For over 60 years prior to the Civil War, the Constitution was able to unify the Nation. After the Democrat-Republicans swept the Federalists of their offices in the Revolution of 1800, the Federalists, in their respect for the rule of the majority (as upheld in the Constitution) accepted defeat and left their positions peacefully. After Jefferson was elected in 1800, he went on to purchase land through a treaty with France in the Louisiana Purchase (1804) and doubled the size of the United States (Manifest Destiny). This action, although barely, followed the Constitution in the executive rights it grants, and h

elped to unify the nation by increasing territory, nationalism and the spread of democracy. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall instituted judicial review, which could override decisions brought about by Congress; he then used this power to institute supremacy of the federal government above the state governments, as in McCulloch v. Maryland.

The Constitution has been considered genius because it is simply a series of compromises that make it acceptable to many. However, its vagueness, which has allowed it to mutate and take new form for almost 250 years, has also led to many disputes about its interpretation. The main constitutional concern in the years before the Civil War is whether or not states could invalidate acts of the federal government, an issue which was laid to rest in April, 1865, when the North's victory over the South proved the might of centralized power

On the other hand, southerners believed that the constitution supported slavery. This could be seen in the Democratic platform of 1960 which specifically stated that the party would acquire Cuba(to help extend slavery) and secure the “faithful” execution of the Fugitive Slave law which certain states that “are hostile in character, subversive of the Constitution, and revolutionary in their effect.” Southerners were further convinced of their rights to hold sla

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