Period 5: 1844-1877
#43 - 5.1 Contextualizing Period 5
This lecture introduces Period 5 (1844-1877), covering U.S. expansion, sectional conflicts, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. It explores Manifest Destiny, migration, and territorial acquisitions, leading to tensions over slavery. Political compromises failed to prevent war, and Lincoln's leadership helped secure Union victory. Reconstruction amendments abolished slavery and expanded citizenship, but gains were short-lived. Federal authority strengthened post-war.
#44 - 5.2 Manifest Destiny
This lecture covers Manifest Destiny (1844-1877), focusing on westward expansion's causes and effects. Settlers moved west seeking economic opportunities, mineral resources, and religious refuge. The U.S. acquired Texas, Oregon, and the Mexican Cession, fulfilling Manifest Destiny. Federal policies like the Homestead Act and Pacific Railway Act encouraged migration. Expansion increased U.S. trade with Asia, notably opening Japan to commerce.
#45 - 5.3 The Mexican-American War
This lecture explores the causes and effects of the Mexican-American War. Sparked by the annexation of Texas and border disputes, the U.S. quickly won, gaining the Mexican Cession through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The war intensified debates over slavery’s expansion and impacted Mexican Americans and Native Americans, leading to displacement and violence. U.S. expansion to the Pacific was completed.
#46 - 5.4 The Compromise of 1850
This lecture examines the Compromise of 1850 and its impact on sectional tensions. Following the Mexican-American War, debates over slavery’s expansion intensified. The compromise, brokered by Henry Clay and others, admitted California as a free state, allowed popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico, and enforced a stricter Fugitive Slave Law. While temporarily easing tensions, it failed to resolve slavery disputes, leading to further sectional conflict.
#47 - 5.5 Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences
This lecture explores sectional conflict between 1844 and 1877. Immigration from Ireland, Germany, and China shaped American society but led to nativist backlash. The Free Soil movement opposed slavery’s expansion, while abolitionists used literature, escape networks, and violence to fight slavery. Southerners defended slavery as economically and socially superior. Rising tensions foreshadowed the Civil War as sectional divisions deepened.
#48 - 5.6 Failure of Compromise
This lecture explores the political causes of the Civil War, highlighting failed compromises over slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act’s introduction of popular sovereignty led to violent conflict, while the Dred Scott decision ruled that enslaved people were property, angering the North. The Whig Party collapsed, and the Republican Party emerged as an anti-slavery force. Sectional tensions deepened, setting the stage for war.
#49 - 5.7 Election of 1860 and Secession
This lecture explores the election of 1860 and the secession crisis. Lincoln won without Southern support due to a divided Democratic Party. Fearing abolition, South Carolina seceded, followed by ten other states, forming the Confederate States of America. Attempts at compromise failed, and tensions escalated. The attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861 marked the official start of the Civil War.
#50 - 5.8 Military Conflict in the Civil War
This lecture covers the factors leading to the Union's victory in the Civil War. The North’s superior economy, infrastructure, and population gave it long-term advantages, while the South struggled with inflation and weak central governance. Key battles like Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg shifted momentum. Union strategies, including the Anaconda Plan and Sherman’s March, crippled the Confederacy, culminating in Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865.
#51 - 5.9 Government Policies During the Civil War
This lecture examines Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War and its impact on American ideals. Initially fighting to preserve the Union, Lincoln reframed the war’s purpose with the Emancipation Proclamation, undermining the Confederacy and deterring British support. African Americans joined the Union Army, while Lincoln’s policies expanded federal power. His Gettysburg Address reinforced America’s democratic ideals, shaping the nation’s future.
#52 - 5.10 Reconstruction
This lecture explores Reconstruction’s impact on government and society from 1865 to 1877. Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction clashed over reintegration terms, leading to military oversight in the South. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments granted rights to African Americans but sparked resistance. Short-term successes included political participation and education, but white supremacist violence and Northern fatigue ultimately led to Reconstruction’s failure.
#53 - 5.11 Failure of Reconstruction
This lecture explores the failure of Reconstruction and its long-term effects. Redeemer governments regained power, restricting Black rights through Black Codes and economic exploitation like sharecropping. The Compromise of 1877 ended federal support for Reconstruction, enabling Jim Crow laws and white supremacist violence. Despite setbacks, the 14th and 15th Amendments later became crucial in 20th-century civil rights victories.
#54 - 5.12 Comparison in Period 5
This lecture compares key aspects of Period 5, including U.S. expansion, immigration, and the causes of the Civil War. Slavery was central to sectionalism, economic divides, and political conflicts. The Union’s victory was due to greater manpower, industry, and leadership. Reconstruction reshaped federal-state relationships, ended slavery, and redefined citizenship, though racial inequalities persisted. These changes influenced future civil rights struggles.
Related items from the store…
