Analyze the election of 1860, South Carolina secession December 20 1860, and the formation of the Confederate States of America with Stephens 1861 Cornerstone Speech as primary-source evidence of slavery as cause
Exercise
Difficulty 5
~20 min
hist.g8.f.ex_17
Essay
Prompt
Apply Q9 LOST-CAUSE-DETECTION to the framing 'The Civil War was fought over states' rights, not slavery.' Refute with 3 pieces of primary-source evidence.
How it's presented
mode
text
Answer criteria
type
rubric
criteria
- Names Q9 verdict (Lost Cause detected)
- Cites secession declaration explicitly
- Cites Confederate Constitution Article I Section 9(4) showing CSA REDUCED states' rights re: slavery
- Cites Stephens Cornerstone Speech March 21 1861
- Names Foner 1988 OR Blight 2001 OR Loewen 1995 scholarly anchor
- Applies MG-14a PROMISE explicitly
Hints
- Confederate Constitution explicitly REMOVED state-level power to limit slavery — opposite of states' rights.
- All 11 secession declarations cite slavery; none cite generic 'states' rights' as primary cause.
Misconceptions to watch
- Allowing 'balance' between Lost Cause and historical evidence
- Missing scholarly anchors
Used in lessons