should interact with the module. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for these materials to be reproduced for classroom use only. No part of these materials may be reproduced in any other form or for any other purpose without the written consent of Law Related Education, State Bar of Texas. For additional information on the LRE Program, please go to www.texaslre.org Sectionalism Module Read the following paragraph and underline or highlight the definition of nationalism and sectionalism. This module covers a period called sectionalism. Following the War of 1812 the United States had unified political and economically. We experienced a time period called the “Era of Good Feelings.” A sense of nationalism or love and devotion to our nation swept the country as many people for the first time began to identify themselves as American. Our unique culture thrived through art, literature, and music. This period was short lived as sections of our country began to turn toward self interest legislation. Our country moved from nationalism to sectionalism. Sectionalism means love and devotion to your section of the country (North, West, and South). Each section favored legislation that benefited their sectional interests such as slavery, tariffs, or internal improvements. In this module you will analyze sectional conflicts, compromises, and people that contributed to this divide in our country and eventually led us to a civil war. Use the maps of the United States below, draw a symbol or picture on or near the map that helps you remember the definition of nationalism and sectionalism. Answer the question that follows. Nationalism Sectionalism Using the two definitions above, in your opinion, do people living in the U.S. today believe in nationalism or sectionalism? Explain. 2 © State Bar of Texas www.texaslre.org As you look at the images in the collage, write two questions that you have about what you are seeing. 1. 2. Read the paragraph below about the Sectionalism era. If you could describe the era in one word, what would it be? Sectionalism is a time period in American history prior to the Civil War when the country became increasingly divided between the agricultural pro-slavery South and the industrial North. Tariffs, acquisition of territory in the West, and growing moral objections to slavery contributed to the growing divide in the country. But several compromises were made in the decades before the Civil War to manage to keep the country unified for a time. Eventually these differences became overwhelming and the Civil War broke out between the North and the South. My Word ______________________________________________ 3 © State Bar of Texas www.texaslre.org Vocabulary Word Sort Use the vocabulary words and definitions to do the word sort on the page six. Cash Crops Crops that are sold for profit or to make money Compromise When two sides disagree, but give up a little to come to an agreement Plantations Large farms with a high demand for labor (workers) Popular Sovereignty Power given to the people to vote A tariff whose purpose is to protect and encourage the sale of American Protective Tariff made goods by making foreign made goods more expensive Revenue Income or money made (money earned) Secession To withdraw or leave from a group Sectionalism Love and devotion to your section of the country: North, West, South Needing no outside help in satisfying one’s basic needs, especially with Self -Sufficient regard to the production of food A system where people were bought and sold as property and forced to Slavery work States’ Rights Power given to the states Tariff A tax on imports in order to raise revenue 4 © State Bar of Texas www.texaslre.org Political, Economic, Social When examining history, you will sometimes be asked to identify or categorize events as political, economic, or social. Below are some hints of what you might look for. POLITICAL - Things that relate to the government Types of governments Rules for government (constitutions) Voting Wars Nations declaring independence Court decisions Relationships with other nations Economic -Things that are about money and resources Gold and Silver Paper money (Currency) Taxes and Tariffs Property Imports and Exports (Trade) Debt Technology Transportation Social - Things that are about people Groups of people living in an area or affected in some way Education systems Religion Language Culture (includes clothing, food) NOTE: Sometimes events can be in multiple categories. One example is trade with other nations. It’s political (relationships with other nations) but it’s also economic (trade). If choosing only one category, think about which one BEST describes the event. Be sure to be able to explain why you think it’s the best fit! 5 © State Bar of Texas www.texaslre.org Vocabulary Word Sort Which category do you think each word fits best in? Sort the vocabulary words into one of the three categories below. Use the definitions from page 4 and hints from page 5 for help. Cash Crops Protective Tariff Self-Sufficient Compromise Revenue Slavery Plantations Secession States’ Rights Popular Sovereignty Sectionalism Tariff Economic Political Social 6 © State Bar of Texas www.texaslre.org Slavery and the Effects The institution of slavery and the South’s desire to maintain and spread it into the western territories had a huge effect on our country. Slavery was the main cause of the country’s division into sectional interests and leading to Civil War. The following paragraphs will address the questions: why was slavery needed and what was it like? And how did it come to influence sectional differences in our country so much? The following section “Slavery and the Effects” helps us to gain an understanding of how slavery effected this country and the slaves themselves. Read the lyrics to a slave work song aloud and describe what you hear. Pay close attention to the words. Answer the questions below and check your answers. Steal Away. Steal Away. Steal Away. Steal Away to Jesus. Steal Away. Steal Away home. I ain’t got long to stay here. My lord, my lord, he calls me. He calls me by the thunder. The trumpet sounds way down in my soul. I ain't got long to stay here. Steal Away. Steal Away. Steal Away. Steal Away to Jesus. Steal Away. Steal Away home. I ain’t got long to stay here. (Steal Away to Jesus performed by Bernice Johnson Reagon in 1965, Gates, The Norton Anthology: African American Literature, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1997, New York.) Why do you think the slaves are singing? What are they singing about? Answer to the questions on page 26. 7 © State Bar of Texas www.texaslre.org Slavery and the Effects Read the following paragraphs and use the following coding system to mark the text: * Use as star for any sentence or phrase you already knew (prior knowledge) ? Use a question mark for any sentence or phrase you have a question about + Use a plus sign for any sentence or phrase that is new or surprising information Finally, answer the questions that follow each paragraph. The first slaves in North America were kidnapped Africans that arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. They were treated similar to indentured servants (people working as servants to pay for passage to the colonies) with longer terms. Later, millions of slaves were transported across the Atlantic Ocean on the “middle passage” part of the triangular trade. Conditions on the passage were horrible and inhuman leaving millions to die along the way. By the late 1770s, 500,000 slaves lived in the Southern colonies. How did slaves come to North America? How were they treated? The Founding Fathers failed to end the institution of slavery when writing the Constitution in 1787. The words “slave” or “slavery” never appears in the Constitution until the addition of the 13th Amendment (1865); freeing the slaves. Even though the words are not used, the institution is referenced three times in the Constitution. Article 1, Section 2, the 3/5th Compromise states “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Number of free Persons…” In other words, three out of every five slaves would be counted for the population and for taxes owed. Article I, Section 9 gave Congress the ability to end the slave trade in 1807. Finally, Article IV, Section 2 establishes the Fugitive Slave Clause stating “No person held to Service or Labour in one State...escaping into another, shall...be delivered up on Claim of the Party.” Slaves could not gain freedom by running away to other states. Why do you think that Founding Father’s left the actual words “slave” or “slavery” out of the Constitution? Life as a slave was very difficult. Slaves worked on small farms and plantations usually as field hands, or house servants from dawn until dusk. Most worked in a “gang system” with rigorous supervision picking cotton, a cash crop. They lived in self built 16X18 log cabins with dirt floors and often housing 2 families living together. These conditions often led to high death rates due to sickness and disease spreading in such close quarters.