U.S. History

December 11, 2007

~The Civil War~

1. Read: Read chapters fourteen and fifteen. Answer the questions on the study guide to study and make notes on these chapters. Be prepared for a test in class on January 10.

2. A.P. Students: Read For Cause and Comrades, chapter two. Write a single paragraph to summarize the thesis of the book and discuss the author’s methods of research. (Due Thursday, January 10).

2. Extra Credit: Watch the PBS video series, The Civil War, by Ken Burns. This is a 5 disc set that gives a splendid overview of the war—its causes, controversies, characters, and conclusion. Write a review after you have watched it. Explain the thesis and argument of each disc, and give your response to the tone and attitude of the whole.

Study Guide:. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1) Explain how economic and social forces drove the North and South apart in the early nineteenth century.

2) Summarize the economic, sociological, and psychological effects of slavery on southern white society.

3) Explain how industrialization revolutionized America’s society and economy in the early nineteenth century. Analyze how well Americans coped with these changes.

4) Describe the life of slaves on a typical southern plantation. Examine both the sociological and psychological aspects of slavery.

5) Summarize how the railroads transformed America’s economy and society in the early nineteenth century. Analyze any effects railroads had on sectional tensions.

6) Explain how the concept of ‘popular sovereignty” caused the tragedy of “Bleeding Kansas.” Summarize how the turmoil in Kansas affected the rest of the country.

7) Describe the major differences between Lincoln and Douglas which were addressed in their famous debates.

8) Explain how the new fugitive slave law and Uncle Torn’s Cabin both increased sectional tensions in the 1850s.

9) Describe the major battles of the Civil War from. Gettysburg to Appomattox Court House. Explain the factors which account for the course of the last part of the war.

10) Describe the major battles of the Civil War from Fort Sumter to Gettysburg. Explain the factors which account for the course of the war to this point.

11) Summarize the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision. Describe the issues the decision addressed. Explain the implications of the decision.

12) Summarize the effects of the Civil War on the lives of blacks. Describe the roles that northern and southern blacks played during the war.

13) Describe the highlights of the campaign and the election of 1860. Explain what happened between the election and the presidential inauguration in March 1861.

14) Evaluate Lincoln’s major strengths and weaknesses as a wartime leader. Summarize the major crises and decisions he faced.

15) Compare and contrast the economic, political, and social experiences of the Union and the Confederacy on the home front. Explain the similarities and differences.