Waged in Congress, state governments, newspaper editorials, and within and between family and friends, the prelude to the Civil War was, in part, a debate over union vs. state, of a national identity vs. a local one, enflamed by the decades-old debate over slavery.

Suggested Readings

• Documents and Debates, Vol. 1: Ch 15, “War for Union or Abolition?” documents A, B, C, D, and E