a. How do our individual actions sometimes lead to larger consequences? b. How did the actions of 2 people create a wider gap between the north and the south? Objective a. Students will read, analyze, and apply information in primary documents to formulate reasons the United States was divided before the Civil War. b. Students will identify Uncle Tom's Cabin and John Brown's Raid and explain how each related to the Civil War. Background Tensions grew for many years before the first shots rang out at Fort Sumter, signaling the beginning of the Civil War. There was a clear division between the n Duration: 90 Minutes.