By 1820, the US was expanding west of the Mississippi › Aided by the Louisiana Purchase and the...
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Transcript of By 1820, the US was expanding west of the Mississippi › Aided by the Louisiana Purchase and the...
Manifest DestinyManifest Destiny
By 1820, the US was expanding west of the Mississippi› Aided by the Louisiana Purchase and the
War of 1812 Referred to the belief that Americans
had a God-given right to the American territories
Western settlement was difficult
Tens of thousands of Americans migrated to Texas› Mexican government enticed settlers to
move into Texas with liberal land policies› Settlers promised to become Mexican
citizens Ignored Mexican law and practiced slavery
› Mexico attempted to regain control in Texas Settlers rebelled and declared independence
“The Republic of Texas” was created as an independent country
› Texas didn’t become a state until 1845 because of slavery
Thousands of Americans also moved into the Oregon Territory in the 1840s› Traveled for months on the Oregon Trail› Caused conflict with Native Americans,
British, and Russians Polk administration signed a treaty with
Britain that allowed American settlers to remain
Discovery of gold led to a flood of immigration to California in 1848› 100,000 people migrated in two years› Most settlers didn’t discover gold but
began farming in the area
Frontier boundaries changed constantly› 1800—Frontier was east of the Mississippi› 1820—Nearly all of the east was comprised
of states and the frontier was the Louisiana Purchase
› 1830s-1840s—Settlers moved to Texas, Mexico, and the Pacific Northwest
› 1848—Gold Rush drew settlers to California
US government encouraged settlers to move west› Gave away or sold cheap land to veterans› Loaned money at reduced rates to civilians› Squatters sometimes settled on land
without buying it
Settlers in the Ohio Valley and west found that the area was conducive to grain production and dairy farming› Midwest became known as the “nation’s
breadbasket” Fur trading was a common frontier
enterprise› Often the first pioneers in a region› Hunted beaver nearly to extinction
Cattle ranchers and miners also moved west
Frontier life was difficult› Settlers had to deal with the climate, the
land, and the Native Americans Frontier offered opportunities like
wealth, freedom, and social advancement› Women cooked and did laundry and
eventually ran boardinghouses and hotels The West came to symbolize freedom
and equality to Americans
After the Revolutionary War, America needed more land for a growing population and the expansion of agriculture
New lands were taken through treaties or by force
Individual states made treaties or fought Native Americans for land without federal approval
Westward expansion caused varying reactions among Native Americans› Accommodationists tried to adopt
European ways and coexist peacefully› Traditionalists wanted to maintain their
culture and avoid Americans Included Tecumseh and the Prophet
North South West
Focus Industrialization and banking
Agriculture Varied interests
Farming Not as important as in other areas
Focused on cash crop
Commercial farming, trapping, and real-estate speculation
Slavery Became uncommon
Crucial to the economy, wanted in new territories to provide political power
Wanted to avoid the issue because it seemed irrelevant to them
Important Characteristics
Communications, transportation, industry, and banking innovations
Intensive agriculture required westward expansion
Distrusted the North because of the banks, disliked the rigid hierarchy of the South
The cotton gin was invented in 1793 and revolutionized Southern agriculture› Made it easier to remove seeds from
cotton plants› Made it easier and cheaper to use cotton
for textiles Demand for cotton grew rapidly
Cotton production increased drastically in the South, which intensified slave labor
Although manufacturing spread quickly, farming was the most common source of livelihood in the first half of the 19th century
Mechanization revolutionized farming Market economy changed farming
› By 1860, 2/3 of the crops produced in the US were sold
In the South, plantations were crucial to agriculture› Deep South plantations focused on cotton› Upper South plantations focused on
tobacco The majority of southern farmers
owned small farms and did not own slaves› In 1860, 25% of white southern families
owned slaves
Development in the South
There were few urban centers› Family was most important, followed by
the church› South lacked centers of commerce
Canals, railroads, and highways weren’t built like they were in the North
› New Orleans was the biggest city and relied on water transportation
› South did not develop a strong market economy
South developed a rigid social structure› Planter aristocracy › Small white farmers› Poor whites› Free blacks› Slaves
Planter aristocracy› Dominated politics, economics, and society› Only 10% of the white slaveholding
population had 20 or more slaves› Grew cotton in the Deep South and tobacco
in the Upper South› Justified slavery with Southern paternalism
Attitude that everyone benefited from slavery Converted slaves to Christianity
Incorporated into slaves’ native religions and cultures
Small white farmers› Owned fewer than five slaves and often
worked alongside them in the fields› Comprised the majority of southern
farmers› Owned small tracts of land› Were often subsistence farmers› Could only afford the most basic comforts› Poorly educated› Yeoman farmers owned no slaves and
worked small tracts of land with their families
Poor whites› Often called “landless whites”› Owned no slaves
75% of white southerners didn’t own slaves
› Farmed as tenants or hired themselves out as manual laborers
› Had very little social mobility
Free blacks› 250,000 lived in the South› Descendants of slaves freed by their
owners or for having fought in the Revolutionary War
› Black codes prevented them from owning guns, drinking, and assembling in groups of more than three
› Some owned land or worked at a trade Most were tenant farmers or day laborers
› Some were mulattoes who had luxurious and refined lives, especially around New Orleans
Slaves› Lived in a state of subsistence poverty› Lived in one-room cabins with their
families and one or two others Conditions were overcrowded and unsanitary
› Worked long hours at difficult jobs Conditions were worst in the Deep South
› Many were abused› Developed a unique culture that blended
native African cultures and beliefs with Christianity
› Carried out subtle acts of resistance
Before the 1830s, few people advocated abolition› Most early support was from free blacks› Abolition associations formed in every
large black community To assist fugitive slaves To publicize the attack against slavery
› Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth were prominent black abolitionists Harriet Tubman helped at least 300 slaves
escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad
› White abolitionists could be divided into two groups: Immediatists like the Quakers argued for
immediate abolition Included William Lloyd Garrison who published the
Liberator
Other groups supported gradual abolition
Some abolitionists supported the return of blacks to Liberia
When the issue became too heated in Congress, they adopted a gag rule (1836-1844)› Automatically suppressed discussion of the
slavery issue› Prevented Congress from enacting new
legislation pertaining to slavery›
Determination of the abolitionists and the South’s inflexibility made abolition an important political issue› Westward expansion fueled the fire› These issues helped lead to the Civil War
Election of 1844 featured James Polk vs. Henry Clay
As an expansionist, Polk wanted to extend north into Canada and south into Mexico› In his last days of office, President Tyler
proposed that Texas be annexed by the US Congressional approval made war with
Mexico likely
US couldn’t fight Britain and Mexico simultaneously› US and Britain signed the Oregon Treaty
Negotiated a reasonable northern American border in the area
Gave the US Oregon and Washington and parts of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana
› US tried to buy lands in the southwest from Mexico Mexico refused and was still bitter about the
US annexation of Texas Eventually, Mexico attacked American troops under
provocation Polk asked Congress to declare war in 1846
Didn’t have universal support of the American people› Abolitionists feared that new states in the
West would become slave states, giving the South a congressional advantage
Wilmot Proviso was defeated in Congress in 1846› Would have prohibited slavery in any lands
gained from Mexico
War went well for the US› Soldiers pushed across the SW and into CA› US pushed south as far as Mexico City
Ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)› US received the Mexican Cession (Arizona,
New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Utah) in exchange for $15 million
Issues introduced by the Mexican Cession:› Could potentially increase American wealth› Whether the new states would be free or
slave Popular sovereignty was introduced as a
solution New territories would get to decide whether they
would be free or slave states
› Neither the Democrats nor the Whigs would oppose slavery Caused a split in the Whig party as
antislavery Whigs joined the new Free-Soil Party
Zachary Taylor was the last Whig to win an election (1848)
Slavery issue caused an irreparable split within the party› Died out by 1856
Led to the emergence of the new Republican party
California statehood divided the country› Its constitution prohibited slavery, so the
South opposed its admission to the US South proposed that California should be
forced to accept slavery in accordance with the boundary established by the Compromise of 1820
› Stephen Douglas and Henry Clay created the Compromise of 1850 to deal with this issue
Included the following provisions:› CA would be admitted as a free state› Stronger fugitive slave law was enacted› UT and NM were created as territories with
popular sovereignty› Abolished the slave TRADE in Washington
DC
Grew stronger in the North when Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in 1852› Harriet Beecher Stowe criticized slavery
and plantation life› Very important piece of propaganda
o Settlers poured into Kansas and Nebraskao Areas lacked governments so the slavery
issue had not yet been decidedo Congress wanted to build railroads in the
areao Stephen Douglas issued the Kansas-
Nebraska Act to address slavery hereo Supported popular sovereignty
Caused violence in the territories› Abolitionists and proslavery groups moved in
and tried to gain a numerical advantage Border Ruffians helped Kansas create a
pro-slavery state› Abolitionists set up a rival anti-slavery
government› Proslavery mob destroyed the abolitionist city
of Lawrence John Brown’s raid against proslavery forces
killed five
Violence increased in “Bleeding Kansas”› More than 200 people were killed in
altercations based on the slavery issue› These events polarized the nation
Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner
Anti-slavery Whigs joined Northern Democrats and former Free-Soilers to create the new Republican party› Republicans wanted to keep slavery out of
the territories› New party grew quickly in the North
Nativist Know-Nothing party also formed› Anti-foreign party that self-destructed
because of the slavery issue
Voting was sectional› James Buchanan (D) won by carrying the
South› John Fremont carried the North› Last major election for the Know-Nothings,
who ran Millard Fillmore President Buchanan tried to maintain the
status quo› Enforced fugitive slave act› Opposed abolitionism in the South and West
Supreme Court escalated the slavery crisis with this decision› Chief Justice Roger Taney stated that
slaves were property, not citizens Stated that no black person could ever be a
US citizen, so they could never sue in a court of law
Ruled that Congress couldn’t regulate slavery in the territories Nullified the Missouri Compromise, Kansas-
Nebraska Act, and Wilmot Proviso
Basically said that slavery could extend anywhere
This was a major victory for the South Democratic party divided along
regional lines
Occurred as the two men were running for a seat in the Illinois Senate› Republicans Lincoln vs. Democrat Douglas
Gave voice to the issues that divided the country› Lincoln gave his “house divided” speech› Douglas defended popular sovereignty as
part of the Freeport Doctrine Lincoln lost but gained crucial national
exposure
Further inflamed sectional tensions Brown raided Harper’s Ferry in an effort
to spark a slave revolt› It failed and he was executed
He became a martyr for the North and abolition
› Rumor had it that he had received financial backing from the North
Republicans selected Abraham Lincoln Democrats were divided
› Northern Democrats wanted Douglas› Southern Democrats wanted John
Breckinridge Third Constitutional Union party
nominated John Bell Lincoln received 40% of the popular
votes and more than 50% of the electoral vote
South had threatened to secede if Lincoln was elected› Crittendon Compromise was created by
Southern leaders who wanted to maintain the Union Lincoln refused to drop his Republican
demand that all territories be declared free
South Carolina seceded within three months› 7 additional states joined shortly thereafter
Southern states created the Confederate States of America› Jefferson Davis was chosen as President
Lincoln chose to maintain control of federal forts in the South› Was waiting for the Confederacy to make a
move Confederates attacked Fort Sumter
(SC) on April 12, 1861 No one died, but this is considered to
be the first battle of the Civil War