The Civil War divided the United States between its Northern and Southern states. ... The Southern states wanted their independence respected by the national government. ... Secessionist believed that the national government was a conglomeration of sovereign states and that any state had the legal right to remove itself from the Union. ... Of the compromises submitted to the national government, the Crittenden Compromise was the most popular. ... The War was the beginning and ending of a way of life for all, and the beginning of an expansion era of the United States....

• Word Count: 798
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate