- 19 Mar, 2021
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The First Party Systems and the Civil War
5/6/2019 Taskstream by Watermark
https://folio.taskstream.com/Folio/BasicBlankStyle.asp?qyz=BDEoT74f42meDlW0g4d&idx=directionsId_0 1/2
SURVEY OF UNITED STATES HISTORY
Competency 1002.1.2: The Early Republic and the American Civil War The graduate
analyzes the challenges of partisan politics and sectionalism in the Early Republic and Civil
War eras.
Introduction:
The adoption of the Constitution in 1787 established a strong federal government for the
United States and codified the principles of a country that balanced the interests of divergent
political, social, religious, and economic groups. The logistical necessities of organizing these
interests on a federal level contributed to the establishment of national political parties during
George Washington’s first term in office. Though President Washington warned of the dangers
of factionalism in his farewell address, the advantages these organizations possessed for
achieving their policy goals made parties an integral part of the political system. During the
first half of the nineteenth century, the United States experienced a period of tremendous
territorial expansion. The challenges resulting from the spread of political and social
institutions—most notably, slavery—across the continent deepened sectional divisions into a
national crisis by the 1850s. The Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in American history, and
the war and its aftermath profoundly altered the political, social, and economic characteristics
of the United States.
In this assessment, you will explain the characteristics of the First Party System in the United
States and its legislative consequences. You will also examine the growth of the sectional
divisions in the United States during the nineteenth century leading up to the outbreak of the
Civil War.
Requirements:
A. Explain (suggested length of 2–3 paragraphs) the reasons for the rise of partisan politics in
the Early Republic (i.e., major conflicts and concerns, development of the First Party
System).
B. Discuss the development of the Second Party System (suggested length of 2–3 paragraphs)
by doing the following:
1. Compare the platforms of the Whig and Democratic parties.
Note: You may include both similarities and differences of the two parties.
2. Describe the leaders and constituents that defined each party.
3. Explain how the Second Party System contributed to increased democratization of
American politics.
C. Discuss the major movements and events that led to the Civil War (suggested length of 23
paragraphs) by doing the following:
1. Explain the proslavery and abolitionist arguments of the antebellum period.
2. Describe the role of westward expansion in increasing sectional tensions.
3. Evaluate how three major events (e.g., significant legislation, territorial conflicts, court
cases, political debates) contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.
D. Provide acknowledgement of source information, using intext citations and references, for
quoted, paraphrased, or summarized content.
1. Include the following information when providing source references:
• author
• date
• title
• location of information (e.g., publisher, journal, or website URL)5/6/2019 Taskstream by Watermark
https://folio.taskstream.com/Folio/BasicBlankStyle.asp?qyz=BDEoT74f42meDlW0g4d&idx=directionsId_0 2/2
Note: APA citation style is the WGU standard. For tips on using APA style, please refer to the APA
Resources web link found under General Information/APA Guidelines in the lefthand panel in
Taskstream.
Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely
paraphrased from outside sources, even if cited correctly.
Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link
included in the Evaluation Procedures section.
Web Links:
1. Rubric Term