What were three important military turning points in the Civil War? Could the Confederacy really have achieved its independence,and if so,at what chronological point in the war might this have been possible?

American History Before 1877

1. How did plantation crops and the slavery system change between 1790 and 1860? Looking at economic, political,and environmental factors, why did these changes occur?

2. Looking at the causation and motives, did America’s 1846–47 War with Mexico better the existing situation at home, or did it worsen matters? Explain your answers, taking into account the Compromise of 1850 which followed.

3. What were three important military turning points in the Civil War? Could the Confederacy really have achieved its independence,and if so,at what chronological point in the war might this have been possible?

4. In 1860, the institution of slavery was firmly entrenched in the United States; by 1865, it was dead. How did this happen? How did Union policy toward slavery change over the course of the Civil War? Why did it change?