Purpose

Sometimes in history, we have a bad habit of over-simplifying difficult concepts and of making generalizations that are not borne out of the facts. In the Civil War, for example, we tend to approach the issue of slavery believing that everyone in the North wanted slavery to be abolished, while everyone in the South supported slavery. However, a theme I emphasize in my classes is that history is complicated because people are complicated.

Task

Initial Post:

As you have learned more about the people and events leading up to the Civil War, you have probably learned something about the complexity of the issues, the complications that do not fit the generalizations. For your initial posting, write about two events, opinions, or perhaps documents that did not fit the easy generalizations that you may have entered this unit believing. Present these two items as if you are teaching the class about them, explaining them fully and completely and emphasizing how they break the generalization. Feel free to be creative: create a power point, a prezi, etc. if you would like.