Economic and Political Developments Pre-Civil War

Factory System

A manufacturing system where machines produce goods, increasing efficiency and reducing the need for skilled labor.

Market Revolution

The transformation of the U.S. economy from local, small-scale production to a national, industrial economy driven by trade and technological advancements.

Erie Canal

A waterway completed in 1825 that connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, boosting trade and making New York City a key economic hub.

Impact of Industrial Revolution on Northern Economy

Technological innovations like the factory system and transportation improvements led to a manufacturing-based economy that focused on mass production and trade.

Cotton Gin

Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, it increased the efficiency of cotton processing and expanded the demand for enslaved labor.

Expansion of Slavery

As cotton production grew, so did the need for enslaved labor, making slavery central to the Southern economy.

Impact of Cotton on the South

The South became heavily reliant on cotton exports, limiting industrial development and deepening its dependence on enslaved labor.

Economic Differences and National Unity

The North's industrial economy and the South's agricultural economy created tensions that contributed to sectionalism and division.

Spoils System

A practice where Jackson rewarded his political supporters with government jobs, claiming it promoted democracy but often led to corruption.

Indian Removal Act (1830)

Authorized the forced relocation of Native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi, resulting in the Trail of Tears.

Nullification Crisis

A confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government over tariffs, where Jackson asserted federal authority by threatening military action.

Jackson and the National Bank

Jackson vetoed the recharter of the National Bank, believing it favored wealthy elites, leading to its eventual destruction.

Andrew Jackson's Legacy

Viewed as a champion of the 'common man' but criticized for expanding presidential power and controversial policies like Indian removal.

Seneca Falls Convention (1848)

The first women's rights convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, advocating for women's suffrage.

Abolition Movement

A movement to end slavery in the U.S., with leaders like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison.

Connection Between Movements

Women's rights activists often participated in abolition, seeing parallels between the oppression of enslaved people and women.

Differing Views on Women's Rights

Some advocated for immediate equality and voting rights, while others sought more gradual reform through education and legal changes.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward across the continent to spread democracy and civilization.

Motivations for Westward Expansion

Economic opportunities, land acquisition, and the belief in spreading American values drove westward expansion.

Challenges for Pioneers

Pioneers faced harsh weather, disease, and conflict with Native Americans during westward migration.

Impact of Westward Expansion

It increased U.S. territory but also led to the displacement of Native Americans and heightened sectional tensions over slavery.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state, with slavery prohibited north of the 36°30' line.

Compromise of 1850

Admitted California as a free state and strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act, among other provisions to balance free and slave states.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Allowed popular sovereignty to determine slavery in Kansas and Nebraska, leading to violent conflict known as 'Bleeding Kansas.'

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that residents of a territory should decide whether to allow slavery.

Impact of Westward Expansion on Sectional Tensions

Each new territory raised the question of whether slavery would expand, increasing tensions between North and South.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Supreme Court decision that ruled African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

A series of debates over the issue of slavery expansion, where Lincoln opposed it, and Douglas supported popular sovereignty.

Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln's victory led to the secession of Southern states, as they feared the end of slavery under his presidency.

South Carolina Secession (1860)

South Carolina became the first state to secede, marking the beginning of the Civil War.