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Unit

Chapter 7: 1844-1860

Guiding question

Invite students to explore if the Civil War was inevitable.

Grade
9–12
Published
Oct 5, 2021
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Chapter 7 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, BRI’s U.S. History Curriculum Resource, invites students to explore if the Civil War was inevitable. Discover our suggested sequence for Chapter 7.

Teacher resource

Chapter 7: 1844-1860 Inquiry Organizer

Was the Civil War inevitable?

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Lessons

Depiction of the "Sambo" and "Aztec" steamers with immigrants on board for Liverpool.
Irish and German Immigration DBQ
  • 1 Activity
  • 50 min

Introduce students to the push and pull factors that led to high levels of immigration from Germany and Ireland from 1830 to 1860. Facilitation Notes: This activity is designed for groups of five students. The activity works best if each student only sees their printed primary source. The students should have some background knowledge on the European industrial revolution and its impact on urban growth and immigration in the United States.This lesson targets the foundational skills of analyzing documents, grouping documents, and constructing a thesis as required of the DBQ essay on the AP exam.

Illustration depicting two scenes: individuals in distress on the left, and a family farewell on the right.
Dred Scott v. Sandford DBQ
  • 1 Activity
  • 90 min

What attempts were made to resolve the issue of slavery in the U.S. territories?

Black and white illustration of soldiers in formation, with a fallen figure in front of a building amid trees.
John Brown: Hero or Villain? DBQ
  • 3 Activities

Use this Lesson alongside theJohn Brown and Harpers Ferry Narrative to allow students to fully evaluate John Brown's approach to abolitionism. Facilitation Notes: Use available classroom technology to display a United States map so that they are within view throughout the lesson. Also, write theKey Questionon the board so that it is in view throughout the lesson.

Political Cartoons of Abraham Lincoln
The Election of Lincoln and the Secession of Southern States DBQ
  • 90 min

Use this Lesson with The Election of 1860 Narrative and the South Carolina Secession Debate, 1860 Primary Source to allow students to analyze the motivations of South Carolina to secede from the United States.

Unit resources

A historical scene depicting explorers and settlers in a mountainous landscape, framed with ornate decorations.
ActivityTo What Extent Were Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion Justified?

Did the positives outweigh the negatives as the concept of Manifest Destiny drove western expansion during the nineteenth century? A. James Fuller and Andrew Fisher debate this question.

A historical portrait of a man with grey hair and a mustache, wearing a tan coat and blue bow tie, against a blue background.
ActivityFrederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 1845

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

A historical illustration of a lively gathering, showing people dancing and celebrating in a rustic interior setting.
ActivityNegro Spirituals

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Map illustrating the proposed annexation of Texas, detailing free and slave districts, along with geographic features.
ActivityJohn O’Sullivan, “Annexation,” 1845

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Illustration showing a historical meeting about the abolition of the slave trade with an audience and speakers.
ActivityWilliam Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass on Abolition, 1845–1852

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

A historic battle scene featuring soldiers in uniform, cannons, and chaos amidst smoke and hills.
ActivityDebating the Mexican-American War, May 1846

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Portrait of Daniel Webster.
ActivityDaniel Webster, “7th of March,” 1850

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Black and white historical photo of people working in a field, using hoes, dressed in 19th-century clothing.
ActivityFugitive Slave Act, 1850

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Portrait of a woman wearing a white headscarf and shawl, seated beside a vase of flowers.
ActivitySojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?” 1851

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

A winter landscape with a horse-drawn wagon, travelers, and trees blanketed in snow.
ActivityDame Shirley (Mrs. Clappe), Letters from a Western Pioneer, 1851–1852

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Golden Gate Bridge spanning the water with a city skyline in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
ActivityFrank Lecouvreur, From East Prussia to the Golden Gate, 1851–1871

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Black and white portrait of a man with a beard, wearing a suit and bow tie.
ActivityHenry David Thoreau, “Slavery in Massachusetts,” 1854

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

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