Question

AP US History question:

By the 1850s the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it had created. Using the documents and your knowledge of the period 1850-1861, assess the validity of this statement.

Answer 1

False, the Constitution helped rebuild our new country and the first 13 colonies. It gave the government more power which helped unify the country. The Constitution came after the Articles of Confederation, which, yes, contributed to the failure of the union. The states had too much power because, as a new country, we didn't want a strong central government because they were afraid of a monarchy, like the one in England from which they separated. The Constitution was the document that essentially showed the world we were a true, powerful country. It gave us the first presidency, the separate government branches, and to give the states more power so they wouldn't try to secede from the union, the Bill of Rights was created.

Answer 2

Answer: The constitution failed to deal with slavery, expansion, and regional conflict which contributed to the failure of the Union.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sectional differences in the United States throughout the 1850s spread farther, as the political authorities argued about slavery and whether or not should be allowed to be extended, while the abolition movement grew in some free states.

The Fugitive Slave Act, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott vs Sandford turned Northerners to think that, against the Constitution, slavery was dominating government.

On the other side, white Southerners also believed the Constitution was on their side, as the Northern efforts to restrain slavery constituted an attack on their freedom.