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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
1844: Election of Polk, pro-Manifest Destiny policies.
1863: Emancipation Proclamation issues, shifting focus to slavery in the 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.
1846: Attempted to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico, increasing sectional tensions.
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.
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).
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").
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.
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.
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.
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.