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The Origins and Outbreak of the Civil War
Season 3
The election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in 1860 proved to be a watershed event. While it did not cause the Civil War, it was the culminatio…
4 months ago
John Brown and the Election of 1860
Season 3
A new level of animosity and distrust emerged in 1859 in the aftermath of John Brown’s raid. The South exploded in rage at the northern celebration o…
4 months ago
The Dred Scott Decision and Sectional Strife
Season 3
The Dred Scott decision of 1857 went well beyond the question of whether or not Dred Scott gained his freedom. Instead, the Supreme Court delivered a…
4 months, 1 week ago
The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Republican Party
Season 3
The application of popular sovereignty to the organization of the Kansas and Nebraska territories ended the sectional truce that had prevailed since …
4 months, 1 week ago
The Compromise of 1850
Season 3
The difficult process of reaching a compromise on slavery in 1850 exposed the sectional fault lines in the United States. After several months of ran…
4 months, 1 week ago
Women’s Rights
Season 3
The spirit of religious awakening and reform in the antebellum era impacted women lives by allowing them to think about their lives and their society…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
Addressing Slavery
Season 3
Contrasting proposals were put forth to deal with slavery. Reformers in the antebellum United States addressed the thorny issue of slavery through co…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
Reforms to Human Health
Season 3
Reformers targeted vices that corrupted the human body and society: the individual and the national soul. For many, alcohol appeared to be the most d…
4 months, 3 weeks ago
Antebellum Communal Experiments
Season 3
Reformers who engaged in communal experiments aimed to recast economic and social relationships by introducing innovations designed to create a more …
4 months, 3 weeks ago
An Awakening of Religion and Individualism
Season 3
Evangelical Protestantism pervaded American culture in the antebellum era and fueled a belief in the possibility of changing society for the better. …
4 months, 3 weeks ago