1. What different motivations pushed Americans west during the antebellum era? Did the West generally meet these expectations? How did this mobilization change American society?

2. Why did theWhat were the causes of the Mexican War happen? What were the domestic consequences of the American victory in this war?

3. What factors caused the deep divisions between the North and South during the 1850s? Were these divisions new or simply accentuations of previously existing problems?