RCWR - The Road to Civil War and Reconstruction Module Overview

The Road to Civil War and Reconstruction (RCWR)

Introduction

The United States continued to expand in size and population. The promotion of the concept of Manifest Destiny led to a victorious war over Mexico and other measures that added territory to the United States and stretched the nation “from sea to shining sea." Could anything slow down this speeding American train? The issue that divided the nation more than any other was slavery.

A Word About Manifest Destiny

The phrase "Manifest Destiny" was coined by writer, John O'Sullivan, for 'The Democratic Review" in 1845 to describe the idea that the United States was "destined" (ordained by God) to control all of the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and to spread capitalism and democratic ideals.

 

Manifest Destiny Paintings, details listed below the images.

Top: Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, 1862. Mural, United States Capitol.

Bottom: John Gast, American Progress, 1872, Autry Museum of the American West

 

Essential Questions

  1. What was Manifest Destiny and how did it affect the growth of the nation? 
  2. Which attempts were made to diffuse the conflict over slavery and its expansion? 
  3. Why did many of the Southern states view it as necessary to secede from the Union?
  4. What factors ledto the Union’s defeat of the Confederacy in the Civil War?
  5. What were some of the successes and failures of Reconstruction?
  6. How was the nation fundamentally changed by the Civil War and Reconstruction?

 

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

  • The Road to Civil War and Reconstruction Key Concepts
  • 1850s
  • Slavery and The Road to Secession
  • The Civil War
  • Document Analysis - Reconstruction
  • Document Based Question: Reconstruction
  • The Road to Civil War and Reconstruction Review

 

Textbook Readings

Read the chapter in your textbook that relates to this module. Your instructor will provide you with a specific reading schedule. 

 

Key Terms

Use the link to look over your key terms for this module. Then review them with the activities below.

Key Terms - Road to Civil War and Reconstruction Links to an external site.

 

 

 

 

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