Question

How did Americans disagree over the role of federal and state governments before and during the Civil War? (4 points) make this short and a paragraph

Answer 1

Before and during the Civil War, Americans were deeply divided over the balance of power between federal and state governments. Advocates of states' rights, primarily in the South, argued that states should maintain sovereignty and govern themselves without federal interference, particularly regarding slavery. They believed that federal authority should be limited to prevent encroachments on state autonomy. In contrast, many Northerners and federalists asserted that the federal government needed to have a stronger role to preserve the Union and enforce national laws, viewing issues like slavery as matters of national concern rather than state discretion. This clash over governmental authority not only fueled sectional tensions but also contributed to the broader conflict that ultimately erupted into the Civil War.