1861: Coming of the American Civil War (V1425)
Time and Place: 1861: The Coming of the American Civil War
Module V1425
Module details for 2022/23.
15 credits
FHEQ Level 5
Module Outline
In 1861 the United States stood on the brink of civil war. Seven Deep South states had seceded from the Union in the wake of Abraham Lincoln's presidential victory. By April all hopes of peace had been extinguished. In this module you probe the causes of a conflict that resulted in the deaths of at least 620,000 Americans. We begin with President Polk's decision to go to war against Mexico in 1846, a disastrous policy mistake that resulted in divisive political debate over the expansion of slavery into territory ceded by the Mexicans after their surrender. We chart the ill-fated Compromise of 1850, the subsequent demise of a national party system that had held the Union together since the 1830s, the rise of North-South tensions in the wake of passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the sources of southern proslavery nationalism in the 1850s, the outbreak of sectional infighting in Kansas, the rise of the antislavery Republican Party, the South's response to Lincoln's election, and the refusal of most northerners to allow the southern states to secede from the Union. Although the module is primarily political in focus, close attention is given to the social and economic context in which the sectional crisis occurred.
Module learning outcomes
Demonstrate a broad understanding of the causes of the American civil War.
Assess the relative significance of political, social and economic factors in Civil War causation.
Critically engage with historiographical debates over the coming of the Civil War.
Compare and contrast the contribution of elite and non-elite historical actors to the outbreak of war.
Analytically assess primary documents and write argumentative essays based on independent research.
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 100.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Essay | A2 Week 1 | 100.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Lecture | 1 hour | 11111111111 |
| Spring Semester | Seminar | 2 hours | 10101010101 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Prof Martin Francis
Assess convenor
/profiles/370844
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