Here's the question

"By the 1850's the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it had created."

Using the documents and your knowledge of the period 1850-1861, assess the validity of this statement.

Here's a link to the documents
http://home.comcast.net/~motten/ap_hist/projects/1987.htm [4]

I have no idea what any of the documents mean or how to use them.
Also, I have to write this dbq in a few days so please reply asap. Thanks in advance.