AP US History - Period 5 Overview

Preparation Steps

• Print out the free speed review sheet.
• Circle unfamiliar people, events, or vocabulary on the review sheet.
• Check off topics once mastered.

Manifest Destiny

• Definition: Coined by John O'Sullivan, the belief that America was destined to expand westward.
• Promoter: President James K. Polk during the 1844 election.
• Slogan: "54-40 or fight" - to gain Oregon Territory from Britain.
• Gold Rush: California gold discovery in 1848 fueled westward expansion.
• Trails: Oregon, Santa Fe, and Mormon Trails were popular routes.

Texas Annexation and Mexican-American War

• Texas Independence: Debates on annexation due to slavery balance.
• Annexation: Texas annexed in 1845 by President Polk.
• Border Dispute: Led to Mexican-American War.
• Wilmot Proviso: Proposed banning slavery in new territories (failed proposal).
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): Ended war, extended US territory.
• Gadsden Purchase: Finalized southern border.

Tensions Over Slavery

• New Territories: Debates on slavery led to the Compromise of 1850.
• Compromise of 1850: California free state, popular sovereignty in Utah/New Mexico, ban on slave trade in DC, strengthened Fugitive Slave Law.
• Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): Allowed popular sovereignty, nullified Missouri Compromise line, led to "Bleeding Kansas."
• Republican Party Formation: Unified opposition to slavery expansion.

Abolitionist Movement

• Harriet Tubman: Helped slaves escape via the Underground Railroad.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe: Published Uncle Tom's Cabin.
• Southern Defense of Slavery: Arguments like George Fitzhugh's about Northern labor.
• Dred Scott Case (1857): Supreme Court ruling that African-Americans were not citizens.
• John Brown's Raid: Attempted armed slave rebellion at Harper's Ferry.

Economic and Political Divides

• North vs. South: Economic differences led to tariff debates.
• 1860 Election: Lincoln's win led to Southern secession.
• Confederacy Formation: South Carolina and six other states seceded, Jefferson Davis as President.

Civil War Overview

• Union Advantages: Larger population, more infrastructure and resources.
• Southern Strategy: Better military leadership, commitment to slavery.
• Key Battles: Fort Sumter, Antietam, Gettysburg, Atlanta Campaign.

Lincoln's Leadership

• Conscription Act (1863): Draft additional troops.
• Suspension of Habeas Corpus: Controversial in border states.
• Emancipation Proclamation: Freed slaves in rebellion states, shifted war focus to slavery.
• Gettysburg Address: Redefined war's purpose, emphasized equality.
• Assassination: Lincoln killed by John Wilkes Booth.

Reconstruction Era

• Lincoln's Plan: 10% allegiance requirement for rejoining Union.
• Johnson's Plan: Revoked secession, continued racial inequality.
• Radical Republicans: Used military force to implement policies, aimed to protect Freedmen's rights.
• Freedmen's Bureau: Provided essentials to former slaves, built schools.
• Reconstruction Amendments: 13th (abolish slavery), 14th (citizenship), 15th (voting rights).
• Failures: Jim Crow laws, restrict Freedmen's rights, KKK violence.
• Compromise of 1877: Ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops.

Exam Tips

• Causation: Effects of Manifest Destiny, causes of anti-slavery sentiments, Civil War causes.
• Comparison: Union vs. Confederacy differences and strategies.
• Change and Continuity: Impact of Reconstruction on American society.

Resources

• APUSH ultimate review packet available for further study.