Chapters 13-16
Key Concepts - from College Board
As the nation expanded and its population grew, regional tensions, especially over slavery, led to a Civil War — the course and aftermath of which transformed American society.
Key Concept 5.1: The United States became more connected with the world, pursued an expansionist foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, and emerged as the destination for many migrants from other countries.
I. Popular enthusiasm for U.S. expansion, bolstered by economic and security interests, resulted in the acquisition of new territories, substantial migration westward, and new overseas initiatives.
Related Thematic Learning Objectives (Focus of Exam Questions)
NAT-3.0: Analyze how ideas about national identity changed in response to U.S. involvement in international conflicts and the growth of the United States.
MIG-2.0: Analyze causes of internal migration and patterns of settlement in what would become the United States, and explain how migration has affected American life.
GEO-1.0: Explain how geographic and environmental factors shaped the development of various communities, and analyze how competition for and debates over natural resources have affected both interactions among different groups and the development of government policies.
WOR-1.0: Explain how cultural interaction, cooperation, competition, and conflict between empires, nations, and peoples have influenced political, economic, and social developments in North America.
WOR-2.0: Analyze the reasons for, and results of, U.S. diplomatic, economic, and military initiatives in North America and overseas.
II. In the 1840s and 1850s, Americans continued to debate questions about rights and citizenship for various groups of U.S. inhabitants.
Related Thematic Learning Objectives (Focus of Exam Questions)
NAT-4.0: Analyze relationships among different regional, social, ethnic, and racial groups, and explain how these groups’ experiences have related to U.S. national identity.
CUL-4.0: Explain how different group identities, including racial, ethnic, class, and regional identities, have emerged and changed over time.
MIG-1.0: Explain the causes of migration to colonial North America and, later, the United States, and analyze immigration’s effects on U.S. society.
Key Concept 5.2: Intensified by expansion and deepening regional divisions, debates over slavery and other economic, cultural, and political issues led the nation into civil war.
I. Ideological and economic differences over slavery produced an array of diverging responses from Americans in the North and the South.
Related Thematic Learning Objectives (Focus of Exam Questions)
NAT-1.0: Explain how ideas about democracy, freedom, and individualism found expression in the development of cultural values, political institutions, and American identity.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular movements, reform efforts, and activist groups have sought to change American society and institutions.
WXT-1.0: Explain how different labor systems developed in North America and the United States, and explain their effects on workers’ lives and U.S. society.
CUL-2.0: Explain how artistic, philosophical, and scientific ideas have developed and shaped society and institutions.
II. Debates over slavery came to dominate political discussion in the 1850s, culminating in the bitter election of 1860 and the secession of Southern states.
Related Thematic Learning Objectives (Focus of Exam Questions)
NAT-2.0: Explain how interpretations of the Constitution and debates over rights, liberties, and definitions of citizenship have affected American values, politics, and society.
POL-1.0: Explain how and why political ideas, beliefs, institutions, party systems, and alignments have developed and changed.
Key Concept 5.3: The Union victory in the Civil War and the contested reconstruction of the South settled the issues of slavery and secession, but left unresolved many questions about the power of the federal government and citizenship rights.
I. The North’s greater manpower and industrial resources, the leadership of Abraham Lincoln and others, and the decision to emancipate slaves eventually led to the Union military victory over the Confederacy in the devastating Civil War.
Related Thematic Learning Objectives (Focus of Exam Questions)
NAT-1.0: Explain how ideas about democracy, freedom, and individualism found expression in the development of cultural values, political institutions, and American identity.
WOR-2.0: Analyze the reasons for, and results of, U.S. diplomatic, economic, and military initiatives in North America and overseas.
II. Reconstruction and the Civil War ended slavery, altered relationships between the states and the federal government, and led to debates over new definitions of citizenship, particularly regarding the rights of African Americans, women, and other minorities.
Related Thematic Learning Objectives (Focus of Exam Questions)
NAT-2.0: Explain how interpretations of the Constitution and debates over rights, liberties, and definitions of citizenship have affected American values, politics, and society.
POL-3.0: Explain how different beliefs about the federal government’s role in U.S. social and economic life have affected political debates and policies.
WXT-1.0: Explain how different labor systems developed in North America and the United States, and explain their effects on workers’ lives and U.S. society.
CUL-3.0: Explain how ideas about women’s rights and gender roles have affected society and politics.