Cambridge University Press978-1-107-67960-3 – Cambridge International AS Level History of the USA 1840–1941Pete Browning and Patrick Walsh-Atkins Patrick Walsh-AtkinsFrontmatterMore information

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Pete Browning and Patrick Walsh-AtkinsSeries editor: Patrick Walsh-Atkins

Cambridge International AS Level

History of the USA 1840–1941

Cambridge University Press978-1-107-67960-3 – Cambridge International AS Level History of the USA 1840–1941Pete Browning and Patrick Walsh-Atkins Patrick Walsh-AtkinsFrontmatterMore information

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Cambridge University Press978-1-107-67960-3 – Cambridge International AS Level History of the USA 1840–1941Pete Browning and Patrick Walsh-Atkins Patrick Walsh-AtkinsFrontmatterMore information

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Introduction 4

1 The origins of the Civil War 1846–61 6 Sectional tensions in the United States 8 The outcomes of the war with Mexico 15 The Compromise of 1850 and its breakdown 19 The 1860 presidential election 26 The beginning of the Civil War in April 1861 31

2 The Civil War and Reconstruction 1861–77 38 Four years of civil war 40 The impact of the Civil War 47 The aims and outcomes of Reconstruction 54 How successful was Reconstruction? 61

3 The expansion of US power in the 19th and 20th centuries 66 Expansion in North America 1840s–90s 68 Central America and the Caribbean 1840–1930 76 The USA’s relationship with Europe 1840–1930 85 US relations with China, Japan, the Philippines and the Pacifi c Islands 93

4 The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era 1870s–1920s 100 Industrial expansion in the 1870s and 1880s 102 The economic and social consequences of rapid industrialisation in

the late 19th century 110 The aims of the Progressive Movement 1890s–1910s 115 The Progressive Movement – success or failure? 122 The presidency of Woodrow Wilson 1913–21 126

5 The Great Crash, the Great Depression and the New Deal 1929–41 135 The causes and impact of the Great Crash and the Great Depression 137 Strategies for domestic problems by Hoover and Roosevelt

in the 1930s 141 Opposition to the New Deal 154 Roosevelt – a great American president? 160

6 Examination skills 164 What skills will be tested in examination, and how? 166 Knowledge and understanding questions 168

Analysis and evaluation questions 172 Source-based questions 180 Examination technique 192

Index 196Acknowledgements 200

Contents

Cambridge University Press978-1-107-67960-3 – Cambridge International AS Level History of the USA 1840–1941Pete Browning and Patrick Walsh-Atkins Patrick Walsh-AtkinsFrontmatterMore information

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

History of the USA 1840–1941

Cambridge International AS Level History is a new series of three books that offer complete and thorough coverage of the Cambridge International AS Level History (syllabus code 9389). Each book is aimed at one of the AS History syllabuses issued by Cambridge International Examinations for fi rst examination in 2014. These books may also prove useful for students following other A Level courses covering similar topics. Written in clear and accessible language, Cambridge International AS Level History – History of the USA 1840–1941 enables students to gain the knowledge, understanding and skills to succeed in their AS Level course (and ultimately in further study and examination).

Syllabus and examination

Students wishing to take just the AS Level take two separate papers at the end of a one-year course. If they wish to take the full A Level there are two possible routes. The fi rst is to take the two AS papers at the end of the fi rst year and a further two A Level papers at the end of the following year. The second is to take the two AS papers as well as the two A Level papers at the end of a two-year course. For the full A Level, all four papers must be taken. The two AS papers are outlined below.

Paper 1 lasts for one hour and is based on The Origins of the Civil War 1846–61. The paper will contain at least three different sources, and candidates will have answer two questions on them. Students are not expected to have extensive historical knowledge to deal with these questions, but they are expected to be able to understand, evaluate and utilise the sources in their answers, and to have sound background knowledge of the period. In the fi rst question (a) candidates are required to consider the sources and answer a question on one aspect of them. In the second question (b) candidates must use the sources and their own knowledge and understanding to address how far the sources support a given statement. Chapter 1 provides the appropriate level of historical knowledge to deal with Paper 1.

Paper 2 lasts for an hour and a half. This paper contains four questions, and candidates must answer two of them. Each question has two parts: part (a) requires a causal explanation; and part (b) requires consideration of signifi cance and weighing of the relative importance of factors. A question on each of the four topics outlined in the Cambridge syllabus (for example, The Great Crash, the Great Depression and the New Deal 1929–41) will appear in every examination paper.

History of the USA 1840–1941History of the USA 1840–1941

Cambridge International AS Level History Cambridge International AS Level History is a new series of three books that is a new series of three books that

Introduction

4

Cambridge University Press978-1-107-67960-3 – Cambridge International AS Level History of the USA 1840–1941Pete Browning and Patrick Walsh-Atkins Patrick Walsh-AtkinsFrontmatterMore information

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Introduction

Examination skills

Chapter 6, which is entirely dedicated to helping students with examination skills and techniques, gives guidance on answering all the different types of exam questions in detail. Students should read the relevant section of the exam skills chapter before addressing practice questions, to remind themselves of the principles of answering each type of question. Remember that facts alone are not enough; they must be accompanied by a clear understanding of the question and must employ a range of skills such as focused writing, evaluation and analysis.

All chapters have a similar structure. The key features are as follows:

1 Key questions pose thought-provoking pointers to the key issues being dealt with in the chapter.

2 Content summary explains the essence of a chapter.

3 Timeline offers an overview of signifi cant events of the period.

4 Notes highlight signifi cant points from within the text.

5 Key fi gures offer a detailed profi le of key personalities.

6 Defi nitions of key terms enhance students’ understanding of the text.

7 Questions interspersed within the chapters help to consolidate learning.

8 Key issues outline the key aspects of the content that might be signifi cant for exam preparation.

9 Revision questions help students assess their own understanding and skills.

10 Further reading provides a list of extra resources that will help with gaining a wider perspective of the topic.

5

Key questions

• Why did the Civil War last for four years?

• How great was the immediate impact of the Civil War?

• What were the aims and outcomes of Reconstruction?

• How successful was Reconstruction?

Content summary • The military strategies of Union and Confederate forces.• The political leadership of the two sides, and key decisions.• Military and social resources available to the North and the South.• The effect of the war on civil liberties and society.• The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.• The policies of Reconstruction.• The changing nature of Reconstruction.• The position of ex-slaves in the United States.• The Compromise of 1877.

The Civil Warand Reconstruction 1861–77

Chapter

2

TimelineApr 1861 CSA forces take Fort SumterJun 1861 Four slave states decide to stay in USA Nov 1861 Jefferson Davis elected president of CSA; Trent affair, danger of British intervention Apr 1862 USA abolishes slavery in Washington, DCJan 1863 Emancipation ProclamationJul 1863 Battle of Gettysburg; USA defeats CSA army Jul 1864 US Congress passes Wade–Davis Bill; vetoed by Lincoln Sep 1864 Atlanta falls to US forces led by Sherman Nov 1864 Lincoln defeats McClellan to be re-elected as US president; Sherman’s March to the Sea through Georgia Apr 1865 CSA capital, Richmond, falls to US forces; CSA commander Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox; Lincoln assassinated; Andrew Johnson appointed president Dec 1865 13th Amendment to the US ConstitutionApr 1866 Civil Rights Act Jul 1868 14th Amendment to the US ConstitutionMar 1869 Ulysses S. Grant becomes US president1876–77 Presidential election leads to inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes

38

History of the USA 1840–1941

90

There was no mention of any indemnities, reparations, loss of colonies by the losers, admission of war guilt or exclusion of any of the ‘losers’ from the peace settlement.

There were excellent ideas in the Fourteen Points, and in an ideal world they could have been adopted and been the basis of a Europe without future war. Wilson’s allies had different views on the subject, however, and they had not been consulted about Wilson’s plans. Some of their motivations were based on historical enmity and national advancement:

• Germany had imposed savage terms on the French in 1871, and on the Russians in 1918 at Brest-Litovsk, after defeating them in war. They felt it was now Germany’s turn to be punished.

• With over 5.5 million casualties, and a huge part of northern France wrecked by the war, the French were not interested in showing Germany any leniency. They wanted to be sure that Germany would never again be strong enough to invade France.

• The British were hardly likely to be sympathetic to any attempt to reduce their naval dominance or colonial pre-eminence. Defending these things had been factors in their decision to go to war, and nearly 1 million British had died in the war.

• The Italians, who had also entered the war on the Allied side, had suffered badly in the � ghting and were determined to revenge themselves on the Austrians.

The post-war peace talks were held in Paris, recently shelled by the Germans and, as one commentator put it, ‘full of grieving widows and mothers’. Wilson’s idealism stood little chance here.

The British and the French wanted to punish the Germans and, understandably, to secure their countries against future German aggression. In addition to these issues, Wilson lacked negotiating skills and his own advisors were divided. Colonel E. M. House was in favour of scrapping the Fourteen Points, while the secretary of state Robert Lansing argued strongly for letting Germany play a key role in the negotiating process rather than just presenting them with a diktat.

Note: Wilson’s claims of Lodge’s villainy can be seen as unfair. Lodge did have some reservations about the Covenant of the League of Nations, as did many others. He also questioned the viability of the suggested peacekeeping methods. Later events were to prove him right.

diktat A statute, penalty or settlement imposed in harsh terms upon

a defeated party by the victor.

Key figure

Robert Lansing (1864–1928)Robert Lansing was the US secretary of state from 1915 to 1920. Lansing was anti-German and supported the declaration of war against Germany. His relationship with Wilson broke down as he felt the Fourteen Points were too vague, and that Wilson should not personally go to Paris as a peacemaker. Although he supported the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations, he was sacked by Wilson in 1920.

1

2

QuestionsWhy did the United States � nally go to war in 1917?

‘The great peacemaker’. To what extent does Woodrow Wilson deserve this title?

37

1 The origins of the Civil War 1846–61

Key issues The key features of this chapter are:

• the Missouri Compromise of 1820

• the political effects of the US–Mexican War 1846–48

• the breakdown of the Compromise of 1850

• Northern and Southern attitudes to slavery, and how they contributed to tensions between the two regions

• the emergence of the Republican Party

• the events that contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War – the Kansas–Nebraska Act, Harpers Ferry and the election of 1860

• the secession of the Southern states, and the North’s response

• the signi� cance of the battle of Fort Sumter

• the handling of events in early 1861 by Lincoln and Davis.

Revision questions 1 To what extent was the outbreak of the American Civil War in April 1861

‘inevitable’?

2 What were the principal causes of the secession of Southern states from the Union in early 1861?

3 Read the quotes in the historical debate section on pages 34–36. To what extent do they argue that the outbreak of civil war in 1861 was purely about the issue of slavery? How convincing are these arguments?

Further readingChadwick, F. E. The Causes of the US Civil War. Lightning Source. 2011.

Farmer, A. The Origins of the American Civil War. London, UK. Hodder. 1996.

Reid, B. H. The Origins of the American Civil War. (Origins of Modern War). Prentice Hall. 1996.

Stampp, K. The Causes of the Civil War. London, UK. Touchstone. 1992.

ar ar

Content summary Content summary •• The military strategies of Union and Confederate forThe military strategies of Union and Confederate forThe military strategies of Union and Confederate forThe military strategies of Union and Confederate forces.ces.•• The political leadership of the two sides, and key decisions.The political leadership of the two sides, and key decisions.The political leadership of the two sides, and key decisions.The political leadership of the two sides, and key decisions.•• Military and social rMilitary and social resouresources available to the North and the South.ces available to the North and the South.ces available to the North and the South.ces available to the North and the South.•• The efThe effect of the war on civil liberties and societyfect of the war on civil liberties and societyfect of the war on civil liberties and societyfect of the war on civil liberties and societyThe efThe effect of the war on civil liberties and societyThe efThe ef ..•• The Emancipation PrThe Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.oclamation of 1863.•• The policies of Reconstruction.The policies of Reconstruction.

ew Johnson appointed prew Johnson appointed president esident esident esident

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•• Germany any an had imposed savage terms onthe French in 1871, and on the Russiansin 1918 at Brest-Litovsk, after after af defeating them in war. They felt it was now Germany’any’an s turn to be punished.

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1920. Lansing was anti-1920. Lansing was anti-German and supported German and supported the declaration of war the declaration of war

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•• The Italians, who had also entered the war on the Allied side, had sufferedd sufferedd suffbadly badly badl in the � gh� gh� ting and were determined to revenge themselves onthe Austrians.

The post-war peace talks were held in Paris, recently shelled by the Germans and, as one commentator put it, ‘full ‘full ‘f of grieving widows and mothers’. Wilson’s idealism stood little chance here.

The British and the French wanted to punish the Germans and,understandably, to secure their countries against future German aggression.In addition to these issues, Wilson lacked negotiating skills and his own advisors were divided. Colonel E. M. House was in faFourteen Points, while the secretary of state RobeRobertrt LanLanfor letting Germany any an play a key role in the negotiatinjust presenting them with a diktdiktatat.

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