Mexican–American War

In Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution, James McPherson discusses not only the many changes wrought upon the United States because of the Civil War, but also the ways in which President Abraham Lincoln was instrumental in the carrying out of these changes. When Lincoln gave his inaugural address, he spoke only of the Union, but by the time he gave his infamous Gettysburg address, he spoke only of a united nation (McPherson, viii). A nation he united through “revolution”—a complete…

Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke College, and the United States Military Academy at West Point. His strong background and clear love for history led him to become one of the most prominent scholars of American history. Ellis wrote Founding Brothers after completing biographies on several dominant figures in early American history, including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. In Founding Brothers, Ellis strives to analyze both the brilliance and the flaws of the founding fathers, and how their…

GETTYSBURG Introduction The Civil war began in 1861 and ended in 1865 during this time there were many significant battles. Prior to General Robert E. Lee’s advancement north into the Union’s territory the Union Army has unsuccessfully attacked the Confederate Army several times. General Robert E. Lee takes the Confederate Army and marches north. The battle of Gettysburg takes place from July 1, 1863 to July 3 1863 in a small town called Gettysburg. General Robert E. Lee is leading the…

The American spies of the Revolutionary War, also known as the Culper Spy Ring, changed the course of history, helped save America and shaped the future of military intelligence as it is known today. In the summer of 1776, the future of America’s colonies was unclear, would America continue to be under British rule or gain independence. The first artillery fire was in Boston, but fear and mistrust were spreading throughout all thirteen colonies. After the continental army defeated the Regulars…

Civil War would unfold but it highlighted the importance of intelligence and sound judgment. Bull Run, also known as the First Manassas, was the deadliest ground battle the United States had seen in any war up to that point (McDonald, 1999). The battle came after eleven southern states seceded from the union and pushed out union troops from Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The key mistakes made by the Federalist, Union Army, led to a devastating loss and allowed the Confederates to extend the war…

British: “They hate all changes, but silver, gold and copper change! Of this sort of change they are always strongly in favor.” The former slave sympathizes with the American colonists because he relates to their pain, and he criticizes the British’s resistance to change stemming from their desire for wealth. He celebrates the American triumph against the “lovers of ease, and the worshippers of property.” In his ridicule of the British oppressors, Douglass subtly prepares his audience for the…

Free-Soilers, a political party that began in the north leading up to the Civil War. While not specifically an abolitionist group, the party focused on legislation that would block slavery in the expanded United States territories following the Mexican-American War, and as such provided a catalyst to both the abolitionist movement and southern desire for secession. Though short-lived, the Free-Soil Party was significant in American history due to the increased attention it brought to the…

the growth of this great country. The most important contribution to the New World was the cotton gin. The cotton gin was the most important invention during the 1800’s because it made the Southern states dependent on it slave labor, it boosted the American economy tremendously, and it forced Great Britain and France to side with the Confederacy during the Civil…

Unity was not emboldening the Union Army leadership. In Washington, many important figures were continuing to plot McClellan’s downfall. The Secretary of War was brazenly seeking statements from anyone that help build his case that the general was at fault for the defeat by not completing his assault on Richmond. As well, the secretary was criticizing his withdrawal as “being made dilatory fashion.” The withdrawal had nothing to do with the general; in fact he protested his orders from…

The Start of Civil War Civil war was one of the bloodiest conflicts in U.S. history, it started because of different political and economic beliefs that caused conflicts between the northern and the southern states. There were major political and economic issues, social and cultural forces, individuals and groups that caused civil war. There are different opinions on what caused civil war, for some it was just because of slavery, but there were many factors that separated the nation and it was…