Standard 2

The impacts of economic developments and westward expansion on each region

and democracy

2.1 11 slides

• Impact of westward expansion on nationalism and democracy– Expanding the franchise– Native Americans– States’ rights– Land acquisitions

Westward Expansion• Westward expansion intensified

both nationalism and sectionalism in the US– Nationalism- a devotion to the

interests and culture of one’s nation – Sectionalism- the placing of the

interests of one’s own region ahead of the interests of the nation as a whole

• Every region supported expansion, but they differed on policies of the federal government

Westward ExpansionLouisiana• Purchased from France for $15 million

in 1803• President Thomas Jefferson was

concerned about France’s presence in America

• Impacts– Individualism- promoted settlement of

the frontier– Sectionalism- provided raw materials that

were transported on the Mississippi River– Democracy- Jefferson expanded the

power of the president by using the elastic clause in the Constitution

Westward ExpansionOregon• President Thomas Jefferson asked Louis and

Clark, with the help of Sacajawea, to explore the territory

• Americans demanded “Fifty-four Forty or Fight!”• Originally shared by Britain and the US, but in

1846 the border was set at the 49th parallel• Used for agriculture and fur trade• Impacts

– Individualism- 1,000s of settlers traveled west on the Oregon Trail

– Sectionalism- the west’s economy was based on agriculture and industry

– Democracy- strengthened the federal government’s role in securing national borders

Westward ExpansionTexas• Americans moved to Mexican controlled Texas

and eventually revolted to form their own republic

• The US annexed the Republic of Texas in 1845• Impacts

– Individualism- Texans likened themselves to the Patriots during the Revolution because they believed Mexico was impeding on their rights

– Sectionalism- due to Texas’ reliance on agriculture slavery was an important part of the economy

– Democracy- prompted debate in Congress over slavery and the impact another slave state would have on the balance of power in Washington

Westward ExpansionMexican Cession• Ceded by Mexico in 1848 after the

Mexican War• The US and Mexico fought over the

southern border of Texas and land claims in the west

• Impact– Individualism- 1,000s of settlers moved

to California in search of gold– Sectionalism- the west depended on

agriculture, mining, and industry to support the economy

– Democracy- established the US as a dominate force in North America

Political Impact• Expansion impacted nationalism

by promoting the idea of the pioneer as the iconic American– The common man became the

epitome of democracy• Expansion fueled the nationalist

idea of Manifest Destiny– Manifest Destiny- 19th c. belief

that the US would inevitably expand westward to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican territory

Political Impact• Expansion provided additional

government owned land available for purchase– These lands insure the spread of

democracy as territories became new states

– The right to vote was enjoyed by most US males due to the availability of cheep land for purchase

– In the 1820s-30s, states dropped property qualifications and expanded the franchise to all white males, while disenfranchising African American property owners

Political Impact• President Andrew Jackson supported

the Indian Removal Act, a formal policy to remove Natives to the west– Native Americans of the southeast

responded by resistance (Seminoles in Florida) and assimilation (Cherokee in Georgia) but both failed• Assimilation- a minority group’s adoption of

the beliefs and way of life of the dominate culture

– Native Americans of the southeast were forced to move to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears

Political Impact• Enslaved African

American families were forced to split due to slave owners taking only part of their human property with them on the trek west– The rest of the slave

family was left behind in the east

Political Impact• Increasing economic differences and

the growing conflict over slavery caused a greater split between the North and South – Northern and western manufacturers

supported a high tariff to protect industry– Southern planters opposed the tariff

because they relied on trade with Europe• This conflict would lead to the

Nullification Crisis of 1832 when South Carolina threatened to secede from the union over high tariffs

Political Impact• In the 1830s, South Carolina

used the argument of state’s rights to declare the tariff null and void – A compromise and the threat of

federal troops led South Carolina to rescind their nullification of the tariff• Nullification- a state’s refusal to

recognize an act of Congress that it considers unconstitutional

– South Carolina did not retract the right of a state to nullify an act of Congress

2.2 5 slides

• The effects of the Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny on the United States’ relationship with foreign powers– Texan Revolution– Mexican War

Historical Background• South American nations had wars of

liberation during the early 19th c.– Mercantilist relationships with Spain were

broken and Britain established strong trade ties• Mercantilism- an economic system in which

nations seek to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by establishing a favorable balance of trade

• After the Napoleonic wars, the restored monarchs wanted to reestablish their colonial possessions– Britain feared colonization of Latin America

would interfere with their trade interests and asked the US to help support their resistance

The Monroe Doctrine• President James Monroe

warned European nations not to attempt to reestablish any colonial claims– The US military power was very

limited in the early 19th c. so the enforcement of the Monroe Doctrine depended on the British navy

• It wasn’t until the late 19th and early 20th c. that the US military could enforce the Monroe Doctrine on its own

Manifest Destiny• The phrase Manifest Destiny

wasn’t coined until the 1800s but the belief was present in Americans since the first settlers– The belief that Americans had

a God-given right to all the land of the North American continent

– Manifest Destiny was based on the belief that Americans were culturally superior to other inferior peoples

Texan Revolution• Many Americans moved into Texas at the

invitation of the Mexican government– Provided more land for cotton and slavery– Texans were expected to obey the laws of Mexico

• When the Mexican government outlawed slavery, the Texans revolted and won their independence– The Mexican government did not recognize Texan

independence• The Republic of Texas was independent for

almost 10 years because the US was trying to avoid a controversy over adding another slave state

• Manifest Destiny became a rally cry causing the election of President James K. Polk and the annexation of Texas

Mexican War• President James K. Polk attempted to

purchase additional land from Mexico but was denied– American troops were sent into a disputed

area located between Texas and Mexico– Shots were fired and the Mexican War began

• American troops infiltrated deep into Mexican territory– In the peace treaty, the US acquired land that

included California, New Mexico, and Arizona• This was not American territory or

unclaimed land– The Mexican War established a combative

relationship between the US and Mexico that lasted into the 20th c.

2.3 5 slides

• Economic development in the South, the North, and the West during the early 19th c.– Influence of economic policy on political

controversies

Sectionalism• Economic differences between the

North, South, and the West resulted in the development of different social values and political interests– The North was characterized by

harbors and fast flowing rivers– The South benefited from fertile land

for cash crops– The West had an abundance of new

resources, farm land, and mineral deposits

• The West was a constantly shifting as the frontier moved closer to the Pacific Ocean

Economic Differences• The North invested in

growing factories which attracted large numbers of German and Irish immigrants to the area

• The South mainly invested in slavery and agriculture

• The West was largely agricultural

Social Reform • Economic differences were

heightened by social reform movements– Northern reformers called for

public education in order to assimilate immigrants

– Southerners outlawed teaching African Americans to read and did not provide education even for white children

Political Controversies• Economic differences contributed to political

controversies– National Bank

• South & West- opposed because Northeasterners would have too much economic power

– Protective Tariff• North- supported to protect industries from foreign

competition• West- accepted in exchange for infrastructure and cheap

land• South- opposed due to trade with Europe

– The south also opposed infrastructure improvements in the west, but supported cheap land grants due to the expansion of slavery and cotton

• The completion of the Erie Canal and the Transcontinental Railroad strengthened economic and political ties between the Northeast and Northwest

Political Controversies• Henry Clay’s American System threatened the

economic and political interests of the South and added to the animosity between the regions– American System- a political alliance that traded

western support for the tariff for northern support of internal improvements and cheap land

• Different economic interests contributed to political differences over the extension of slavery into the west

• Economic interests also caused controversy over the admission of Missouri, Texas, California, and Kansas as new states

• Economic differences would eventually lead to secession and war

2.4 9 slides

• Social and cultural characteristics of the North, the South, and the West during the antebellum period– Lives of African Americans– Social reform movements• Abolition• Women’s rights

North v. South• Social and cultural differences

emerged first during the colonial period– Based on the cultures of the

people who settled there• Economies that resulted from

varying geography of the regions intensified the differences

• Increased regional pride led to sectionalism

• Settlement of the West worsened the tensions between the North and the South

Cultural Impacts in the North• Puritans in New England

– Towns and cities grew around the church– Education programs were established to ensure

church members could read the Bible– Education was expanded in the early 19th c. to

assimilate the immigrants• Quakers in Pennsylvania

– Large family farms relied on paid labor instead of slavery

• Diverse populations in New York City– Immigrants were attracted to the jobs in

growing industries• Most northern states had emancipated their

slaves by 1840• Northerners supported political issues that

promoted their regional interests– High tariffs and a national bank

Cultural Impacts in the South• Colonial beginnings

– Large plantations produced a privileged class that dominated the government, society, and culture

• Elitist Society– The wealthy educated their children privately– Public education was not provided for poor whites and

teaching slaves to read or write was outlawed• Economy

– Fewer large towns or commercial cities because navigable rivers brought ships close to the fields

– Few jobs in industry and lack of available land meant less immigration

• African Americans– The large slave population and significant number of free

blacks contributed to the culture and social structure of the South

• Southerners supported political issues that promoted their regional interests– Low tariffs and spread of slavery

Cultural Impacts in the West• Increased number of settlers

– Settlers in the old Northwest reflected the values of New England

– Southern states influenced the culture of Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas

• Manifest Destiny– Strengthened the settlers since of

strong individualism • Westerners supported political

issues that promoted their regional interests– Cheap land and internal

improvements

African Americans in the North• African Americans lived in all regions

of the country• Most northern states had

emancipated their slaves but some remained into the 1830s

• Slavery was prohibited in the old Northwest Territory

• Free blacks who lived in the North did not have the same rights as whites

• African Americans were purposefully disenfranchised by law

• De facto segregation was practiced throughout the North– De facto segregation- segregation

based on tradition, not law

African Americans in the South• Most African Americans

living in the South were slaves

• The conditions of their lives depended on where they lived and their masters

• Free blacks living in the South lived mostly in the cities and worked as artisans

• Free blacks were not granted civil or political rights in the South

The Abolitionist Movement• The Great Awakening of the early 1800s

contributed to the development of reform movements

• The abolitionist movement first developed among Quakers

• Abolitionists included African Americans (Nat Turner, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman) and whites (William Lloyd Garrison, the Grimke sisters, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Brown)

• Different protests were used due to differing effectiveness and radicalness– Published newspapers– Organized anti-slavery conventions– Wrote books– Helped slaves escape on the Underground

Railroad• Secret routes fugitive slaves took to gain freedom in

the north and Canada – Led rebellions

The Abolitionist Movement• Abolitionist tactics caused slave

owners to justify their culture– Southerners argued that slavery was a

‘positive good’ because slaves were better off than industrial workers in the North

• Most northerners were not abolitionists

• Some abolitionists did not believe that freed slaves should have equal rights

• The abolitionist movement split over using politics and the role of women in the movement

• Abolition was not effective until the controversy over western expansion

Women’s Rights Movement• The women’s rights movement was

active in the North and tied to the abolitionist movement

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848– Met after being denied participation in

an abolitionist convention– Called for women’s rights

• Women were considered second class citizens– Limited access to education– No right to own or control property– No right to obtain a divorce

• The women’s rights movement was not successful in the antebellum period