Course Content
Lesson Plans
The American Nation: A History of the United States ©2000
by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes
Focus Lesson 10
Chapter 14: "The Coming of the Civil War"
AP* Course Description
- The 1850s: Decade of Crisis
- Fugitive Slave Act and Uncle Tom's Cabin
- Kansas-Nebraska Act and realignment of parties
- Demise of the Whig Party
- Emergence of the Republican Party
- Dred Scott decision and Lecompton crisis
- Lincoln-Douglas debates, 1858
- John Brown's raid
- The election of 1860; Abraham Lincoln
- The secession crisis
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 135–144
- Study Guide, Vol. I: pp. 206–219
- Test Bank: pp. 228–245
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Check the Online Companion Web site for updated links to U.S. history sites.
Key Words and Terms
- "Young America"
- Bleeding Kansas
- secession
- Uncle Tom's Cabin
- Ostend Manifesto
- Dred Scott decision
- Lincoln-Douglas debates
- Harpers Ferry raid
- Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Franklin A. Pierce
- Republican Party
- "border ruffians"
- Charles Sumner
- James Buchanan
- John Breckenridge
- Jefferson Davis
- popular sovereignty
- "Doughface"
- Fugitive Slave Act
- Clayton-Bulwer treaty
- Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Lecompton Constitution
- Freeport Doctrine
- Crittenden Compromise
- Stephen A. Douglas
- Know-Nothing Party
- New England Immigrant Aid Society
- John Brown
- John C. Frémont
- Abraham Lincoln
- John Bell
Suggested Pacing
Allow approximately one week for this chapter. In order to save time in the semester, you might combine Chapters 14 and 15 and compose one test to include the causes of the Civil War and the war itself.
Test Strategy
Political cartoons are an essential part of the AP* exam. Frequently, a political cartoon is the basis of a multiple-choice question and political cartoons are often one of the documents in the DBQ. In analyzing cartoons, students should determine the point of view of the cartoonist, any symbols, and what the symbols represent.
Key Concepts
- Political parties
Students should have been tracking the rise of national political parties since Washington's administration. The nation prior to the Civil War saw the demise of the Whig Party, the rise to national prominence of the Know-Nothings, and the consolidation of antislavery forces resulting in the Republican Party. Free-Soilers, "Conscience" Whigs, and "Anti-Nebraska" Democrats coalesced around the idea of keeping slavery out of the territories; generally, they were not concerned generally with abolishing slavery.
Summing Up Student Understanding
The causes and effects of the events leading to the Civil War are critically important elements in U.S. history. Have students as a class create a chronology of the events that led to the Civil War. After the class has created the chronology on the board, ask them to identify the causes and their effects. Help students to see that an event that was an effect of a prior event could also have been a cause of a subsequent event. Also review with students how the socioeconomic development of the sections were the root causes of this political conflict. This activity will help students develop and refine their skills in historical analysis, which they will need in order to do well in answering the essays on the AP* exam.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful in developing students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- American Issues: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Unger and Tomes—Chapter 15
- The Power of Words: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Breen—Chapter 13
- Constructing the American Past, Vol. I, edited by Gorn, Roberts, and Bilhartz—Chapter 11
- American Experiences: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Roberts and Olson (secondary source readings)—Part Six