Causes and Effects of the Civil War is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the causes and effects of the Civil War, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.14.3-5. It prints 3 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 4 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Causes and Effects of the Civil War
D2.His.14.3-5
NameDate
Sort each one: was it a cause of the Civil War or an effect of it?
1.Sort each one: Cause or Effect?
Sort: Arguments over whether slavery could spread into the western territories, Abolitionists in the North demanding an end to slavery, Reconstruction began, to rebuild the South and protect the rights of freed people, The 13th Amendment ended slavery in the United States
CauseEffect
2.Sort each one: Cause or Effect?
Sort: The Dred Scott decision of 1857 said Congress could not ban slavery in the territories, The 14th Amendment made people who had been enslaved into citizens, About four million people were freed from slavery, Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the spread of slavery, was elected president in 1860
CauseEffect
3.Sort each one: Cause or Effect?
Sort: The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required Northerners to help return people who escaped slavery, Much of the South's farmland, railroads and cities lay in ruins, The national government became stronger than it had been before the war, Violent fighting in Kansas over whether it would allow slavery
CauseEffect
LessonPrint · D2.His.14.3-5 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Causes and Effects of the Civil War
Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Abolitionists in the North demanding an end to slavery — Cause 2. Arguments over whether slavery could spread into the western territories — Cause 3. Reconstruction began, to rebuild the South and protect the rights of freed people — Effect 4. The 13th Amendment ended slavery in the United States — Effect
2.1. About four million people were freed from slavery — Effect 2. Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the spread of slavery, was elected president in 1860 — Cause 3. The 14th Amendment made people who had been enslaved into citizens — Effect 4. The Dred Scott decision of 1857 said Congress could not ban slavery in the territories — Cause
3.1. Much of the South's farmland, railroads and cities lay in ruins — Effect 2. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required Northerners to help return people who escaped slavery — Cause 3. The national government became stronger than it had been before the war — Effect 4. Violent fighting in Kansas over whether it would allow slavery — Cause
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.14.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.