Modern American History Midterm 1 Review Guide

MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY - Midterm 1 Review Guide

Overview

  • Course: Modern American History

  • Institution: Baruch College

  • Instructor: Professor Manevitz

  • Purpose: To guide studying for Midterm 1 exam by highlighting key terms, focus questions, and significant topics from assigned readings and lectures.

Secondary Sources

  • Review guidance emphasizes:

    • Key terms from the assigned textbook sections.

    • Focus Questions to direct studying.

    • Past quizzes as study materials.

    • Selected review questions that may appear on the exam.

Key Topics and Questions

American Yawp (Chapter 14) - Civil War

  • Compromise over Slavery in the West:

    • Inquiry into how policymakers navigated compromises regarding the institution of slavery as the U.S. expanded westward.

  • States’ Rights and Sectional Conflict:

    • Exploration of how the debate over states' rights inflamed sectional tensions, contributing to the Civil War.

  • End of Slavery:

    • Analysis of the events and motivations that culminated in the abolition of slavery in the United States.

  • Transformation of American Government due to Civil War:

    • Investigation of how the Civil War fundamentally altered the structure and operation of the U.S. government.

Foner (15) - Reconstruction

  • Reconstruction Amendments as a Second Founding:

    • Discussion on how the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments represented a pivotal re-founding of American principles and citizenship.

  • Black Institutions and African-American Culture:

    • Examination of the roles that Black families, churches, schools, and other institutions played in fostering African-American culture and political activism during the Reconstruction era.

  • Land Reform and New Forms of Servitude:

    • Analysis of how the failure of land reform, coupled with persistent poverty, gave rise to new types of servitude for both Black and white individuals.

Foner (17) - Freedom’s Boundaries

  • Redeemers in the New South:

    • Identification and exploration of the redeemers, examining their impact on society and politics in the Reconstruction South.

  • Political, Economic, and Social Changes:

    • Explanation of how changes in politics, economics, social factors, and the use of violence influenced the status and conditions of African-Americans in the New South.

Supplemental Readings and Lecture Notes

  • Key Historical Compromises and Events:

    • Compromise of 1820: Addressed balance between slave and free states.

    • Compromise of 1850: Series of laws aimed at resolving territorial and slavery disputes.

    • Trail of Tears: Forced relocation of Native Americans, exemplifying the impact of U.S. expansion.

    • Fugitive Slave Law: Legislation that mandated the return of escaped slaves to their owners, intensifying Northern and Southern tensions.

    • “Contraband” Policy: Designation of escaped slaves as contraband during the Civil War, altering their status.

    • John Brown and Bleeding Kansas: Violent conflicts over the issue of slavery in Kansas territory as a precursor to the Civil War.

  • Black Social and Political Networks in Reconstruction:

    • Exploration of how newly freed African-Americans organized politically, socially, and economically.

  • Freedman’s Bureau:

    • Discussion of the Bureau's role in aiding formerly enslaved individuals through labor contracts, education, and social services.

  • Colfax Massacre and United States v. Cruikshank:

    • Analysis of the Colfax Massacre, an example of racial violence and its legal aftermath under federal law.

  • Compromise of 1877:

    • Overview of the political compromises that effectively ended Reconstruction, resulting in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South.

  • Racial Terrorism, the KKK, and Ida B. Wells:

    • Examination of the role of the Ku Klux Klan in domestic terrorism against African-Americans and the anti-lynching efforts of activist Ida B. Wells.

  • Decoration Days:

    • Discussion of how these commemorative events became intertwined with the narratives of the Civil War and Reconciliation.

  • The “Lost Cause” and Confederate Monuments:

    • Exploration of the ideological movement that romanticized the Confederate cause and influenced the erection of monuments.

Primary Sources for Study

  • Declarations of Causes of Secession:

    • Analysis of various Southern states' justifications for secession, highlighting their perspectives on slavery.

  • Alexander Stephens, “Cornerstone Speech”:

    • Overview of Stephens' 1861 speech, which articulated the Confederacy's foundational belief in white supremacy and slavery.

  • Abraham Lincoln, “Emancipation Proclamation”:

    • Examination of Lincoln's executive order declaring the freedom of all enslaved individuals in Confederate-held territory.

  • Petition of the Black Residents of Nashville, 1865:

    • Study of this document as an expression of the aspirations and demands of newly freed people.

  • Sharecropping Contract:

    • Overview of the economic relationships established in the post-Civil War South through sharecropping.

  • Mississippi Black Code:

    • Analysis of the restrictive laws enacted to control the newly freed African-American population and limit their rights.

  • 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments:

    • Detailed examination of these pivotal amendments, their intentions, and their impact on American society.

  • Frederick Douglass, “Composite Nation”:

    • Discussion of this speech by Douglass promoting unity and equality among all races.

  • Ida B. Wells, “Lynch Law in Georgia”:

    • Examination of Wells' critique of lynching and racial violence in the post-Reconstruction era, highlighting the ongoing struggles for civil rights.