Period 5: 1848-1877 (AP US History)

Period 5: 1848-1877

As the nation expanded and its population grew, regional tensions, especially over slavery, led to a civil war—the course and aftermath of which transformed American society. Topics may include

 

 

Image Source: A detail from A Ride for Liberty—The Fugitive Slaves, a painting by Eastman Johnson, ca. 1862. (Brooklyn Museum)

Oil painting from 1862 by Eastman Johnson showing an enslaved family on horse, riding to Union lines
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Key Concepts

5.1: The United States became more connected with the world, pursued an expansionist foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, and emerged as the destination for many migrants from other countries.

5.2: Intensified by expansion and deepening regional divisions, debates over slavery and other economic, cultural, and political issues led the nation into civil war.

5.3: The Union victory in the Civil War and the contested reconstruction of the South settled the issues of slavery and secession, but left unresolved many questions about the power of the federal government and citizenship rights.

Manifest Destiny

On the emigrant trail

1862

Letter explaining the challenges faced by emigrants heading west before railroads

  • Primary Source

Go West

1871

Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, advocates westward expansion

  • Primary Source

Women of the West

by Virginia Scharff

Read about the critical roles women have played from the earliest Indian societies to the era of the homesteaders.

  • Essay

How did Manifest Destiny shape the American West?

by Maria Montoya

Watch a discussion of the origins of the idea of Manifest Destiny.

  • Video

The Great West Illustrated

1869

Photographs depicting the Union Pacific Railroad and the rugged beauty of western landscapes

  • Primary Source

The Mexican–American War

Plea to Defend the Alamo

1836

Alamo defender's desperate appeal for reinforcements

  • Primary Source

A Christian Soldier in the US-Mexican War

by Amy S. Greenberg

Read about a soldier's observations about the invasion and occupation of Central Mexico.

  • Essay

Remembering the Alamo

by Char Miller

Read about the history of San Antonio and the Alamo.

  • Essay

Inside the Vault: Texas Declaration of Independence

by H. W. Brands

Watch a discussion of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

  • Video

Mexicans in the Making of America

by Neil Foley

Learn about the impact of territorial loss on Mexican-Americans after 1848

  • Primary Source

Attempts to Resolve Conflicts over the Spread of Slavery

Runaway slave ad

1852

Rewards for the return of four men escaping slavery in Missouri

  • Primary Source

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and the Matter of Influence

by Hollis Robbins

Examine the enduring influence and importance of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.

  • Essay

The “House Divided” Speech

ca. 1857–1858

Speech fragment expressing Abraham Lincoln's view of slavery as a threat to the existence of the US

  • Primary Source

Buying Frederick Douglass’s freedom

1846

Letter discussing the negotiations pertaining the buying of Frederick Douglass’s freedom

  • Primary Source

Harriet Beecher Stowe shares “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

1852

Letter to Prince Albert recognizing English strides in their treatment of an “oppressed race"

  • Primary Source

African American Abolitionists

by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham

Watch a discussion of Black abolitionists.

  • Video

Dred and Harriet Scott

by Matthew Pinsker

Watch a discussion of Dred Scott as more than a court case, but as a family story of slavery and freedom.

  • Video

Backlash against the Fugitive Slave Act

by Lois E. Horton

Watch a discussion of how the Fugitive Slave Act changed northern views of slavery.

  • Video

An African American protests the Fugitive Slave Law

1850

A Black businessman refuses to do work for a US marshal 

  • Primary Source

Slave auction catalog from Louisiana

1855

Catalogue for an estate sale including enslaved individuals

  • Primary Source

Abolitionism: A Grassroots Movement

by Lois E. Horton

Watch a discussion of abolitionism as a grassroots movement.

  • Video

The Underground Railroad and the Coming of War

by Matthew Pinsker

Understand the historical context of the Underground Railroad.

  • Essay

Understanding Lincoln: House Divided Speech (1858)

by Matthew Pinsker

Watch a discussion of Lincoln's "House Divided" speech.

  • Video

“Bleeding Kansas” and the Pottawatomie Massacre

1856

Letter from a woman who lost family to John Brown, written to him in prison

  • Primary Source

John Brown’s final speech

1859

John Brown’s final speech defending his actions at Harper's Ferry

  • Primary Source

The Election of 1860 and Southern Secession

The Union Is Dissolved!

1860

Broadside published after South Carolina's secession

  • Primary Source

The South Carolina Secession Ordinance

by Charles Dew

Watch a discussion of how the Secession Ordinance led directly to the Civil War. 

  • Video

Understanding Lincoln: First Inaugural Address (1861)

by Matthew Pinsker

Watch a discussion of Lincoln's political viewpoints in delivering his first inaugural address.

  • Video

Abraham Lincoln and Jacksonian Democracy

by Sean Wilentz

Examine the influence of Jacksonian democracy on Abraham Lincoln.

  • Essay

Understanding Lincoln: Cooper Union Speech (1860)

by Matthew Pinsker

Watch a discussion of how Lincoln's speech at the Cooper Institute propelled him to the presidency.

  • Video

President Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address

1861

President Lincoln’s appeal to "the better angels of our nature" to hold the nation together

  • Primary Source

The Civil War

The American Civil War

by Gary Gallagher

Learn about the causes and key turning points in the Civil War.

  • Essay

The Men of Company E

by Matthew Pinsker

Watch a discussion of points of view of Black soldiers in a postwar photograph.

  • Video

Allies for Emancipation?

by Manisha Sinha

Learn about Lincoln's evolving position on abolition, emancipation, and African Americans.

  • Essay

What caused the Civil War

by Edward L. Ayers

Watch a discussion of slavery as the cause of the Civil War.

  • Video

Best friends divided by the Civil War

1861

Correspondence reflecting views of two friends on opposite sides of the Civil War

  • Primary Source

A proposed Thirteenth Amendment to prevent secession

1861

Proposed prewar thirteenth amendment protecting slavery

  • Primary Source

A proclamation on the suspension of habeas corpus

1862

Lincoln ordering the suspension of habeas corpus in Maryland

  • Primary Source

Lincoln on the execution of a slave trader

1862

Lincoln denying clemency to a convicted slave trader

  • Primary Source

African American soldiers at the Battle of Fort Wagner

1863

Currier & Ives print of the famed Massachusetts 54th

  • Primary Source

The Gettysburg Address

1863

Address commemorating those who had sacrificed their lives for the Union

  • Primary Source

A Tour of the Battle of Gettysburg

by Matthew Pinsker

Watch a virtual tour of the battlefield at Gettysburg.

  • Video

The Emancipation Proclamation

by Allen Guelzo

Watch a discussion about Presidential powers and the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

  • Video

Understanding Lincoln: Emancipation

by Matthew Pinsker

Watch a discussion of the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.

  • Video

Enslaved Children of New Orleans

1863

Photograph of emancipated children used to raise money for the education of freed enslaved people

  • Primary Source

African Americans and Emancipation

by Manisha Sinha

Read about the movement to extend freedom to African Americans.

  • Essay

Why the Union Won

by Gary Gallagher

Watch a discussion of resources, manpower, and leadership in the North and South.

  • Video

Fascination with the Civil War

by Gary Gallagher

Watch a discussion of why the Civil War remains of great interest to Americans.

  • Video

Reconstruction

Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877

by Eric Foner

Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877) Timeline and essay addressing the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

  • Essay

Charles Sumner on Reconstruction and the South

1866

Sumner's notes for “One Man Power vs. Congress” address accusing Johnson of jeopardizing the North’s cause and victory

  • Primary Source

The Contentious Election of 1876

by Michael F. Holt

Understand the events that led to the Compromise of 1876 and the end of Reconstruction.

  • Essay

President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

1865

Lincoln's reflections on the causes and meaning of the Civil War

  • Primary Source

On Juneteenth

by Annette Gordon-Reed

Examine the story of Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., and specifically the day slavery ended in Texas – June 19, 1865. 

  • Video

Lincoln’s Interpretation of the Civil War

by Eric Foner

Reflections on Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address and his views of the Civil War.

  • Essay

The Politics of Reconstruction

by Eric Foner

Watch a discussion of the politics of Reconstruction and the creation of new systems after the Civil War.

  • Video

Reconstruction and Its Legacy

by Eric Foner

Watch a discussion of Reconstruction and the titanic changes that emerged from the Civil War.

  • Video

Changing Views of Reconstruction

by Eric Foner

Watch a discussion of the evolving scholarly understanding of Reconstruction.

  • Video

Reconstruction and the Battle for Woman Suffrage

by Ellen DuBois

Gain an understanding of how Reconstruction affected the fight for women's suffrage.

  • Essay

Transcendentalism and Social Reform

by Philip F. Gura

Learn how Transcendentalism influenced social reform.

  • Essay

American History Timeline: 1844-1877

Image Citations

Listed in order of appearance in the sections above

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

  • Emigrant party on the road to California. United States, 1850. Photograph. Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division Washington, D.C. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002716775/.
  • Greeley, Horace. Letter to R. L. Sanderson, November 15, 1871. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00608.
  • Mayer, Henry. "The Awakening." Puck, February 20, 1915. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Crofutt, George A. American Progress. Chicago, 1873. Chromolithograph. Based on a painting by John Gast. The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Russell, Andrew J. "Echo City, Looking Up Weber River." In Union Pacific Railroad. Photographical Illustrations. New York, 1869. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC04348.

The Mexican–American War

The Mexican–American War

  • Travis, William B. To the Citizens of Texas. February 28, 1836. San Felipe de Austin, TX. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC03230.02.
  • Currier & Ives. Battle of Buena Vista. Fought Feby. 23rd, 1847. In which the American Army under Genl. Taylor were Completely Victorious. New York, 1847. Lithograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • "The Alamo" US postage stamp, issued June 14, 1956. National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution. 
  • Texas. Unanimous Declaration of Independence by the Delegates of the People of Texas in General Convention, March 2, 1836. San Felipe de Austin: Baker and Bordens, 1836. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of America nHistory, GLC02559.
  • Berryman, Clifford Kennedy. Hand carving up a map of the Southwestern United States. Evening Star, March 4, 1917. Political cartoon. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Attempts to Resolve Conflicts over the Spread of Slavery

Attempts to Resolve Conflicts over the Spread of Slavery

  • Means, John, and R. E. Stanley. $2,500 Reward. St. Louis, August 23, 1852. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC07238.
  • Unknown. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" banner [on cloth]. s.l., after 1852. Textile. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC06894.
  • Lincoln, Abraham. Notes for the "House Divided" Speech. Springfield, Illinois, ca. December 1857. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02533.
  • Auld, Hugh. Letter to Amy [Anna] Richardson, October 6, 1846. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC07484.04.
  • Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Letter to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, March 20, 1852.  The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC01585.
  • Bradford, Sarah H. Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman. Auburn NY: W. J. Moses, 1869. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC06840.
  • The Scott Family: Eliza and Lizzie; Dred and Harriet in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, June 27, 1857. Engravings based on photographs by John H. Fitzgibbon. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Thompson, Joseph Parrish. The Fugitive Slave Law: Tried by the Old and New Testaments. New York, 1850. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00267.142.
  • Weeden, Henry. Letter to Watson Freeman, December 4, 1850. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC09028.01.
  • J. A. Beard & May. [Catalogue for the sale of enslaved people from Waverly and Meredith plantations]. New Orleans, Louisiana. March 1855. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC09340.
  • Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and Rebel Ventilator, January 30, 1864. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress. 
  • "The Road to Liberty: A Station on the Underground Railroad." s.l., ca. 1857. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, New York Public Library. New York Public Library Digital Collections.
  • Lincoln's address at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Pennsylvania Gettysburg, ca. 1905. Chicago: Sherwood Lithograph Co. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003674448/.
  • Doyle, Mahala. Letter to John Brown, November 20, 1859. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC07590.
  • Brown, John. Address of John Brown to the Virginia Court, When About to Receive the Sentence of Death, for His Heroic Attempt at Harper's Ferry. Boston: The Liberator, December 1859. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC05508.051.

The Election of 1860

The Election of 1860

  • Charleston Mercury. The Union Is Dissolved! Charleston, December 20, 1860. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02688.
  • South Carolina. Convention, 1860-1862. [South Carolina secession ordinance]. Charleston: Evans and Cogswell, [1860]. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC05987.15.
  • Gardner, Alexander, photographer. President Abraham Lincoln, seated, with his left hand on his face. , ca. 1900. [probably taken 1863 Aug. 9; printed later] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013648773/.
  • Bingham, George Caleb. Stump Speaking. New York: Goupil & Co., 1856. Hand-colored engraving. The Gilder Lehrman Institute Institute of American History, GLC04075.
  • Lincoln, Abraham. The Address of the Hon. Abraham Lincoln ... at Cooper Institute, February 27th, 1860. New York: Young Men's Republican Union, 1860. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00533.
  • Lincoln, Abraham. Inaugural Address of the President of the United States, on the Fourth of March, 1861. Special sess. Senate. Ex. doc. no. 1. Washington DC, 1861. Pamphlet. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC01264.

The Civil War

The Civil War

  • Kurz & Allison. Assault on Fort Sanders. Tennessee, 1891. Chicago: Kurz & Allison, Art Publishers. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/91721203/.
  • Smith, William Morris. Company E, 4th U.S. Colored Infantry, at Fort Lincoln. Washington DC, 1865. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Strobridge & Co. Abraham Lincoln and His Emancipation Proclamation / Cincinnati, 1888. Chromolithograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Lincoln, Abraham. [Emancipation Proclamation]. Philadelphia, 1864. Printed document. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American Histoty, GLC00004.
  • Bragg, Braxton. Letter to Henry J. Hunt, April 21, 1861. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00925.01.
  • US Congress. Copy of Proposed Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, amend. 13. Baltimore, 1861. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC09040.
  • US War Department. Adjutant General's Office. General Orders No. 141. Washington DC: September 25, 1862. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC06099.
  • Lincoln, Abraham. Respite of execution for slaver Nathaniel Gordon, February 4, 1862. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00182.
  • Currier & Ives. The Gallant Charge of the Fifty Fourth Massachusetts (Colored) Regiment. New York, 1893. Print. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02881.23.
  • Lincoln, Abraham. The President's dedication address at Gettysburg. New York: Miller & Mathews, 1863. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC06811.
  • New York. Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg and Chattanooga. "Position of Union and Confederate Armies on the Morning of July 1, 1863." Final Report on the Battlefield of Gettysburg. Albany NY, 1900. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00267.298.
  • Stebbins, Lucius. Reading the Emancipation Proclamation. Hartford, 1864. Lithograph. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC07595.
  • US War Department. Adjutant General's Office. General Orders No. 1 [Abraham Lincoln. The Emancipation Proclamation]. Washington DC, January 2, 1863. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00460.
  • Unknown. Fannie Virginia Casseopia Lawrence. ca. 1863. Photograph. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC09841.01.
  • Only Seven Millions! Pennsylvania, 1866. Broadsheet. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00329.
  • Smith, Edward Parmelee. Incidents of the United States Christian Commission. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1869. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00267.337.
    Homer, Winslow. Rainy Day in Camp. 1871. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Reconstruction

Reconstruction

  • Currier & Ives. Battle of Cedar Mountain, Aug. 9th 1862. New York, ca. 1862. Lithograph. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02881.24.
  • Sumner, Charles. "[One man power versus Congress] Address." ca. October 2, 1866. Manuscript. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00496.088.01.
  • Williams, [Unknown]. "Alas, the Woes of Childhood." (NY) Daily Graphic,  June 26, 1877. Courtesy of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museum Collection.
  • Gardner, Alexander. Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. Washington DC, 1865. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Frederick Dielman, “Celebration of the Abolition of Slavery in the District of Columbia by the Colored People, in Washington,”  Harper’s Weekly, May 12, 1866. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC01733)
  • Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co., Lithographer, and David Gilmour Blythe. President Lincoln, writing the Proclamation of Freedom. January 1st,/ painted by David Gilmour Blythe ; lithogr. and printed in colors by Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. Cincinnati, O. , 1863. [Pittsburgh, Pa.: M. Depuy, no. 21 Wylie St., Pittsburgh, publisher] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2004665377/.
  • United States. Congress. Acts of Congress, General Orders, and Instructions for the Guidance of Boards of Registration in the Third Military District (Georgia, Alabama, and Florida). Atlanta, 1867. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00349.
  • Chicago Tribune, April 15, 1865, p1. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00339.03.
  • Cooper, Peter. Letter to John Sherman, May 12, 1866. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00150.
  • Anthony, Susan B. An Appeal to the Women of the United States by the National Woman Suffrage and Educational Committee. Hartford, 1871. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC08999.
  • Whipple, John Adams. Ralph W. Emerson. Boston, ca. 1860. Carte de visite. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC05141.