This semester I am again teaching the “American Civil War Era” at Rice, and one of the first things I’ve always shared with my students are these flashcards published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The version I’ve just linked is to the 2019 version of the cards, which is very similar to the 2011 version I’ve long used. The cards ask questions that help prospective citizens prepare for the U.S. citizenship test as part of the naturalization process.
The card I’ve always drawn attention to is the one that asks about the causes of the Civil War. Or, more specifically, the cards ask students to name one problem that led to the Civil War. That leads us to a discussion about what that phrasing of the question allows: an account of the war’s coming that would leave slavery out. We also talk about what it means to feature Lee on the card. (I think I picked this exercise up from Ed Ayers, but I can’t remember for sure now.)
Anyway, in preparing for tomorrow’s presentation of these cards, I decided to have a look at the current USCIS materials, since I remember reading news reports last fall about changes to the citizenship test. What I don’t remember reading was that the questions about the Civil War have been substantially changed. (Update: The changes date back to 2020.)
There is now a question that credits the Civil War with ending slavery. But it appears that the 2025 version of the test no longer asks about Civil War causation at all. Test-takers are asked to name one important event from the war … but nothing about the problems that led to it.
Here’s the relevant section from a study book provided by the USCIS:
It’s interesting that there’s no question about causation on the test, because the agency’s study guide does include a paragraph on what led up to the war. It no longer highlights “states' rights,” and even includes some interesting language about northern states. But it also retains the phrasing suggesting that slavery was one problem that led to the war.
I feel certain other historians in the field have already seen this, though Internet search has gotten so bad that I can’t easily confirm that or find commentary on it. But I am definitely interested to show the change to my students and reflect with them on why the test now avoids the causation question altogether.
(Update: The changes date back to 2020.)
