Audio GED Prep Social Studies Lessons 1-5

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Audio GED Prep Social Studies Lessons 1-5

Audio GED Prep Social Studies 1

Geography, North and South America, Australia

The United States and Territories

The United States is a relatively new country. Started out as settlements from many countries like Roanoke and Jamestown that eventually developed into the 13 colonies, who were loosely bound together, though they had many differences.

The colonies fought a war for independence against Great Britain and won, eventually becoming the United States of America. Gradually, new territories were admitted to the “Union” and the United States grew.

For a short while, the United States was split into two countries: the United States of America and the Confederate States of America during the period of the Civil War. At the end of the war, the two countries rejoined.

Many believed in the “manifest destiny” of the United States, which meant that the country should expand from one coast to the other. This is the case today, with the country being split into 50 states, with two states, Alaska and Hawaii, being not attached to the other 50.

The United States also has control over a variety of territories around the world, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Island, Guam and American Samoa. There are also U.S. military installations throughout the world, with many in Europe and Asia.

The largest river in the United States is the Mississippi, which branches out into many tributaries. There are two main mountain ranges: the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains.

• Canada

Canada is the second largest country in the world land wise after Russia, though most of its population lives close to its border with the United States. About 75 percent of Canadians (out of around 33 million citizens) live within 100 miles of the U.S. borders. It has more coastline than any other country, because it is bordered by the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.

Many parts of Canada were settled by French explorers and the influence of French language and culture continues to this day. Other parts of Canada were controlled by Great Britain. Today, both English and French are official languages in Canada.

Instead of states, Canada is divided into provinces and territories. There are ten provinces, such as Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, and three territories: The Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. Canada includes many different islands as part of its territory including Prince Edward Island.

• Mexico

Mexico was the site of many powerful civilizations including the Olmec and the Maya. Spain conquered the region in the 16th century and turned it into a colony, but it achieved its own independence in the 19th century.

Today, it is a country that is bordered by the United States in the north and the countries of Central America in the south. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Gulf of Mexico in the east. It includes a long peninsula that is south of the U.S. state of California called “Baja California”.

In terms of land area, it is just about three times the size of the state of Texas, though its population is around 120 million.

Mexico has 31 different states that are all self governed, and there is a special Federal District that belongs to the entire federation at a whole instead of to a specific state.

• Central America

Central America is considered part of North America, and is a narrow bridge of land that connects North America with South America. On the north, it is bordered by Mexico, on the south by the South American country of Columbia. On the east, is the Caribbean Sea, and on the west is the Pacific Ocean.

Central America includes the countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Also in the region are the islands of Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the islands of the Bahamas, and other Caribbean islands. Most of these countries have tropical climates. The culture is closely related to that of Mexico and South America, and includes that of both Spanish colonists, and the indigenous peoples such as the Mayans.

Panama is especially notable because of the Panama Canal, a canal that lets ships pass through from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean without having to go around South America. This canal was once owned by the United States, but was given back to Panama.

• South America

South America is a continent below Central America, also named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It includes a variety of countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The countries of South America speak a variety of languages, such as Spanish and Portuguese, due to the influence of European colonists. Other countries have English, French, and even Dutch as official languages. There are some who speak versions of the languages of the indigenous peoples such as the Inca, the Maya and the Aztecs. These powerful civilizations only fell out of power when European colonists arrived.

Brazil is by far the largest and most powerful country. They use a variety of currencies, ranging from the US dollar to the Euro, to the peso and others.

• Australia and Oceania

Australia is a large island continent and a number of smaller islands, including Tasmania. It is surrounded by the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Though it is the smallest continent, it is also the world’s sixth-largest country. The country was discovered by the Dutch in the 17th Century, and it was later colonized by Great Britain in the 18th Century. In 1901, six colonies came together into a single country: the Commonwealth of Australia.

Today, Australia has six states, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia, and two mainland territories, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

Today, English is the official language, but there are also a great number of Aboriginals, who were the original inhabitants of the island before European settlers arrived.

• Antarctica

Antarctica is the southernmost continent, the coldest and driest on earth. It is largely uninhabited, with only a few scientific settlements with only a few thousand people. There are very few plants and animals in Antarctica, and no countries, though the laws of the countries who run the research stations apply.

Antarctica is divided into several regions, including the Antarctic Peninsula, East Antarctica, the Ross Sea, West Antarctica, and the South Pole.

Audio GED Prep Social Studies Lesson 2

Geography, Europe, Asia, and Africa

The countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa as we know them today are often relatively new. The boundaries and names of these countries have changed over the years as Empires have risen and fallen. This lesson will focus on how the countries are today.

• Western Europe

Western Europe is home to many advanced or first-world countries with strong economies. These include Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland. Though they are all separate countries, many of these countries have banded together to form what is called the European Union, which allows greater cooperation between member states.

Switzerland has long had a policy of neutrality, meaning that it does not concern itself in the wars and conflicts of other nations and so it has not joined the European Union, even though countries all around it have.

Many European countries now share a common currency called the Euro, though here there are several exceptions as well. Both Switzerland and the United Kingdom are not in the “Euro Zone”, because they have strong currencies, the pound and Swiss franc respectively, that they do not want to give up.

Of all the countries in Western Europe, Germany has the largest economy and is seen by many as a leader in the region. After World War II, it split into two countries, a capitalist West Germany, and a communist East Germany, and it was not until the early 1990s that the countries were reunited.

There are also a few tiny countries in Europe that are really only a single city. These include Luxemburg, Lichtenstein, and Vatican City, which is the headquarters of the Catholic Church, and it completely surrounded by Italy.

• Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a loose term for the eastern part of mainland Europe. In general, it is not as developed as Western Europe, and many of its governments were formerly under the control of the Soviet Union and had communist governments. Typically, the Ural Mountain, Ural River, and the Caucasus Mountains are considered the border between Eastern and Western Europe.

Countries in Eastern Europe include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Croatia. Part of Russia is considered to belong to Eastern Europe as well, and formerly when Germany was split into two countries, East Germany was as well.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are referred to collectively as “the Baltic states”, primarily because of their proximity to the Baltic Sea. Many of the countries in Eastern Europe as part of the European Union and the Euro Zone, though others such as Bosnia and Ukraine have yet to be admitted.

• Russia and former Soviet republics

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area, and has a large population. It stretches all the way from the eastern part of Europe all across Asia. It covers an eighth of the world’s habitable land and nine separate time zones. It is home to Mount Caucasus, which is the highest point in both Russia and Europe at 18,510 feet.

It is the largest part of what used to be the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R), which included many other countries, such as Ukraine and Georgia. The U.S.S.R. was a communist country, but after its fall, it has become increasingly capitalist and democratic.

Today, Russia is broken up into 83 federal entities, including republics, regions, and autonomies. Each of them gets the same representation in parliament, but vary in the amount of control the federal government has over them. These smaller entities are grouped in seven large federal districts. The capital city of Russia is Moscow, where power is vested in a president, prime minister and a parliament.

• Asia

Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent with over 4.3 billion people living there. There is not a clear boundary as to where Europe stops and Asia begins as they are connected.

It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the East, the Indian Ocean on the South and the Arctic Ocean on the north. There are 48 different countries in Asia, with two of them being partially in Europe (Russia and Turkey). Some of the countries include China, Japan, North and South Korea, India, Mongolia, Russia, and Vietnam.

Asia is home to the Yangtze River, which is the longest on the continent and the Himalayas, which is a mountain range between Nepal and China. The Himalayas contain Mount Everest, which is the tallest mountain in the world at nearly 30,000 ft.

Asia is a widely diverse region with a variety of religious traditions, including Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism. There are also hundreds of different languages including over 800 in India alone. The most widely-spoke language, however, is Mandarin Chinese, with almost a billion speakers.

Asia includes a region known as the “Middle East”, which lies between Europe and Asia in the region of the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf. It includes nations such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Israel. The region is largely dominated by Muslims, though Israel is the Jewish homeland. The area is largely arid, though there are great supplies of natural resources there, especially oil, making this a strongly contested part of the world.

• Africa

Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent in the world. It is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It includes mainland Africa and the large island of Madagascar, as well as a number of smaller islands.

There are 54 separate countries in Africa, 9 territories and two independent states. Algeria is the largest country, and Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest point.

Africa has a broad range of cultures, especially given the events of the 19th century. European powers scrambled to create colonies in Africa, which colonies still affect the culture of African countries. At the height of the colonial period, there were colonies from Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Portugal.

Another factor that had a great influence on the continent was the slave trade that flourished for hundreds of years, though its influence has been on the decline ever since the United States of America abolished slavery during the American Civil War. Thousands of native Africans were taken forcibly from their homes and taken to the New World, Europe, and Asia.

Gradually, African countries regained their independence. South Africa was one of the first African countries to become independent, though it still suffered under a dual society of Europeans and native Africans, in which the Europeans were in charge. The borders of many African countries are still in flux and civil wars rage, causing many people to live in what are considered third-world conditions.

Northern Africa has a larger Arab influence in countries such as Egypt and Libya while other countries are a mix between the decedents of native Africans and the decedents of European colonists. Over a thousand languages are spoken in Africa, many of which are tribal, but also ones from Europe and Asia as well, such as English, French, and Arabic.

GED Audio Prep Social Studies Lesson 3:

The U.S. Government structure/Civics, Part I

The United States government is broken down into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the legislative branch. This is a system set up by the founders of the United States in order to produce a system of checks and balances, meaning that if one branch of the government ever overstepped its bounds, the other two would be able to keep it in check.

This was done because the founders had had too many experiences with the central authority of a single monarch who could abuse his power to the detriment of the people.

• The Legislative Branch, Congress

The Legislative Branch of the government is the branch of the government that makes laws. Congress is made up of two branches: the Senate, and the House of Representatives. This represents a compromise between the smaller, less populous states, and the larger, more populous states.

In the Senate, every state has equal representation: two senators from each state. In the House of Representatives has representatives which grow by the population of the state. There are a total of 535 members of Congress, 435 Representatives and 100 Senators.

Laws start as bills, which can start in either house of Congress, but they have to be approved by a majority vote in both houses in order to become a law. The President of the United States must sign off on a bill before it can become a law, or he can veto the law, making it null and void. A two-thirds votes can then overcome a presidential veto.

Representatives are up for reelection every two years, while senators serve for six. Senators’ elections are staggered so that about one third of the Senate is up for re-election every two years.

Today, the United States is dominated by a two-party system, the Republicans and the Democrats. Although there are more than two parties, these two parties dominate. The party that “controls” a house of Congress is the one who has more seats than the other party.

• The Judicial Branch, Supreme Court, Other Courts

The Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government consists of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the lower district courts. The Judicial Branch’s job is to interpret Constitutional law, so that the President or Congress do not do anything that is outside the intent of the Constitution.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land and has the final say in judicial matters. The Supreme Court is made up of nine justices or judges, with one Chief Justice and eight associate justices. All of the justices are appointed by the President of the United States, but must be approved by the Senate. All of the justices are appointed for life unless they voluntarily retire are or are impeached, which has never happened.

When hearing a case, each justice has a single vote, and the majority’s will is binding. Presidents usually appoint justices that have similar political views in order to advance their agenda. After issuing a ruling, the court writes out a lengthy explanation of why they ruled why they did, both those who were for and those who were against. The Supreme Court has been a major force in determining the course of the United States.

Though the Supreme Court hears numerous cases every year, there are some cases that are considered to be landmarks. Here are some examples of landmark Supreme Court cases:

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

This gave the courts the power of judicial review, which means that they could declare an act of Congress or the President unconstitutional.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

This declared that having segregated schools, which were different schools for white and black people, was not considered equal treatment, and should be done away.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

This established that illegally obtained evidence, such as evidence gained without a legal search warrant, cannot be used in a trial.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

This case set the precedent that if a person cannot afford a lawyer to represent him in a criminal case, one would be provided for him.

Roe vs. Wade (1973)

This case provided protection for the right of a person to have an abortion in the United States.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

This established the fact that police must read suspects their rights before they are questioned.

• The Executive Branch, President

The Executive Branch of the U.S. government is the President and Vice President of the United States as well as their Cabinet, which is a counsel of various advisors. The President and the Vice President run together, and elections are held every four years. Though this had not always been the case, the President can now only serve two terms, for a total of eight years.

The President’s main responsibility to enforce the laws of the land and to uphold the Constitution. All bills that have been proposed and confirmed by Congress, must get the President’s signature before becoming law. He can veto, or reject any law that he decides unsuitable.

If the President does something unlawful or fails to perform his duties, Congress has the power to impeach the President, which can either punish or remove him from office.

The President is also the head of state, and so meets with other world leaders in diplomatic matters. He has a role in determining foreign policy. He also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s armed forces, though he cannot declare war without approval from Congress.

Forty-three different individuals have served as President. There are two pairs of father and son, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Grover Cleveland is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms. Franklin D. Roosevelt served four terms as President before the Constitution was amended to prevent this.

In order to be President, a person must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, at least 35 years old and have been a permanent resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years.

The President lives in the White House in Washington D.C. while President and makes use of the Presidential aircraft Air Force One.

GED Audio Prep Social Studies Lesson 4:

The Revolutionary War, Constitution and Bill of Rights

• The colonization of America

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed west from Europe in an attempt to prove that he could reach the Orient by sailing around the world the other way. Instead, he found part of the Americas. This led many other explorers and colonizers to send expeditions to what was called “The New World” by those in Europe.

The European powers all wanted to claim territory in the New World, hoping to establish colonies for trade and power. England, France, Portugal, Germany, and Spain, among others, all grappled for power in the New World.

After much conflict, England established thirteen colonies along eastern coast of what is now the United States, while Spain ended up with claims in what is now the area around Mexico, and France established colonies in what is now Canada.

These thirteen colonies were established by different groups, many of them religious groups that came to the New World in order to find religious freedom. Each of these colonies had their own government, and loosely worked together, but were all still subject to the British Crown.

The colonies flourished, but over time, the colonists started expressing grievances against their motherland. The colonies were subject to high taxes, without representation in the British Parliament, and were subject to things like searches and seizures. Several incidents sparked many colonists to rebellion, such as the Boston Massacre, in which British soldiers fired on and killed colonists.

Though the colonists tried to ask for redress to their problems, but as the Crown did not listen, a group banded together of people such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and drafted the Declaration of Independence.

• The Revolutionary War and Declaration of Independence

Patrick Henry, one of the colonists in favor of independence, declared in 1775

“Give me liberty, or give me death.” Not long afterward, Paul Revere made his famous ride through the countryside declaring the advance of British soldiers sent to silence the rebellion in the colonies.

In April of 1775, a local militia clashed with British soldiers at Lexington and Concord, culminating in the “shot heard round the world”, as it was later called-the shot that started the Revolutionary War. The colonies established a government called the Second Continental Congress and in that year named George Washington commander in chief and the head of the continental army. Fighting began in earnest as British ships full of troops landed into the colonies and took control of several major cities.

In 1776, the Second Continental Congress, debated, revised and eventually accepted the Declaration of Independence. It had been written by the prominent politician Thomas Jefferson and declared that the colonies were now free from British rule. Not only this, but it established fundamental rights and freedoms on which the Constitution was later based. It further listed the grievances against the British Crown, which were numerous. It was signed by 56 men, who represented each of the 13 colonies.

Here is the now famous opening section:

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Both sides enlisted the help of other nations, the French and Spanish coming to the aid of the colonists against Britain because of old rivalries, and many German mercenaries, called Hessians, fought for the British.

The war lasted until 1782, and was fraught with hardships for George Washington and his army, who faced internal pressures from “loyalists”, who were colonists still loyal to the British crown, lack of funds to pay his soldiers, and harsh weather conditions. Despite all of these, the British conceded the fight, which paved the way for the creation and approval of the U.S. Constitution a few years later.

• The Constitution

The Constitution had to be agreed upon, or ratified by all of the states before it would become the law of the land.

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution, because some felt that the Constitution did not specify enough what rights were protected. The colonists had seen firsthand how power can be abused, and thus drafted the Bill of Rights in order to protect against governmental abuse of power. The Bill of Rights helped several states agree to ratify to Constitution. The rights are as followed:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Those who supported the proposed Constitution were called Federalists and those who opposed it were called Anti-Federalists. The term “Federalism” means something that has a strong central government, which is something that the Constitution created as opposed to a weak central government with more power centered in the states.

Several well-known Federalists, including John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison created what were known as the Federalist Papers, which outlined the arguments in favor of the Constitution. They believed that a strong federal government was necessary to preserve the freedom that they had won from the Revolutionary War. They had a difficult time, however, convincing many people, because the Constitution represented a large change from the usual political practices of the day.

The Anti-federalists were afraid that a strong federal government would lead to more tyranny like that they had experienced under King George. A corrupt government would be worse than no government at all. They believed that the Constitution did not do enough to limit the power of the government, despite the system of checks and balances. Prominent Anti-federalists included James Winthrop, Patrick Henry, and George Mason.

They also pointed out the lack of the guarantee of individual liberties states in the Constitution, a problem that was later taken care of the Bill of Rights.

GED Audio Prep Social Studies Lesson 5:

The Civil War, Abolition and Westward Expansion

• North vs. South

As the states grew and expanded, the northern states and southern states developed into vastly different societies. The climates, the cultures, and the traditions were different. The north featured more on manufacturing while the south focused more on agriculture.

The practice of owning slaves was much more seldom in the north than in the south, where many plantation owners depended on slave labor to work their fields. More and more, the states questioned the practice of slavery and many started calling for it to be done away with. This led to building tensions between north and south, because such a move would affect the south much more financially than the north.

• The Civil War

The Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, cost the most American lives of any conflict in U.S. history, over 620,000 by the war’s end. It lasted from 1861 until 1865, sparked by the election of an anti-slavery President, Abraham Lincoln. Initially, seven states left the United States, and four more left once violence first erupted. These states formed what was called “the Confederate States of America”, and they elected Jefferson Davis as their President.

After one of the bloodiest battles of the War in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, President Lincoln came and delivered a short speech, which has now become famous. It is known as the Gettysburg address, and was remarkable in its brevity and clarity:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln

November 19, 1863

• Abolition of Slavery

During the third year of the Civil War, President Lincoln issued an executive order called the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan 1st, 1863. It said that “all persons held as slaves” within the slaves that had left the Union “are, and henceforward shall be free.” This was not a complete abolition of slavery yet, but it was a step in the right direction. It was a powerful strategic move, as it allowed the freed men to enlist in the Union army, and by the end of the war, over 200,000 freed slaves joined the cause.

• Reconstruction

In 1865, the Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia and the Confederacy surrendered and the rebel states rejoined the Union. The War, however, had left much of the country, especially the South, in ruins. President Lincoln and his successors, instead of punishing the South, sought for ways to rebuild and help their former foes, and a period known as the Reconstruction Era began. This provided a time of new growth, with the entire nation working together to expand industry, build railroads and found new businesses.

As the United States became more and more industrial, a much larger middle class was created and the United States saw an influx of immigrants coming to work in hopes for a better life.

• Assassination of Lincoln

During the course of the war, Abraham Lincoln had made many enemies. While he was attending a play at the Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. on April 15th, 1865, an actor turned assassin, John Wilkes Booth, snuck into his box and shot Lincoln in the head. Lincoln died shortly thereafter, cementing his status as a martyr for the cause of freedom. This was only five days after the official surrender of the South.

Booth was a Confederate sympathizer and had originally only meant to capture Lincoln with six other men. When their first plot failed, Booth hatched his assassination plot as a last-ditch effort to save the Confederacy.

Vice President Andrew Johnson became the President and carried on Lincoln’s legacy.

• Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny was an idea that the United States should stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The largest obstacle to this, however, was that much of this land was owned by other countries. The Louisiana Purchase from France, done in the days of President Thomas Jefferson, added a great deal of territory to the United States, making this goal much more feasible than it had been.

• Westward expansion

Many groups saw new land and opportunity out in the western part of the continent and so took arduous journeys across the plains to reach the west. Collectively they were known as pioneers, and traveled with the help of covered wagons, handcarts, and horses.

Pioneers crossed the continent for many reasons. Some went for wealth and opportunity, such as those who went to be part of the California gold rush, around 1849. Many people came to mine for gold and ended up staying, creating many settlements that still exist today.

Other groups left for religious reasons, such as the Mormon pioneers, who left their settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois and settled in the Salt Lake Valley in what is now Utah.

This lengthy journey became much easier, however, with the coming of the Transcontinental Railroad. 

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Audio GED Prep Social Studies Lessons 1-5

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