The Civil War represented an utter and unique breakdown of the normal democratic political process. When one section of the country refused to accept the decision of a presidential election, secession and the ensuing war became the great exception to the American political tradition of compromise. The rending of the nation was the one time that conflict seemed too irrepressible, too fundamental, to be contained within common consensual boundaries. Because the war was such an anomaly, both participants and later historians have been fascinated with its causes since the shooting started. Using the excerpts above, answer (a), (b), and (c).

a. Briefly describe ONE major difference between Potter's and Holt's historical interpretations of the Civil War.
b. Briefly explain how ONE specific historical event or development during the period 1820-1861 from the Road to Disunion Project that is not explicitly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Potter's interpretation.
c. Briefly explain how ONE specific historical event or development during the period 1820-1861 from the Road to Disunion Project that is not explicitly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Holt's interpretation.