Students will need to refer to the U.S. in 1860 map to answer questions in the following three lessons: "A House Divided," The Life Story of Piano 2166" and "Family Stories." Together, these lessons describe the country on brink of the Civil War.

"A House Divided" gives an overview of the nation’s territorial expansion and the contentious growth of slavery with it. Distinctions are drawn between Northern and Southern economies. New York City’s role as a financial center facilitating the function and interconnection of both economies is mentioned. The map exercises help students place these issues in geographic context. The mention of Kentucky and the border states sets the stage for the following two lessons concerning Steinway piano 2166. The piano was built in New York in 1858, and shipped to a dealer in Kentucky shortly thereafter.

Some approximate figures on population: the total population of the United States in 1860 was 31,400,000. Twenty-two million lived in the North, and 9 million lived in the South. Of the total population, 4,500,000 were African-Americans. Four million were slaves. Of the 500,000 free African-Americans living in the United States, about half lived in the North, and half lived in the South.