OLSURANT - U.S. History: The Antebellum Period, Prelude to Civil War, 1820-1861

Course Description

This multimedia presentation addresses the dynamic, tumultuous years that led to the greatest bloodbath in US history, the Civil War. Spurred by technological revolutions in transportation and communication, antebellum Americans traveled a road in which they encountered Andrew Jackson and the rise of democracy, an evangelical explosion of perfectionism, the dust of thousands on the Oregon Trail, war with Mexico, and the rise of the slavery issue. The end result was a broken Union on the brink of Civil War, a conflict whose violence and intensity would ultimately shock the Western world. What indeed was the root cause of this defining event in our history? Together we will attempt to answer that enduring question in our exploration of America’s fascinating Antebellum era.

For more information about this course, contact: OLLI at LSU at 225-578-2500 or email OLLI@outreach.lsu.edu