Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee (info for Character Maps)

Jefferson Davis – ­­Davis was a senator from Mississippi before resigning in 1861 to become the first and only President of the Confederate States of America.

Davis was a much less effective leader than Lincoln and failed to find a way to defeat the Union. His capture on May 10, 1865 officially ended the Civil War.

After the war, he was banned from holding public office.

Robert E. Lee – Lincoln actually offered Lee command of the Union army before he (Lee) decided to fight for the Confederacy.

Widely respected as one of the greatest generals in history, Lee lost few battles, often defeating Union forces. But he ended up losing the war to a larger, better supplied army.

Major Battles of the Civil War

Beginning, Middle and End

Secession – The withdrawal of 11 Southern states from the Union in 1860-1861, precipitating the U.S. Civil War.

Beginning – The South secedes

•        December 1860 – South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union 

•        February 1861 – Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia join South Carolina and form the Confederate States of America

Civil War begins at Fort Sumter, SC – April 12, 1861 – Confederate forces attack Fort Sumter before Union supplies could arrive. This attack starts the war and helps to convince people in North that war was necessary.

Middle (Turning Points)

The Battle of Gettysburg – Fought over the course of three days in Pennsylvania, it was the largest battle of the war. Lee’s army wanted to threaten Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore. After Pickett’s Charge failed, the Rebels were forced to retreat.

The Battle of Vicksburg – Ulysses S. Grant wins this battle and gives the Union control of the Mississippi River. It also cuts off Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas from the rest of the Confederacy.

End

Lee surrenders at Appomattox –  April 9, 1865 – Lee’s army is surrounded at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia  forcing their surrender. Over the next month, the remaining troops surrenders and the war ends on May 10th.

America: The Story of Us (Civil War, Part V)

America: The Story of Us (Civil War, Part IV)

America: The Story of Us (Civil War, Part III)

America: The Story of Us (Civil War, Part II)

America: The Story of Us (Civil War, Part I)

Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant (Info for Character Maps)

Abraham Lincoln

 

Role: President of U.S., 1861-1865

Wins the Election of 1860 over Democratic candidate Stephen Douglas and become the 16th President of the U.S. He was also the first Republican to run for president.

Southerners were afraid Lincoln would end slavery and said they would secede if he became President. They did so before Lincoln was inaugurated.

Lincoln later ended slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.

Ulysses S. Grant

Role: Union Army Commander

Grant commanded the Union army during the later years of the Civil War.

He won an important battle at Vicksburg, Mississippi that gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and later forced Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.

Like Andrew Jackson, Grant used his military fame to become a successful politician. He went on to become the 18th President of the U.S.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) – Created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, but also repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This allowed settlers to decide whether or not they would allow slavery (popular sovereignty).

Compromise of 1850 Information

Compromise of 1850 – A package of five bills, passed in September 1850, that avoided civil war between the North and South. The compromise was drafted (written) by Henry Clay.

Bill No. 1 – California becomes the 31st state and is admitted to the Union as a free state.

Bill No. 2 – The slave trade was ended in the District of Columbia.  (this ends the sale of slaves, but not slavery itself)

Bill No. 3 – The New Mexico and Utah territories will be organized under “popular sovereignty.” (rule of the people)

Bill No. 4 – The Fugitive Slave Act was passed, requiring all U.S. citizens to assist in the return of runaway slaves. Anyone who aided a fugitive could be fined or put in jail.

Bill No. 5 – Texas gave up much of the western land which it claimed and received compensation of $10,000,000 for its national debt.

The Gold Rush and Mormons in Utah

Click the link below for Thursday's lesson on the Gold Rush and the Mormons in Utah:

The Gold Rush/Mormons in Utah

Common Assessment this Thursday (March 10th)

There will be a common assessment this Thursday.  Expect 10-15 questions on things we've covered in the Era of Westward Expansion -- so that's everything from the Louisiana Purchase (1803) to the Gold Rush (1848) and the Seneca Falls Convention (1848).  Look over your notes and bellringers -- BE READY!!!

Timeline for Students -- know the timeline

Important Dates

1607 – Jamestown Settlement

1776 – Declaration of Independence

1787 – U.S. Constitution

1803 – Louisiana Purchase

1861-1865 – Civil War

Timeline

Era of European Exploration

1215 – Magna Carta – trial by jury, due process, limited government

1265 – English Parliament – English government

1492 – Columbus sails to New World – looking for the route to Asia; discovered the New World

Era of Colonial Settlement

1607 – Jamestown Settlement – First Permanent English Colony

1619 – Virginia House of Burgesses – first example of representative government

1619 – First Africans arrive in America – Indentured Servants

1620 – Mayflower Compact – self-government

1639 – Fundamental Orders of Connecticut – First written Constitution

1689 – English Bill of Rights – Inspired our own Bill of Rights

1720 – First Great Awakening – First religious revival; equality; traveling preachers

1754 – Albany Plan of Union – Ben Franklin’s plan for the colonies to defend themselves against the French

1754 – French and Indian War – the colonists and the British vs. the French and the Indians; Ohio River Valley

1763 – Treaty of Paris – ended the French and Indian War

1763 – Proclamation of 1763 – the colonists could not go past the Appalachian Mountains

American Revolutionary Era

1764 – Causes for American Revolution – debt from the French and Indian War; various taxes

1774 – First Continental Congress – colonies form their own militias

1775 – Lexington and Concord – first battles of the Revolution

1775 – Second Continental Congress – George Washington is chosen to lead the army; the colonies will declare independence

1776 – Thomas Paine’s Common Sense – the pamphlet encourages colonists to declare independence

1776 – Declaration of Independence – written by Thomas Jefferson, it declares our independence from England

1777 – Articles of Confederation – America ’s first Constitution; the main weakness was that the states had too much power

1777 – Saratoga – the turning point of the Revolution; encourages the French to help us

1778 – Valley Forge – Washington ’s greatest challenge; the Continental Army has to defeat the cold and smallpox before they can fight the British

1781 – Yorktown – the last battle of the Revolution

1783 – Treaty of Paris – ends the Revolution; the U.S. now extends from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River

New Republic Era

1787 – Northwest Ordinance -- established the Northwest Ordinance; provided an orderly way to settle the West

1787 – Philadelphia Convention -- delegates gather to fix the Articles of Confederation; end up with a new Constitution

1787 – Three-fifths Compromise -- slaves are counted as 3/5 of a person for the purpose of representation

1787 – U.S. Constitution -- the Supreme Law of the Land

1789 – First U.S. President (George Washington) -- Washington is only president to win 100% of the electoral vote

1789 – Origin of Political Parties -- Alexander Hamilton founds the Federalist Party; Thomas Jefferson founds the Anti-Federalists (Democratic-Republicans) after disagreements over Federal and States' rights

1791 – Bill of Rights -- the first 10 amendments of the Constitution; protect individual liberties

1796 – Washington’s Farewell Address -- Washington warns against the evils of political parties and foreign alliances

1798 – Alien and Sedition Act -- four bills passed to limit the activities of aliens (foreigners) during an undeclared war with France

1798 – XYZ Affair -- three French agents demand a loan and a bribe from the US

1800 – Industrial Revolution and Free Enterprise -- a dramatic change in manufacturing (factories; new technology; steam power; child labor; pollution; urban slums) and the right to buy and sell anything 

1803 – Marbury v. Madison -- increases the power of the Supreme Court; establishes the concept of judicial review

1803 – Second Great Awakening -- a second religious revival that leads to the Reform Movements 

Era of Westward Expansion

1803 – Louisiana Purchase -- doubles the size of the country; the US pays $15 million to France

1809 – James Madison -- Father of the US Constitution; President during the War of 1812

1812 – War of 1812 -- known as the second American Revolution; fought against England

1815 – Battle of New Orleans -- ended the War of 1812; made Andrew Jackson a national celebrity

1816 – Second Bank of U.S. -- anti-federalists felt the bank was unconstitutional; originally founded by Alexander Hamilton; chartered for 20 years

1817 – Reform Movement: Disabilities -- Braille and Sign Language are developed to aid the disabled

1819 – McCulloch v. Maryland -- The Second Bank of the US is headquartered in Maryland; the state expects the government to pay them taxes. The Court rules in favor of the federal government

1820 – Missouri Compromise -- keeps the balance of slave and free states equal; Missouri (slave state) and Maine (free state)

1823 – Monroe Doctrine -- No new colonies in the Western Hemisphere; no interference in our politics

1824 – Gibbons v. Ogden -- The Court determines the federal government will regulate interstate commerce

1826 – Reform Movement: Temperance -- reformers blame alcohol for poverty, crime and mental illness

1828 – Election of Andrew Jackson -- Jackson becomes the first President from the frontier and the first democratic candidate

1828 – Rise of Modern Democrats -- Jacksonian Democracy defends the rights of the "Common Man"

1830 – Indian Removal Act -- Jackson signs legislation that will require the removal of all Native Americans west of the Mississippi

1832 – Nullification Crisis -- a sectional crisis involving a state's right to nullify (cancel) a federal law; protested the Tariff of 1832

1832 – Jackson challenges Second Bank of U.S. -- Jackson believed the bank was unconstitutional; he destroyed it by withdrawing the country's money

1832 – Worcester v. Georgia -- the Court rules that only the federal government could intervene in Cherokee affairs

1837 – Reform Movement: Education -- Horace Mann's reforms result in free public education and better-trained teachers

1838 – Trail of Tears -- the forced removal of all Native Americans to Indian Territory (Oklahoma)

1840 – Oregon Country -- The US and England avoid a third war and agree to split the Oregon Country

1841 – Reform Movement: Prisons -- Dorthea Dix's reforms result in better prison conditions and the end of the imprisonment of the mentally-ill

1845 – Manifest Destiny -- Newspaper columnist John L. O'Sullivan first uses the term; the belief America should go from the Atlantic to the Pacific (from sea to shining sea)

1845 – Texas is annexed as the 28^th state -- starts the Mexican-American War

1846 – Mexican-American War -- US provokes a war to gain territory in the West

1848 – Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo -- ends the Mexican-American War; US gains the Mexican Cession and Texas

1848 – California Gold Rush -- 300,000 people come to California searching for gold; helps to populate the state

1848 – Mormons in Utah -- Brigham Young leads the Mormons to Utah; establishes the Utah Territory

1848 – Seneca Falls Convention -- produced the Declaration of Sentiments, which is modeled on the Declaration of Independence (all men and women are created equal)

Civil War/Reconstruction Era

1850 – Compromise of 1850 -- five bills that delayed the beginning of the Civil War; made California a state; changed the Texas border; ended the slave trade in Washington DC, let Utah and New Mexico decide on their own about slavery and Fugitive Slave Act

1850 – Fugitive Slave Act -- required that all citizens assist in returning fugitive slaves

1854 – Kansas-Nebraska Act -- established the Kansas and Nebraska Territories and repeals (cancels) the Missouri Compromise

1857 – Dred Scott v. Sandford -- The Court rules that slaves were not citizens and were not protected by the Constitution

1861 – Civil War begins at Fort Sumter, SC -- Confederate forces attack a Union fort; Civil War begins

1863 – Emancipation Proclamation -- frees slaves in Confederate territory

1863 – Battle of Gettysburg -- 1st turning point in Civil War; Lee's Army of Northern Virginia threatens Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Baltimore, but is defeated; never able to attack the North again

1863 – Battle of Vicksburg -- 2nd turning point; Grant's victory gives the Union control of the Mississippi River

1863 – Gettysburg Address -- Lincoln's speech at the dedication of a former battlefield explains the sacrifices made by Americans for the Union

1865 – 13^th Amendment -- abolishes slavery in the US

1865 – Lee surrenders at Appomattox -- Last major battle of the Civil War

1865 – President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated -- John Wilkes Booth shoots President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC

1867 – 14^th Amendment -- gives freed slaves citizenship

1870 – 15^th Amendment -- gives freed slaves the right to vote