History 10, Unit 6 The Conflict Over Slavery and the West
Lawrence, Kansas - Freesoil base and target of proslavery vigilante groups

Unit Main Themes

Why did a women's rights movement develop, and why was it so controversial?

Which had more of an impact on the sectional crisis - radical abolitionists or free labor, free soilers?

Why was the Mexican Cession an "ironic triumph" for Manifest Destiny?

Why did political compromise over the spread of slavery fail and the Union break apart?

The first day back we will be picking up on some cultural changes that accompanied the rise of the market economy that will have be useful for understanding both the rise of abolitionism and the early women's rights movement. If you miss this class, please pickup the handouts and read the following pages in NON.

How did the role of women change with the rise of democracy?
NON: Read 326-331

1) Note which class of women is being discussed
2) What was the ideal of domesticity?
3) American Romanticism
4) Note stress on American individualism.

First homework is lesson one in Retrieving the American Past

Lesson One: Abolitionism
Retrieving the American Past
Take notes on the following sections
1. Two-page italicized introduction by Merton Dillon, 88-89
2. C. Peter Ripley's "Aspects of the Movement for Abolition," the section called "The African American Contribution," 90-93
3. After reading the article in RTAP, turn to p. 337 of Nation of Nations, which abolitionists are mentioned first?

Discussion Question: When considering the abolitionists, why is striving for a more "moral" society important for Americans?

Lesson Two: Women's Rights
Retrieving the American Past

Take notes on the following:
1. Two-page italicized introduction by Susan Hartmann, 2-3
2. Article by Ellen Dubois, "Abolitionism and the Early Years of Feminist Activism," 4-18
a. Why does the women's rights movement develop before the Civil War and not earlier?

b. Note the significance of Seneca Falls.

c. How did the movement sustain itself in the face of widespread opposition among men and women?

d What philosophy did Garrisonian abolitionism provide the women's movement? Stop at The Demand for Women's Suffrage".

Lesson 2 B. Retrieving the American Past

1. Read and take notes on the primary source by Dodge called "Woman's Suffrage a Threat to the Home" 31-33

What assumptions about gender and social order are exposed by Dodge's article? What, if any, similarities do you see between attitudes toward race and social order at this time period and gender and social order?

2. Also read Stewart, "Black Women's Activism" - this is a single-page primary source and "Declaration of Sentiments,". 21-27? In class you will work on the question: What differences do you see in this document compared to the tone of the Seneca Falls "Declaration of Sentiments"?

Lesson 3: Mexican War, Teachers will cover the concept of Manifest Destiny in class with the illustration on. NON: 378. Read 387 starting at To the pacific - 392 stopping at "New Societies"
Take notes on the following headings in the book:
1. To the Pacific
2. Opposition to the War
3. Price of Victory
4. Wilmot Proviso
5. New Lands; New Tensions

Discussion Question: Why did one historian call the Mexican Cession an “ironic triumph” for Manifest Destiny?

Map: Monterey(Mexico), Disputed Area between Texas and Mexico, Rio Grande, Nueces River, Sante Fe,

Lesson 4: Crisis and Compromise
NON: Read 398-402
Take notes on the following headings in the book:
1. Escape from Crisis
2. A Two-Faced Campaign
3. The Compromise of 1850
4. Away from the Brink

Discussion Question: Why is compromise possible in 1850? Begin considering why compromise becomes impossible by 1860.

Map: New Mexico Territory, California, Oregon Territory, Texas, Slave states and territory vs free states and territories.

Note: For the remaining lessons, take notes on all the subject headings in the textbook for the pages assigned. Identifications in margins are usually important

Lesson 5: Kansas-Nebraska Act
NON:Read and take notes 407-408, 414-418, stop at The Election of 1856

Lesson 6: The Worsening Crisis
NON: Read and take notes 418-423

Lesson 7: The Road to War
NON:Read and take notes pp. 423-429

Lesson 8: Primary source material: Mississippi Secession Document and Republican Platform of 1860

Lesson 9: The Outbreak of War. 434-top of 437