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

Engraving showing wagons and migrants on road about to enter mountain pass

On the emigrant trail

1862

Letter explaining the challenges faced by emigrants heading west before railroads

  • Primary Source
Detail from Horace Greeley's handwritten letter with focus on text "Go West!"

Go West

1871

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

  • Primary Source
Illustration shows a torch-bearing female labeled "Votes for Women", symbolizing the awakening of the nation's women to the desire for suffrage, striding across the western states, where women already had the right to vote, toward the east where women are reaching out to her.

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
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The Mexican–American War

Top of a published letter addressed to "the Citizens of Texas" with visible text describes how the author is "besieged" and under "continual bombardment"

Plea to Defend the Alamo

1836

Alamo defender's desperate appeal for reinforcements

  • Primary Source
1847 engraving showing largely steadfast US soldiers firing into Mexican soldiers, many of whom have fallen in battle

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
Detail from 1936 stamp made to commemorate Texas Centennial with portrait of Sam Houston and view of Alamo fortress

Remembering the Alamo

by Char Miller

Read about the history of San Antonio and the Alamo.

  • Essay
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Attempts to Resolve Conflicts over the Spread of Slavery

Top portion of a runaway slave add with "$2,500 REWARD!" headline

Runaway slave ad

1852

Rewards for the return of four men escaping slavery in Missouri

  • Primary Source
Red cloth banner featuring nine vignettes in circles from Uncle Toms Cabin

“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
Detail of handwritten notes for Abraham Lincoln's House Divided speech with focus on text "half slave, and half free"

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
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The Election of 1860 and Southern Secession

Detail from broadside with focus on large text proclaiming "Union is Dissolved"

The Union Is Dissolved!

1860

Broadside published after South Carolina's secession

  • Primary Source
Detail from South Carolina's seccession ordinance with focus on South Carolina's flag and the ornate words "An Ordinance"

The South Carolina Secession Ordinance

by Charles Dew

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

  • Video
A black-and-white photograph of President Abraham Lincoln, seated, with his head resting on his upraised left hand

Understanding Lincoln: First Inaugural Address (1861)

by Matthew Pinsker

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

  • Video
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The Civil War

Illustration showing confederate soldiers attacking a Union fort

The American Civil War

by Gary Gallagher

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

  • Essay
Black soldiers in dark Union Army uniforms, jackets with sashes and epaulets, and caps with a horn embroidered on the bill, looking at the camera while holding their rifles.

The Men of Company E

by Matthew Pinsker

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

  • Video
Decorative copy of the Emancipation Proclamation from 1888, featuring portrait of Lincoln above text of the proclamation

Allies for Emancipation?

by Manisha Sinha

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

  • Essay
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Reconstruction

View from colored engraving depicting battle of Cedar Mountain with Union soldiers in the foreground

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
Detail from handwritten letter by Charles Sumner with focus on lines discussing the different between President and Congress on the subject of the ex-rebels

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
Political cartoon featuring Samuel Tilden crying and Rutherford B Hayes hovering over a toy horse with the label "The Presidency." Tilden and Hayes are both depicted with the bodies of children.

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
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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.