Virginia SOL VS.7.b
The Standard
describing how the institution of slavery was the cause of the Civil War, and secondary factors that contributed to the secession of the southern states
Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify slavery as the main cause of the Civil War. They explain how westward expansion, failed compromises, sectional differences, and claims about states’ rights pushed southern states toward secession.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given source excerpts or event cards, a student identifies slavery as the main cause and places other factors in supporting roles. The student explains that southern states’ rights claims focused largely on protecting slavery.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat tariffs, regional economies, or states’ rights as equal to or separate from slavery. They may confuse secession with the start of fighting or assume every southerner supported secession.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Name the main cause of the Civil War, identify one secondary factor, and explain in one sentence how they were connected.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Sort cause cards into main cause, secondary factor, and result, then connect slavery, secession, and war with yarn.
Write three sentences answering: Why is “states’ rights” incomplete unless you name the right southern leaders wanted to protect?
Play a team card match pairing slavery, westward expansion, failed compromises, Lincoln’s election, secession, and war with accurate explanations.
Examine a photo of a Virginia Civil War marker, then note whether it names slavery and how it explains secession.
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Related Standards
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