Period 5 1844-1877

James K. Polk

James K. Polk

• Dark horse president elected in 1844

• supported annexation of Texas despite Mexican conflict

• Manifest Destiny

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo/Mexican secession (1848)

• Ended Mexican-American war

• Mexico surrounded around half of its territory and abandoned claims on Texas

• Recognized the border at the Rio Grande

• America paid Mexico $15 million

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

• Novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that revealed harsh realities of slavery

• Increased sectional tensions and Northern support for abolition

Hiram Revels

• First African-American in Congress

• Representation of change during Reconstruction

Emancipation Proclamation

• Shifted the purpose of the Civil War to be slavery rather than preserving the Union

• Would keep Britain from supporting the Confederate cause

Gettysburg Address

• Called for a New Birth of Freedom

• Dedicated a cemetery but also reignited spirits

Annexation of Texas 1845

• If they were to join the Union, they would upset the free/slave balance and risk a war with Mexico

Oregon Trail

• Missouri to Oregon

• Pioneers looking for opportunity, land, and economic prospects

• Difficult path with weather, disease, and encounters M

Santa Fe Trail

• Built connections between US and Mexico and helped grow commerce

• Instrumental in building economyh and moving American settlers after war with Mexico

Mormon Trail

• Illinois to Utah

• After Joseph Smith’s murder, Brigham Young followers sought a safe haven to practice their faith without fear of persecution

Mexican-American War

• Caused by annexation of Texas and dispute over boundary between US and Mexico

• Mexico declined Polk’s offer to purchase land while Polk sent troops into disputed territory, so Mexico fired, then Congress declared war

• Zachary Taylor led US troops, others gained military experience and prestige which helped them in the Civil War

Gold Rush

• Cities like San Francisco exploded - small mine towns/boom towns where 49ers settled

• Wealthy white businessmen owned mines, but the mines were worked by impoverished laborers

• Led to an influx of Chinese immigration

• Led to a desire for a transcontinental railroad

civil war duh