Inevitability of the Civil War

Create an essay addressing the inevitability of the Civil War including each of the following components.

An introductory paragraph stating your thesis and including the main topics of your arguments.

Economy: Using SPECIFIC examples, explain how the economic development of the North and South exacerbated sectionalism within the United States. You MUST return to colonial times and describe the evolution of the two economies. Provide SPECIFIC, thoroughly explained examples of the unintentional role of the governments in this area, including Great Britain and the United States.

Compromise: From the creation of the Constitution to the outbreak of the Civil War, the government tried to “ignore the elephant in the corner” to avoid conflict. Thoroughly explain at least TWO of the compromises intended to resolve the problems caused by slavery, proving that the compromises were sectional. You MUST define / describe the compromise and EXPLAIN how this was sectional.

Supremacy: Despite agreements reached in the Constitution, the battle for supremacy between the states and the federal government remained a serious issue. Thoroughly explain at least TWO specific instances proving that the battle was ongoing and sectional.

*** You MUST draw conclusions within each of your paragraphs proving that your argument supports your thesis. ***

Write a concluding paragraph which summarizes your three main arguments and re-states your thesis.

GRADING: This essay is worth 100 points.
Introduction: contains a thesis statement and three main arguments (5 points)

Economy = 25 points
Description of differing economies – North and South = 10 points
Role of governments – Great Britain and the United States = 10 points
Explanation of resulting sectional problems = 5 points

Compromise = 25 points
Description / definition of TWO compromises = 20 points (10 points each)
Explanation / proof of sectional nature of compromises = 5 points

Supremacy = 25 points
Description / definition of TWO situations proving battle for supremacy = 20 points (10 points each)
Explanation / proof issues were sectional = 5 points

Concluding Paragraph: restates thesis and three main arguments (5 points)

grammar, punctuation, and spelling (10 points)

turned in on time, typed, double-spaced (5 points)

IMPORTANT NOTE: As with all of the essays, this may be written in first person and should be approximately two pages in length.
DO:
type, double-space
use active verbs – avoid any form of “to be” if possible
use proper punctuation
cite direct quotes
use complex sentences
reflect – give this assignment serious thought
8. EDIT!! Read your paper aloud, this helps you detect grammatical errors.

DON’T:
write “I think” or “I believe” – since you are writing the essay, I naturally assume this is what you “think” and “believe”
end sentences with prepositions – HUGE pet peeve of mine
use slang or abbreviations
use contractions