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In the 1840s, the sectional balance that had been established by the Missouri Compromise was threatened as the United States expanded westward in pursuit of Manifest Destiny. The annexation of Texas led to the Mexican-American War, which added new land to the United States. Although debates over slavery in the Mexican Cession and the admission of California were temporarily resolved by the Compromise of 1850, the 1850s were a tumultuous time filled with animosity and violence as proslavery and antislavery advocates battled each other with words, canes, and rifles.
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APUSH Period 5The content of this unit spans the first part of Period 5 in the AP US History curriculum framework.
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Unit Guide and Primary Sources  |
"I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided." |
Manifest Destiny: America Moves West
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During the early 19th century, many Americans were convinced that the young nation was divinely ordained to expand across the North American continent. This belief in Manifest Destiny spurred several purchases and annexations between 1803 and 1853. Westward expansion was a key theme of the 1844 presidential election, in which the pro-expansionist James K. Polk defeated Henry Clay, whose Whig Party was largely opposed to expansion and the annexation of Texas.
Helpful Videos Available on YouTube
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Textbook ReadingAMSCO
229-233 PowerPoint Presentation |
The Mexican War and the Compromise of 1850
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The Mexican-American War sparked a new wave of debates over the expansion of slavery as proslavery advocates attempted to expand slavery into the Mexican Cession and Free Soil advocates sought to block the expansion of slavery through the Wilmot Proviso. Henry Clay's last compromise, the Compromise of 1850, settled the disputes over California statehood and slavery in the Mexican Cession, though the truce would be short-lived.
Helpful Videos Available on YouTube
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Textbook ReadingAMSCO
233-240 PowerPoint Presentation |
The Road to Civil War (1850-1856)
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The Compromise of 1850 was intended to be a final compromise between the sections - and in a way, it was. Politicians in the 1850s rejected the compromise mentality of the previous generation and opted for open conflict over the expansion of slavery. Resistance to the strengthened Fugitive Slave Law in the North was immediate, with several states passing Personal Liberty Laws. The Kansas-Nebraska Act sparked violence in the Kansas Territory as proslavery and antislavery settlers rushed to the territory that became known as "Bleeding Kansas." Preston Brooks and John Brown both became famous for their acts of violence against their ideological opponents. The formation of the Republican Party created a new sectional force in politics that only became stronger after the Supreme Court handed down the controversial Dred Scott decision. In 1860, the Republican Party's candidate for president, Abraham Lincoln, won the White House, prompting seven states in the Deep South to secede from the Union.
Helpful Videos Available on YouTube
HipHughes has some great lectures on the events leading to the Civil War. Check out these helpful videos to review the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision.
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Textbook ReadingAMSCO
247-255 PowerPoint Presentation |
Nativism in Antebellum America
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During the 1840s and 1850s, a wave of Irish Catholic immigration sparked a nativist response in the overwhelmingly Protestant United States. The American Party, better known as the "Know Nothing" Party, nominated Millard Fillmore for president in 1856, capturing 22 percent of the popular vote.
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Textbook ReadingAMSCO
254 PowerPoint Presentation |
The Road to Civil War (1857-1860)
Helpful Videos Available on YouTube
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Textbook ReadingAMSCO
255-261 |