Description
The year is 1859. The Union is cracking. Every compromise meant to keep the peace has only pulled the nation further apart. Fire in the Republic drops students into the chaos of a country on the brink, where words have become weapons and debate is a matter of survival.
 
This two-day interactive lesson turns your classroom into Congress at its breaking point. Students analyze how the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Fugitive Slave Act failed to hold the Union together. Then, they take the floor in a high-stakes debate simulation—defending their region’s interests, challenging rivals, and attempting one last desperate effort to save the republic. Grade Level: 8–12 Duration: 2-3 class periods (55 minutes each)
Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels: Understanding, Analyzing, Evaluating, Synthesize
 
What’s Included
 
Debate Simulation: 4 page guided worksheets. Four-round interactive debate where students attempt to preserve or dissolve the Union.
5 Abolition Council Fact Sheets: Includes a one-page description of the talking points for each of the 5 roles included in the simulation. 
Rubric & Answer Keys: Complete grading and support materials for teachers.
Teacher’s Guide: Step-by-step instructions for managing lively, structured debates.
 
Skills Developed
Analyzing the causes and consequences of failed compromises.
Evaluating moral and political arguments with historical evidence.
Crafting persuasive, evidence-based positions in a debate setting.
Compare the different viewpoints within the abolition movement. 
 
Perfect For
Civil War and sectionalism units that need energy, empathy, and engagement.
Teachers seeking structured, debate-driven lessons that make students think critically and argue passionately.
Classrooms ready to experience history not as a lecture—but as a live, unfolding crisis.