APUSH Unit 10: America Falls Apart: Slavery and Expansion (1844-1861)

How was the spread of cotton beneficial for the US?

 Cotton production was a staple in the American economy during the mid and late 1800s. It was the industry with the most profit and dominated America’s export trade. Generating around $200 million a year, it contributed to an increase in income for the US.

How did Weak manufacturing and the South’s transportation sector lead to its demise?

 Weak manufacturing and transportation sector refers to the poor development of the South prior to the civil war. The agrarian economy dominated the South and did not allow for more industry to flourish. 

What was the planter class?

The planter class was made up of wealthy aristocrats who owned plantations that produced rice, tobacco, cotton, and sugar crops. The planter aristocracy was responsible for the economic, social, and political aspects of southern life.

What was the “Southern Lady”?

The “Southern Lady” was the image that many southern women were given in their society. Southern men were even more dominant than northern men and southern women were more subordinate than northern women. 

High Slave Mortality Rates

 Enslaved peoples high mortality rates and the international slave trade becoming illegal led to the steady change in the proportion between white people and african americans.

How did the differences between the North and the South affect slavery in cities?

In the North, enslaved people were in contact with many people and were able to move around by themselves, while in the South enslaved people did not have that freedom due to being cut off from the outside world because of large plantations and the sparseness of people. Slavery steadily declined in cities.

What effect did free African Americans have in America?

 The increase of free african americans and abolitionist movements in the north prompted the south to tighten its restrictions and laws regarding slavery, and they made it harder for slave owners to free their slaves.

What was slave resistance like? Who were some of the important slave resistance leaders?

 There were many attempted slave rebellions such as Gabriel Prosser, who was the leader of an attempted slave rebellion in 1800, but was executed after the Virginia militia got a hold of their location. Nat Turner was a slave preacher and leader of a successful slave insurrection that took place in 1831 in Virginia. Many slaves also ran away or refused to work hard to defy their owners. 

What was the enslaved people’s culture like?

The main factors to enslaved peoples’ culture was a language called Pidgin which was a mixture of african tongues and english, music and songs that were sometimes political, and their religion which was a mixture of christianity and african practices. Kinship networks occurred when an enslaved family was separated and the family members were “adopted” by the families in their new plantation.

What was the American Colonization Society?

The American Colonization Society was made up of prominent white virginians and its goal was to gradually end slavery without challenging the south. They planned to free enslaved people and relocate them outside of the country where they could create their own societies and they also planned to compensate slave owners. 

Who was William Lloyd Garrison and why was he important?

William Lloyd Garrison started his own newspaper, the Liberator in which he expressed his thoughts against slavery

Who was Frederick Douglass and why was he important?

Frederick Douglass was one of America's greatest african american abolitionists. He had escaped in 1838 and began advocating against slavery. He then established the North Star, which was an antislavery newspaper. He was a popular and great advocator against slavery and he helped shed light on the true life of an enslaved person which helped many people follow the abolitionist cause against slavery. 

What was Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

 Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an antislavery/ abolitionist novel that was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is a sentimental novel that was written in a way to get people to empathize and support the antislavery movement.

What was Manifest Destiny?

 The idea of manifest destiny was that America was destined by God to expand westward. This thinking was used to justify westward expansion and white encroachments on the remaining native land.

Why were there Americans in Texas?

In the early 1820s the Mexican government opened the doors of the Texas territory to American settlers after America had tried to buy it twice. The Mexican government believed that the white settlers would become loyal to their government, would serve as a buffer against American expansion, and hoped to strengthen the economy. They attracted settlers (who were mainly southerners who owned cotton plantations and slaves) by offering them cheap land and an exemption from taxes for four years.

What problems did Americans in Texas cause?

The ratio between white settlers and Mexicans living in the Texas territory quickly changed as more white settlers were arriving in the territory. This led to future conflicts over the territory and the white settlers of Texas wanting to free themselves from the Mexican government. This was one of the main reasons for the start of the Mexican American War and land disputes between Mexico and the United States

What significance did Oregon have? What conflicts arose?

Disputes over the Oregon Country (which included Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and parts of Montana and Wyoming) quickly grew between the US and GB as they both claimed sovereignty over the land. They landed on the agreement of “joint occupation” which lasted twenty years and it allowed people from both nations to live in Oregon Country. 

What was life on the trail like? (migrating Americans)

Between the 1840 and 1860 thousands of Americans began moving west on the Oregon Trail. Migrants faced many hardships such as diseases like cholera, disputes with natives, a long journey, and the terrain that they had to pass by

Who was James K. Polk and why was he important?

James K. Polk  won the election of 1844 against Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren and was the 11th president of the US. Before being elected president he was a Tennessee representative and governor and he was a strong supporter of annexation. Polk was responsible for the annexation of Texas and drew the 49th parallel. 

Why was America interested in California?

American interests in California began after white settlers arrived from the east and began to see the vision of California becoming part of the United States which President Polk supported.

What tensions did American interests in California cause?

American interests in California and Polk encouraging rebellions by the white settlers living in California contributed to the start of the Mexican War.

The Mexican American War and Opposition

The Mexican War began after the failure of the Slidell mission (America purchasing the disputed lands) which then led to fighting in the Rio Grande after Polk sent troops into Texas. Many were opposed to the war because they believed that it gave too much power to the executive and drained the US of its resources. Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln were some of those who were opposed to the war. The Treaty of Hidalgo ended the war in 1848. 

Who was Wilmot Proviso?

Wilmot Proviso was an antislavery Democrat who introduced an amendment that would outlaw slavery in any territory that was acquired from Mexico. His law would be put up for debate every few years but it never passed the Senate.

What was the compromise of 1850?

In 1850 congress passed five bills that allowed newly acquired states to decide whether they wanted to be free or slave states and admitted California as a free state. The compromise balanced disputes between the North and the South regarding the admission of new states.

What was the Fugitive Slave Act? How did it increase tensions?

The fugitive slave act stated that runaway slaves must be returned to their owners and any accomplice to runaway slaves would be persecuted. This increased tensions between the North and the South due to mobs in northern cities opposing the act

What was the Kansas-Nebraska Controversy? How did it increase tensions?

The Kansas-Nebraska controversy was caused because of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which gave settlers the power to decide whether or not they wanted slavery through a popular vote. This controversy led to rising tensions and caused the conflict between anti and pro slavery groups that was called Bleeding Kansas. 

When and why was the Republican Party established?

The Republican party was established in 1854 and was mainly composed of ex-Whigs who opposed the expansion of slavery and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

What was the Slave Power Conspiracy? Did it increase tensions?

The Slave Power Conspiracy was the belief held by Northerners that southern slave power was taking over the government due to southern slaveholders gaining a lot of political and social influence. The Slave Power Conspiracy added to the rising tensions between the North and the South and deepened the resentment that the North had for the South. 

What was the Dred Scott Decision and why was it important?

The Dred Scott Decision was a result of the Dred Scott v. Sandford case which ruled that enslaved people were not US citizens and therefore were not protected by the government.

What was the emergence of Lincoln like? What made him so popular?

Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer from Kentucky who opposed slavery and appealed to the common white person that different groups such as immigrants and white workers would be affected by the issue that African Americans were being denied human rights. He quickly became popular after participating in debates with Stephen A. Douglas which then led him to begin to formulate his presidential campaign.

What was John Brown’s Raid and why was it important?

John Brown was an American abolitionist who attempted to cause a larger slave revolt in the South by taking ahold of a Virginian mountain stronghold in 1859. He was then executed after Robert E. Lee stopped the attack. John Brown's Raid demonstrated to southerners that they could not be at peace with the North.

When was Lincoln elected President and what changes did it cause?

Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860 as a republican. His election was riddled with the issue and controversy of slavery along with the brewing tensions between the North and the South. The election of Abraham Lincoln caused the South to secede and led to the Civil War due to the South being threatened by him.