Revolutions & the Modern AgeOrdinary TimeWeek 29 of 32

A Nation Divided: Expansion & Civil War

Essential Question

Could a nation founded on liberty endure 'half slave and half free'?

This week the student watches the young United States expand westward across a continent while a single unresolved question, slavery, tears at the nation's soul. We tell the story of Manifest Destiny, the deepening sectional crisis, the Civil War, Lincoln, Emancipation, and Reconstruction with honesty and gravity, set against the worldwide 19th-century story of slavery, abolition, and imperialism. Art, music, the saints, and the catechism all converge on one truth: the equal, God-given dignity of every human person.

Liturgical note: Ordinary Time (May). The Church keeps the month of May as the month of Mary; it is a fitting season to reflect on human dignity under the gaze of the Mother of God.

Threads at a Glance

What Each Thread Covers This Week

World History

19th-century imperialism (the 'scramble for Africa,' empires in Asia) and the global story of slavery and abolition.

US History

Becoming a World Power & World War I

Historical Figure

Abraham Lincoln.

Geography

The expanding and dividing US: draw westward expansion (territories and trails) and the Union/Confederacy map.

Art History

American landscape and realism: the Hudson River School (Cole, Church), Winslow Homer; photography and Mathew Brady's Civil War.

Music History

The Romantic era II: Wagner and the growing symphony; American music: the spirituals and Stephen Foster.

Saint

St. Katharine Drexel, American heiress who served Black and Native Americans.

Virtue

Human Dignity: the equal worth of every person.

Catechism

YOUCAT on respect for the human person, equality, and solidarity (Q280-Q289, Q329).

Grammar

Cumulative review and editing: proofreading marks and a self-editing checklist.

Writing

Document-based argument: a persuasive essay built on primary sources.

Weekly Writing Assignment

A House Divided: A Document-Based Argument

Was the Civil War fought primarily over slavery? Read at least three of the provided primary sources (the Confederate states' declarations of secession, the Cornerstone Speech, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address). Write a persuasive essay that states a clear thesis and supports it with at least three quoted pieces of evidence drawn directly from the documents. Acknowledge and answer one opposing argument.

Skill: Building a persuasive argument from primary sources, quoting and citing evidence, and proofreading to a checklist.Length: 500-650 words (about 5 paragraphs)

Show rubric ▾

Thesis: states a clear, arguable claim in the introduction and returns to it in the conclusion.
Evidence: uses at least three short, correctly punctuated quotations from the primary sources, each introduced and explained.
Counterargument: fairly states one opposing view and responds to it.
Organization: each body paragraph has one main point, in logical order, with transitions.
Mechanics: proofread against the self-editing checklist; no run-ons, comma splices, or fragments.

The Week