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Icivics Slave States, Free States is a great activity for understanding the Missouri Compromise. It is ready to use with very little preparation.
Once a teacher decides the lesson is a good fit, the lesson can be modified for each teacher.
Google Slides:
Icivics has created a ready-to-use Google Slide Deck for teachers. A teacher can make a copy of the presentation in google slides and modify the slides to fit a specific class. ICivics does a great job of incorporating primary sources to complement the reading. A teacher can find the original image and add it to the slides. Icivics includes the source on the reading, so it should not be too difficult to find.
The following is a breakdown of the student document resources. All ICivics resources are free, just create an account.
Reading (Page 1)
SSAR / Silent Sustained Active Reading: Students will silently read while underlining important information and annotating in the margins. Students could also write a 2-3 sentence summary of each section.
Reading Comprehension / Multiple Choice: A teacher can also choose to create multiple-choice questions. One helpful site is Question Well. Simply paste the text into the website, and it will compose questions. Below are two of the ten questions that were created.
What was the main reason the issue of slavery caused problems as new states joined the United States?
- The economy of the country was growing too fast.
- There were not enough people to live in new states.
- The balance of power in government was at risk.
- People could not agree on where to build new capitals.
Imagine you are a senator in 1851. Based on the Compromise of 1850, how would you justify supporting the Fugitive Slave Act to your constituents in the South?
- It ensured slavery would not spread to new territories.
- It allowed slave owners to reclaim runaway slaves.
- It made sure California entered as a free state.
- It balanced power by ending the slave trade in D.C.
Map Activity Directions (page 2)
There are TWO different maps, so be sure to alert the students to this fact. The directions on this page ask students to interact with the maps. If the student is looking at the wrong map, there will be confusion and frustration.
Below is a summary of the questions.
A. 11 Slave, 11 Free: These questions simply ask the students to identify the slave states with an “S” and free states with a “F.”
B. One of Each: The Missouri Compromise let Missouri in as a free state and Maine in as a free state. On the map
- Shade Missouri and Maine,
- Label Missouri and Maine with S and F.
C. Not Above the Line: Students will draw the Missouri Compromise line.
Hint: It’s also the border between Tennessee and Kentucky!
D. Another Compromise: Students will be asked to alter the map in a variety of ways.
E. The Slave Population: Students will draw a pie chart representing the percentage of slave in each state
Enrichment questions. A teacher can also create an enrichment worksheet with questions related to the reading to spark class discussion.
Slavery: The Deep Divide
1. In your opinion, LIST TWO issues in America TODAY that create the deepest “divide” among our citizens. Pick ONE to EXPLAIN the issue and the reason for the division. EXPLAIN the contrasting position of each side?
ANSWERS WILL VARY Deep Divide Writing Prompt
2. UNDERLINE and WRITE #2 next to the answer
As each new state joined the union, people wanted to know if it would be a slave state or a free state.
3. Describe the position of Abolitionists on slavery.
Abolitionists believed slavery was wrong. They wanted to abolish slavery completely, or at least keep it from spreading by making sure all new states would be free states.
4. Describe the position of slave owners on slavery.
Most slave owners relied on slave labor to run their businesses. They believed they would lose their wealth without slavery, and they wanted new states to allow it.
5. UNDERLINE and WRITE #5 next to “The was one thing keeping the slavery issue in check:”
balance in government.
6. How was #5 accomplished?
This was achieved by always making sure there was an equal number of free and slave states.
7. From the text, LIST ONE WORD that created a possible problem to this balance
MISSOURI .
8. What created a possible problem to this balance?
By 1819, there was a delicate balance of 11 free states and 11 slave states. But then, Missouri—a territory that allowed slavery—applied for statehood.
8. UNDERLINE and WRITE #8 next to the reaction of the Missouri application for statehood.
Missouri’s application triggered an uproar.
9. Explain the big question relating to slavery in 1850?
debate over whether slavery would be allowed in the new territory threatened to tear the nation apart.
10. Total states 30 . Slave states 15 . Free states 15 .
11. Identify the compromises that were designed to make each group happy.
Abolionists: slave trading would become illegal in Washington, D.C., the nation’s largest slave market. California would be a free state
Slave owners: But a new Fugitive Slave Act penalized citizens for helping runaway slaves and required them to cooperate with the process of returning slaves to their own. The new territories of Utah and New Mexico would decide for themselves whether to allow slavery.
Map Side A Missouri Compromise 1820 (Page 3)
Map Side B Missouri Compromise 1850 (Page 4)