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New YorkUS History

Module 2: Expansion, reform and the Civil War

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did the reform movements of the early 1800s seek to expand rights and improve society?

Explain the antebellum reform movements (the Second Great Awakening, abolitionism, the women's rights movement and Seneca Falls, temperance and education reform) and their long-term significance (NYS Framework 11.3, civic participation; ideas and beliefs).
A Framework-level answer on antebellum reform for the New York US History and Government Regents: the Second Great Awakening, the abolitionist movement, the women's rights movement and the Seneca Falls Convention, temperance and education reform, and their lasting influence on American rights.
11 min answer →

How did Jacksonian democracy expand political participation while denying rights to others?

Explain Jacksonian democracy (the expansion of white male suffrage, the spoils system, the Bank War) and Indian removal (the Trail of Tears and Worcester v. Georgia) as an expansion of democracy for some and a denial of rights to others (NYS Framework 11.3, civic participation; power).
A Framework-level answer on Jacksonian democracy for the New York US History and Government Regents: the expansion of white male suffrage, the spoils system and the Bank War, and Indian removal (the Trail of Tears and Worcester v. Georgia) as democracy widening for some while rights were denied to others.
11 min answer →

How did Reconstruction try to rebuild the nation and expand rights, and why did it fall short?

Explain Reconstruction (the Reconstruction Amendments, the conflict between presidential and Radical Reconstruction) and its failure (Black Codes, the Compromise of 1877, Jim Crow and Plessy v. Ferguson) (NYS Framework 11.4, civic participation; inequality).
A Framework-level answer on Reconstruction for the New York US History and Government Regents: the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, presidential versus Radical Reconstruction, and the failure marked by Black Codes, the Compromise of 1877, Jim Crow, and Plessy v. Ferguson.
12 min answer →

How did sectional conflict over slavery lead the United States to civil war?

Explain the growth of sectionalism over slavery (the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott v. Sanford, and the election of 1860) and how it led to secession and war (NYS Framework 11.3, causation; conflict).
A Framework-level answer on the causes of the Civil War for the New York US History and Government Regents: the failed compromises over slavery in the territories, the Dred Scott decision, the election of 1860, secession, and how sectionalism led to war.
12 min answer →

How did the Civil War preserve the Union, end slavery, and expand presidential wartime power?

Explain the course and significance of the Civil War (Northern and Southern advantages, the Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg) and Lincoln's expansion of wartime powers, including the suspension of habeas corpus (NYS Framework 11.3, causation; power).
A Framework-level answer on the Civil War for the New York US History and Government Regents: the advantages of North and South, the Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg as turning points, and Lincoln's expansion of presidential wartime power, including the suspension of habeas corpus.
11 min answer →

How did westward expansion reshape the United States and intensify the conflict over slavery?

Explain westward expansion and Manifest Destiny (the Louisiana Purchase, the Mexican-American War, the displacement of Native Americans) and how expansion reignited the conflict over slavery in the territories (NYS Framework 11.3, geographic reasoning; expansion).
A Framework-level answer on westward expansion for the New York US History and Government Regents: the Louisiana Purchase, Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War, the displacement of Native Americans, and how expansion reignited the conflict over slavery in the territories.
12 min answer →