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American History to 1865 – Review of the Fifth Grade
Colonial America
The settlers of Roanoke, Virginia, were never heard from again. Next the English settled at Jamestown.
In 1619, Africans were brought to America as slaves. Pilgrims and Puritans came to America for religious
freedom. They settled in Massachusetts.
The Colonies Grow
New England shipping used a triangular trade route. First, raw goods were shipped to the West Indies
and traded for molasses, used to make rum. Next they exchanged rum for slaves in West Africa. Finally, the
slaves were sold for more molasses in the West Indies.
In North America, Great Britain and France fought over natural resources and land. Different Native
American groups made agreements with Great Britain or France, and the Iroquois played one side against the
other. This led to the French and Indian War.
The French and Indian War ended with Great Britain winning control of North America east of the
Mississippi River. To prevent fights between Native Americans and colonists, King George III issued the
Proclamation of 1763. It stopped any western expansion.
Road to Independence
The French and Indian War left Great Britain in debt. The King collected money by adding new taxes.
The British soldiers searched colonists’ homes for smuggled goods where no taxes had been paid. Laws like the
Stamp Act and Sugar Act hurt the colonists; they protested that Parliament had no right to tax them if they could
not vote for its members. They didn’t buy or boycotted British goods.
The King sent troops. In 1770 British soldiers fired on a mob killing five colonists. The colonists called
this the Boston Massacre. Great Britain ended taxes on all goods except tea. The colonists, dressed up as
Indians, dumped the British tea into the harbor during the “Boston Tea Party”. Parliament passed laws
punishing the people of Boston. Colonists called these the Intolerable Acts. Many colonists were ready to unite
against the British.
In 1774, the First Continental Congress voted to form an Army. The war for independence began with
the Lexington and Concord. In June 1775, the British won the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Second Continental
Congress met. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, declaring a new nation.
The American Revolution
At first Great Britain seemed to have a huge advantage in the war. They had the world’s finest navy and
a trained army. The Patriots were volunteers with no experience.
One of every five Americans was a Loyalist, meaning they were loyal to Great Britain. Some supported
the king for religious reasons. Others depended upon Great Britain for jobs. Great Britain’s plan to cut New
England off from the Middle Colonies failed. The Patriots won the battle at Saratoga in 1777. This was a
turning point in the war because the colonists gained support from France, Great Britain’s enemy.
The Patriots’ darkest hour was the bitter winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. There were more problems.
Native Americans sided with the British. They were angry with the colonists’ desire to move westward.
The American victory at Saratoga forced the British to change strategy. They moved south and won
several battles. The Americans responded by using hit-and –run tactics. In 1781, aided by French troops, the
Americans surprised General Cornwallis’Army at Yorktown and forced it to surrender. Great Britain granted
the colonies independence in 1783.
Even though Great Britain had superior military strength, the Americans won the war. The revolution
was a people’s movement, and the Americans were fighting on their own land.
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A More Perfect Union
In 1787 the nation’s leaders gathered in Philadelphia. They decided to get rid of the
Articles of Confederation and create a new government. The Constitution they wrote was based
on several beliefs. Among these were a belief in the importance of human rights and a belief in
government by the people. The Constitution provided for a strong national government (rather
than giving more power to individual states) and a system of checks and balances. The power
was divided among the federal, state, and local governments. The Bill of Rights was later added
to protect individual freedoms.
By 1788, nine states had voted for the Constitution, ann it became the supreme law of the
land. The Constitution has proven to be strong and flexible. More than 200 years later, it
continues to govern our nation.
The Jefferson Era
In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson bought the region known as Louisiana from France
for $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase more than doubled the size of the nation. Jefferson sent
Lewis and Clark to explore the territory.
War in Europe brought trouble to the U.S. Great Britain and France were fighting. This
hurt America’s freedom at sea. Congress declared war on Great Britain in 1812.
During the war of 1812, the British burned the capital, Washington, D. C. Francis Scott
Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner”. Although, the U.S. did not gain land or military power
during the War of 1812, it did get respect overseas.
By 1823, the U.S. felt strong enough to issue the Monroe Doctrine. It warned European
nations not to interfere in the affairs of any nation in the Americas.
Growth and Expansion
Technology helped transportation. Steamboats made shipping goods cheaper and faster.
Canals united East and West. Towns sprang up along the canal routes. Settlers moved west to
make nine new states. James Monroe became president in 1817. This period was called the Era
of Good Feelings. But, in 1820, regions argued over slavery and taxes. The Missouri
Compromise tried to settle disputes over the admission of new states. Missouri entered as a
slave state, and Maine as a free state. Slavery was banned in territories north of the 36th parallel.
The Jackson Era
Andrew Jackson replaced many federal workers with his supporters, this was known as
the “spoils system”. The Indian Removal Act allowed the federal government to force Native
Americans off their land. However, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee. President
Jackson ignored this ruling. The Native Americans were forced to move to the Indian Territory
west of the Mississippi River in a long march called the Trail of Tears.
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Manifest Destiny
In the 1820’s Americans began to settle in the Mexican territory of Texas. Differences
between the Texan and Mexican governments led to fighting. The Texans defeated the
Mexicans, and in 1836 Texas became an independent republic. In 1845 the U.S. annexed
(added) Texas. This led to the Mexican War. The U.S. gained a large amount of land as a result
of winning the war.
In 1849 prospectors flocked to California during the gold rush. By 1850 the nation had
achieved what many Americans believed was its “manifest destiny”. The U.S. now spanned the
entire continent-from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Road to Civil War
The problems between the North and the South increased. Oregon, New Mexico, and
Utah would become free states, upsetting the balance between free and slave states. Southerners
talked of secession- leaving the Union. The Compromise of 1850 removed restrictions on
slavery in the New Mexico Territory. It required states to return fugitive- runaway slaves to
their owners. Many Northerners refused to obey the Fugitive Slave Act. A novel, Uncle Tom’s
Cabin, added to the anti-slavery feeling. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 tried to
compromise. It let people in the territories vote on the slavery issue. The elections led to
violence. People on both sides died. A new party, the Republicans, promised to end slavery in
the territories. In the Dred Scott case, the Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property and
slavery could not be stopped. This angered many Northerners.
The Civil War
Both sides had advantages and disadvantages. The North had more people and industry,
better railroads, and Lincoln’s leadership. Southern soldiers were fighting on their own land to
protect their way of life. At first the South had better generals. To restore the Union, the North
planned to blockade southern ports, gain control of the Mississippi River, and take Richmond,
the Confederate capital. To win independence, the South planned to defend its land until the
North got tired of war. The South won most of the early battles.
The war in the East turned into a bloody stand off. In the West, the Union slowly won
control of the Mississippi River. The Northern blockade cut Southern trade making it difficult
for the South to get the needed war supplies.
In 1860, Lincoln became president. Next, South Carolina seceded, followed by six more
states. The Confederate states elected Jefferson Davis president. In April, 1861, the
Confederates shelled Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Four more states seceded. The Civil War had
begun.
On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It said that all slaves
in the rebelling states were free. He hope this would keep Europe from helping the South. In
July 1863, the Union won at Gettysburg in the East and Vicksburg in the West. Its armies
marched through the South in 1864 destroying everything that could be of use to the enemy.
Southern General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865. The
Civil War was now over, leaving 600,000 soldiers dead. The damages in the South ran billions
of dollars. The war, however, ended the idea of secession and freed millions of African
Americans.
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