Question

pls help

How did Americans disagree over the role of federal and state governments before and during the civil war?

7th grade level pls and try not to make it too long

Answer 1

Short answer: Before and during the Civil War, Americans argued mainly about who should have the final say — the federal (national) government or the state governments — and most of the fights were tied to the issue of slavery.

Key points (simple and short):

- The basic disagreement
- Some people (mainly in the North) wanted a stronger national government to keep the country together and make rules that applied everywhere.
- Others (mainly in the South) argued for "states’ rights" — that states should make their own big decisions, especially about slavery.

- Why slavery mattered
- Southern states depended on slavery for their farms and wanted new states and territories to allow slavery.
- Many in the North wanted to limit or stop the spread of slavery into new areas. This made the balance of power in Congress a big fight.

- Important events that showed the disagreement
- 1832: Nullification Crisis (South Carolina tried to ignore a federal tariff law).
- 1820s–1850s: Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, and Kansas-Nebraska Act tried to keep a balance between free and slave states but only delayed the conflict.
- 1857: Dred Scott decision said Congress couldn’t ban slavery in territories, which alarmed many Northerners.
- 1860–61: After Abraham Lincoln was elected, Southern states said they had the right to leave (secede) and formed the Confederacy.

- During the Civil War (1861–1865)
- President Lincoln and the Union used increased federal power to fight the war (draft, blockades, suspension of habeas corpus).
- The war changed goals: the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation made ending slavery a Union goal, and the 1865 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
- After the war, the national government became stronger in protecting citizens’ rights (though full equality took longer).

Short conclusion: The fight over whether the national government or states should control important choices — especially about slavery — was a major cause of the Civil War. The war and its aftermath made the federal government stronger and ended slavery.