Unit 6 Review

Prelude to War

1845-1860

Chapters 17, 19, & 20

Themes:

• Transcendentalism: Why, What was it, Leaders?
• Reform characterized by perfectionism, distrust of established institutions, and uncompromising impatience
• Hudson River School of Painting and a unique American culture (art, literature, education)
• Compare the First and Second Great Awakenings
• Strengths and weaknesses of democracy as illustrated by abolitionism and the women's movement
• Principles that caused territorial expansion between 1815 and 1860
• Trace sectionalism from 1810-1850 through the careers of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster
• Manifest Destiny and the road to war
• Impact of Manifest Destiny on both foreign affairs and domestic politics
• Why was Oregon annexed peacefully, but not Texas?

Terms:

Essay Questions:

1. In the early 19th century, Americans sought to resolve their political disputes through compromise, yet by 1860 this no longer seemed possible. Analyze the reasons for this change.
2. America's war with Mexico has been labeled, both then and since, an unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression and territorial aggrandizement. Using your knowledge of the diplomatic history of the years from 1836 to 1846, evaluate this assertion.
3. In what ways are the issues that led to the Civil War similar to those that led to the American War for Independence?
4. A good way to measure the "trauma" of a time period in American history is to look at its effects as measured by amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Using this as a criteria, what were the major problems of this time period and how were thy permanently addressed in the Constitution?
5. To what extent was the election of Abraham Lincoln a mandate for the abolition of slavery in the United States