CLN Televised Courses
GED Preparation/Social Studies
Nina Beegle, Instructor
GED Social Studies
Focus Sheet: Lesson 7
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SKILLS:
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MATERIALS: •
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War of 1812
Nationalism
Monroe Doctrine
Foreign Policy: Isolationism
Economics and Growth:
◊ Gold in California
◊ Industrialism in North
◊ Slavery and plantation system in south
Causes of the Civil War: Sectionalism and Slavery
Conflict, Compromise and Secession
North vs. South: the war begins
Recognize political philosophies and policies,
match to outcomes
Identify significance of historical events (such as War
of 1812) as a symbol of a pivotal point in an era
Give supporting reasons for action (example:
Monroe Doctrine)
Understand integration of history, government,
geography, economics and psychology or sociology
Identify conflict, identify main issues: conflict causes
and results
Growing Nationalism Worksheet (Lesson 6)
Civil War Worksheet (Accomplishments and
Challenges)
SCANS Standards:
• Workplace Skills
Systems: C15
Interpersonal: C9, C12, C13
Information: C5, C7
• Foundation Skills
Basic Skills: F1, F2, F5, F6
Thinking Skills: F7 - F11
SITE FACILITATOR TASKS:
• Encourage students to participate in group
discussions, team activities and writing assignments
CLN Televised Courses
GED Preparation/Social Studies
Nina Beegle, Instructor
GED Social Studies
Worksheet: Pre-Civil War
Lesson 7
FOCUS: ACCOMPLISHMENT AND CHALLENGES OF A NEW NATION
AGE OF INVENTION TIMELINE: 1820-1850
Put these events in chronological order
1837: John Deere Patents steel plow
1845: Famine in Ireland
1831: Nat Turner’s Rebellion
1839: Charles Goodyear patents vulcanized rubber
1848: Revolution in Europe
1844: Samuel Morse invents the telegraph
1843: Cyrus McCormick patents reaper
1846: Elias Howe invents the sewing machine
THE COTTON KINGDOM:
The late 1700’s was a time when many southerners were struggling
financially. Soil exhaustion had lowered farm yields and the markets for the
traditional cash crops of the south had become unstable. However, cotton was
in high demand. The spinning and weaving machines of the cotton mills in
England and the northern United States had revolutionized the textile
industry, and factories needed ever increasing amounts of raw materials.
Unfortunately, supply was limited by the fact that the long-fiber cotton would
only grow in coastal areas, and it was very time consuming to clean the seeds
out of the short-fiber cotton that grew inland.
All that changed in 1793 when Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin, a
machine that could quickly clean the seeds out of the cotton. The Cotton Gin
changed the south in three ways. First, because cotton was so profitable, the
south quickly became the only cash crop of the southern economy. Second,
because cotton could now be grown anywhere in the south, not just on the
coast, vast numbers of people migrated westward searching for new lands on
which to grow cotton. These states became known as the Cotton Kingdom.
Third, the cotton plantations needed huge numbers of workers, strengthening
the system of slavery more than ever. In fact, thousands of surplus slaves
were herded in “gangs” from Virginia, where slavery was increasingly less
GED Social Studies, Lesson 7, p. 2
important, to the Lower South, where they supplied the labor needed for the
expanding cotton plantations.
QUESTION:
According to the above passage, the Cotton Kingdom was the result of:
a) the industrial revolution in England and the northern states.
b) the need to find employment for surplus slaves
c) soil exhaustion in the southern states
d) the invention of the Cotton Gin
e) a and d
TRAIL OF TEARS
In 1830, Congress passes the Indian Removal Act, a highly controversial
bill that provided the funds to buy land from Indians living in areas that had
opened up to white settlement. The idea was to move Indians from fertile
land in the east to dry arid land in Oklahoma. However, the law caused great
hardship and injustice for the Indians in several ways.
First, many white speculators swindled the land rights from Indians
before the relocation actually took place. Later, they sold land to the
government, pocketing the proceeds and many Indians were forced to leave
their homes with nothing but their clothes. With no food or shelter, many
died along the way. On one trek, about one-quarter of the Cherokees died
from starvation, hardship and disease. The harsh journey west came to be
known as the Trail of Tears. Those tribes who resisted, such as the Blackfoot,
were put down by the militia. The Seminole War lasted three years.
Tragically, the Indian Removal Act only solved the Indian “problem”
temporarily. At first, the American government was content to allow the
Indians to live in peace on the plains, known as the “Great American Desert.”
However, by the 1850’s, white settlers reported that the plains were good for
ranching, farming and mining. Soon, white settlers moved onto the prairie in
waves, a trend that was intensified by the arrival of the railroad.
In 1851, the Indians agreed to a new government treaty which
guaranteed they would continue to control the plains on the condition that
they allowed settlers safe passage through their territory and confined hunting
to specific areas. This was called the policy of concentration. The aim of this
treaty was to limit conflict between Indians & settlers. In part, this treaty
failed because the Indians followed the buffalo herds, which did not remain
within the specified hunting areas. In addition, the discovery of gold in
Colorado triggered a wave of prospectors who had no regard for Indian land
rights. Within 10 years, miners were claiming land that had been given to
Indians forever.
In 1864, all hopes for reaching an agreement were destroyed after the
Massacre of Sand Creek. Chief Black Kettle of the Cheyenne had agreed to an
GED Social Studies, Lesson 7, p. 3
armistice with the American government. However, no one told the Colorado
militia of the settlement. One November dawn, 1000 troops attacked a
sleeping Cheyenne village and killed 450 men, women and children, although
the camp had been flying both an American flag and the white flag of peace.
The United States had similar problems with the Sioux and other plains
Indians. Finally, the government abandoned the policy of concentration and
began to establish reservations. These were small, well-defined areas of land,
usually of the poorest quality, that were to be supervised by federal officials.
Although some Indians agreed to move to the reservations, many continued
to fight for their way of life and against the settlers who had consistently lied
to them. In the end, the Indians were forced to comply, since the US
government could wage a long-term battle while the Indians could not. One
tactic used by the government was to encourage the slaughter of the buffalo,
which was the Indians’ main source of food and supplies.
By 1890, thousands of Indians had died in battles to keep their lands,
while thousands more had died from starvation and exposure. Although the
United States had promised to send food to the reservations, much of it was
embezzled by government workers.
The final attack on the Indians’ way of life was the Dawes Act. Its
purpose was to force Indians to be “Americanized,” or adopt the ways of
white society, by undercutting the tribal ties. The reservations were carved up
into small parcels that were given to families with the idea that the Indians
would support themselves by farming. Indians who accepted the plan would
become American citizens. However, the Indians were not given the training
or the tools to succeed as farmers, and many sold their lands at a fraction of
their value. Others refused the offer and remained on the reservations as
dependents of the government.
QUESTION:
What is the suggested reason for the failure of the policy of concentration?
a) Troops massacred a Cheyenne village in Colorado.
b) Indians needed to be Americanized in order to get along with settlers.
c) White hunters killed all the buffalo.
d) The Indians followed the buffalo herds out of their specified hunting
grounds.
MAP ANALYSIS:
The historian Robert Remini wrote that the Indian Removal Act was “...harsh,
arrogant, racist ---and inevitable.” Examine the two maps below and compare
the growth of the Cotton Kingdom to the location of the Chickasaw, Choctaw
and Cherokee lands. Do you agree with Remini that the relocation of the
Indians was inevitable? Give reasons for your opinion.
GED Social Studies, Lesson 7, p. 4
Old South
Cotton Kingdom
Cotton-Growing
area
CLN Televised Courses
GED Preparation/Social Studies
Nina Beegle, Instructor
GED Social Studies
Worksheet: Pre-Civil War
Lesson 7 – Key
FOCUS: ACCOMPLISHMENT AND CHALLENGES OF A NEW NATION
AGE OF INVENTION TIMELINE: 1820-1850
Put these events in chronological order
2
1837: John Deere Patents steel plow
6
1845: Famine in Ireland
1
1831: Nat Turner’s Rebellion
3
1839: Charles Goodyear patents vulcanized rubber
8
1848: Revolution in Europe
5
1844: Samuel Morse invents the telegraph
4
1843: Cyrus McCormick patents reaper
7
1846: Elias Howe invents the sewing machine
THE COTTON KINGDOM:
According to the above passage, the Cotton Kingdom was the result of:
a) a and d
TRAIL OF TEARS
What is the suggested reason for the failure of the policy of concentration?
d) The Indians followed the buffalo herds out of their specified
hunting grounds.
MAP ANALYSIS:
Answers will vary