Period 5: 1844–1877

Explain the context in which sectional conflict emerged from 1844 to 1877.

Explain the causes and effects of westward expansion from 1844 to 1877.

Explain the causes and effects of the Mexican– American War.

Explain the similarities and differences in how regional attitudes affected federal policy in the period after the Mexican–American War.

Explain the effects of immigration from various parts of the world on American culture from 1844 to 1877.

Explain how regional differences related to slavery caused tension in the years leading up to the Civil War.

Explain the political causes of the Civil War.

Describe the effects of Lincoln’s election.

Explain the various factors that contributed to the Union victory in the Civil War.

Explain how Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War impacted American ideals over the course of the war.

Explain the effects of government policy during Reconstruction on society from 1865 to 1877.

Explain how and why Reconstruction resulted in continuity and change in regional and national understandings of what it meant to be American.

Compare the relative significance of the effects of the Civil War on American values.