Because of that, its a particularly good point in this course to talk about a big issue that goes throughout the civil war that we need to look at a e antebellum. The question is the United States constitution. One thing historians have been asking for generations about the constitution and the civil war area, a basic question is to what degree did the constitution shape the civil war area . What to what degree did it make political actors do certain things . Constrain them. Or guide their actions. On the flip side to what degree did the civil war era shape the constitution . Some of this is very clear in the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments. Changed the constitution. Also different views of the constitution. One of the things that people have looked at in looking back at the u. S. Constitution during the civil war era is how president s have interacted with the constitution. Have they followed it . Have they tried to defend it . Have they abridged the constitution . This shapes how many