How did Americans disagree over the role of federal and state governments before and during the Civil War?

make it short and make it look like a 7th graDER WROTE IT

1 answer

Before and during the Civil War, Americans had big arguments about how much power the federal government should have compared to state governments. Many Southern states believed they should have more control and wanted to make their own decisions, especially about issues like slavery. They thought the federal government was overstepping its limits. On the other hand, people in the North believed that the federal government should have the ultimate authority to keep the country united and manage important issues, like ending slavery. This disagreement over power between state and federal governments was one of the main reasons that led to the Civil War.