US History Period 5 Overview (1844-1877)

Period 5 (1844-1877) Overview

• US westward expansion fueled by Manifest Destiny, reaching the Pacific.
• Slavery expansion debate intensified regional tensions.
• Civil War (1861-1865) ended slavery but revealed lingering racial issues.
• Reconstruction (1865-1877) significantly altered federal-state relationships.

Manifest Destiny and its Aftermath

• Territorial disputes with Britain (Oregon) and Mexico (Texas) arose.
• Post-Civil War government policies like the Homestead Act encouraged westward movement.
• Homestead Act (1862) offered land for agricultural development.
• Mexican-American War (1846-1848) resulted in significant territorial acquisition.

Manifest Destiny & the Mexican-American War

• US desire for land and Texan disputes fueled the war.
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) concluded the war, ceding vast territories.
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo set the Rio Grande as the Texas border. The US gained land in modern-day California, Arizona, and other regions.

Compromise of 1850

• Sought to balance free and slave states in new territories.
• Included the Fugitive Slave Act, causing significant tension.
• Fugitive Slave Act required returning escaped enslaved people, upsetting Northern abolitionists.

Sectional Conflict & Regional Differences

• Immigration (e.g., Irish, Chinese) and cultural differences added to tensions.
• Debates on slavery expansion worsened sectionalism.
• Free-Soil Movement opposed slavery's expansion, advocating for "free labor" territories.

Failure of Compromise

• Political divisions made compromise unattainable.
• Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and Dred Scott Decision (1857) intensified these divisions.
• Kansas-Nebraska Act permitted popular sovereignty, causing unrest (e.g., "Bleeding Kansas").
• Dred Scott decision declared African Americans were not citizens.

Election of 1860 & Secession

• Lincoln's election triggered Southern secession.
• Formation of the Confederate States of America initiated the Civil War.
• Lincoln's stance against slavery expansion fueled Southern concerns.

The Civil War

• Initially focused on preserving the Union, but shifted to opposing slavery.
• Key turning points included the Emancipation Proclamation and Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
• Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in Confederate states.
• Gettysburg Address promoted national unity and abolitionist ideals.

Government Policies During the Civil War

• Federal authority expanded with the draft and war bonds.
• War's end spurred discussions about Reconstruction plans and civil rights.
• 13th Amendment abolished slavery nationwide.
• Homestead and Morrill Acts encouraged westward expansion.

Reconstruction Plans

• Lincoln and Johnson's lenient approach differed from Radical Republicans' more stringent demands.
• Reconstruction Acts imposed military control in the South.
• Freedman's Bureau aided newly freed slaves through resources and education.
• Black Codes restricted freedoms for African Americans in the South.

The End of Reconstruction

• Compromise of 1877 marked the conclusion of federal Reconstruction efforts by withdrawing troops.
• Segregation and disenfranchisement persisted.
• Jim Crow Laws enforced racial segregation.
• Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction efforts by removing federal troops from Southern states.

The Gilded Age (Topics 6.1-6.3) Context

• Rapid industrialization and urbanization shaped this era.
• Westward expansion continued, often displacing Native Americans and Mexican Americans.
• Transcontinental Railroad connected the nation, boosting economic growth.
• Conservation movement emerged in response to environmental challenges.

Explore the key events and themes of US History from 1844 to 1877. This quiz covers westward expansion, the impact of Manifest Destiny, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Test your knowledge on the significant policies and territorial changes during this period.