AMSCO Unit 5 APUSH

UNIT 5 - Period 5: 1844-1877

Topic 5.1: Contextualizing Period 5

• Learning Objective: Explain the context in which sectional conflict emerged from 1844 to 1877.

• The U.S. expanded to the Pacific Ocean, creating tensions over the expansion of slavery.

• Civil War (1861-1865): resulted in over 750,000 deaths and significant federal government power.

• Post-war led to a "new birth of freedom"; however, racism persisted.

Growth in Land and Population

• 1844-1877: Expansion westward due to belief in Manifest Destiny.

• Acquisitions through negotiations, purchases, and wars (e.g. Mexican War).

• Economic opportunities attracted immigrants from Ireland and China.

• Nativism arose in response to immigration, leading to political movements.

Political Conflicts over Slavery

• Rising sectionalism intensified differences over politics, economics, and slavery.

• Slaveowners demanded federal laws for returning escaped slaves; abolitionists fought for an end to slavery.

• The Free-Soil movement argued against slavery's expansion into new territories.

Topic 5.2: The Idea of Manifest Destiny

• Learning Objective: Explain the causes and effects of westward expansion from 1844 to 1877.

• Manifest Destiny: the belief in a divine mission to expand across North America.

• Expansion driven by nationalism, economic development, and technology; however, critics pointed to the ambition of spreading slavery.

Key Conflicts Over Territory

• Texas and Maine boundary disputes arose from U.S. expansionist interests.

• Mexican War (1846-1848): led to significant territorial gains for the U.S.

• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): ended the war and ceded California and New Mexico to the U.S.

Notable Events

• 1844: Election of Polk, pro-Manifest Destiny policies.

• 1863: Emancipation Proclamation issues, shifting focus to slavery in the war.

Topic 5.3: Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War

• Learning Objective: Explain the causes and effects of the Mexican-American War.

• Annexation of Texas led to conflict with Mexico.

• President Polk's objectives: acquire California and know AP review trends with Mexico were a prelude to war.

• Treaty terms: U.S. pays $15 million for significant territories.

Wilmot Proviso

• 1846: Attempted to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico, increasing sectional tensions.

Topic 5.4: The Compromise of 1850

• Learning Objective: Explain the similarities and differences in how regional attitudes affected federal policy after the Mexican-American War.

• The Compromise aimed to address the escalation of conflicts over slavery.

• Southern interests pushed for expansion of slavery; Northern states mostly opposed.

• Popular sovereignty proposed as a solution to determine slavery's status in new territories.

Topic 5.5: Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences

• Learning Objectives: Effect of immigration on American culture from 1844-1877 and conflict from slavery.

• Immigration led to political and economic changes, often inciting nativist sentiments.

• Tensions accentuated by increased anti-slavery sentiment and literature (e.g. Uncle Tom's Cabin).

Topic 5.6: Failure of Compromise

• Learning Objective: Explain the political causes of the Civil War.

• Political instability heightened by sectional divisions around the slavery issue.

• The Kansas-Nebraska Act led to increased violence and conflict ("Bleeding Kansas").

Topic 5.7: Election of 1860 and Secession

• Learning Objective: Describe the effects of Lincoln's election.

• Fear of abolitionism motivated Southern states to secede.

• John Brown's Harpers Ferry raid served as a catalyst for Southern fears.

• Lincoln's election resulted in the formation of the Confederate States of America.

Topic 5.8: Military Conflict in the Civil War

• Learning Objective: Explain factors contributing to the Union victory.

• The Union leveraged its larger population and resources against the Confederacy's defensive tactics.

• Achievements of key battles: Antietam, Vicksburg, and overall strategies shaped the warfare.

Topic 5.9: Government Policies During the Civil War

• Learning Objective: Explain how Lincoln's leadership impacted American ideals.

• Lincoln took decisive actions including the Emancipation Proclamation and suspension of habeas corpus.

• Transformation of the ideological landscape around government and human rights.

Topic 5.10: Reconstruction

• Learning Objective: Explain effects of government policy during Reconstruction from 1865 to 1877.

• Post-war Reconstruction aimed to integrate freed slaves and rebuild the Southern economy.

• Lincoln's and Johnson's varied approaches reflect complex political realities and conflicts with Congress.

• The Freedmen's Bureau efforts aimed to assist formerly enslaved individuals in their transition to freedom.