Westward Expansion, Immigration, and Political Changes in 19th Century U.S.

Westward Expansion

Migration of Americans westward for land, wealth, and opportunity, fueled by Manifest Destiny and new transportation.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Land deal with France doubling U.S. territory; encouraged western settlement.

Regional Differences

Distinct economies and cultures: industrial North, agricultural/slaveholding South, and frontier West.

Market Revolution

19th-century expansion of markets via canals, railroads, and factories, linking regions.

"King Cotton"

Term for the South's dependence on cotton and slavery as economic foundations.

Abolition Movement

Social and political effort to end slavery in the U.S.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Balanced free and slave states; banned slavery north of 36°30′ latitude.

Second Party System

Political rivalry between Democrats and Whigs, reflecting regional and reform divisions.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that Americans were divinely destined to expand westward to the Pacific.

Oregon Trail

Major wagon route from Missouri to Oregon used by pioneers.

Oregon Boundary Treaty (1846)

U.S.-Britain agreement setting the border at the 49th parallel.

Mormons in Utah

Religious group (LDS Church) that migrated west under Brigham Young for religious freedom.

Gold Rush (1848-1855)

Discovery of gold in California leading to mass migration and statehood.

Annexation of Texas (1845)

Texas joined the U.S. after independence from Mexico; sparked tensions over slavery.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Ended Mexican-American War; Mexico ceded vast territories to the U.S.

Gadsden Purchase (1854)

U.S. bought land from Mexico to build a southern transcontinental railroad.

Pacific Railway Act (1862)

Funded construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

Homestead Act (1862)

Granted 160 acres to settlers willing to farm western lands for five years.

Morrill Land Grant Act (1862)

Gave states land to fund colleges teaching agriculture and engineering.

Election of 1844

James K. Polk's victory on an expansionist platform.

President James K. Polk

Expansionist president who achieved the Oregon, Texas, and Mexican Cession acquisitions.

Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan (1852-1854)

Opened Japan to U.S. trade through gunboat diplomacy.

Clipper Ships

Fast sailing vessels that facilitated global trade during the 1840s-50s.

Impact on Women, Natives, and Minorities

Expansion displaced Native Americans and Mexicans; women faced new roles in frontier life.

Purchase of Alaska (1867)

U.S. bought Alaska from Russia, called "Seward's Folly" but later seen as valuable.

Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

Conflict over Texas and western territories; ended with U.S. victory.

Republic of Texas

Independent nation (1836-1845) before annexation by the U.S.

Battle of the Alamo (1836)

Symbolic fight for Texas independence against Mexico.

Bear Flag Revolt (1846)

California settlers declared independence from Mexico.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Mexico ceded CA, NV, UT, AZ, and NM to the U.S.

Ostend Manifesto (1854)

Secret plan to buy or seize Cuba to expand slavery; condemned by the North.

Civil Disobedience (1849)

Henry David Thoreau's essay protesting the Mexican War and slavery.

Mangas Coloradas / Geronimo

Apache leaders who resisted U.S. expansion in the Southwest.

California Land Claims / Ranchos

Conflicts over land ownership after U.S. annexation.

Debate over Expansion of Slavery

Disputes on whether new western territories should permit slavery.

End of Gag Rule (1844)

Lifted the ban on discussing anti-slavery petitions in Congress.

Wilmot Proviso (1846)

Proposed (but failed) to ban slavery in lands from Mexico.

Compromise of 1850

Admitted California as free, allowed popular sovereignty in Utah/New Mexico, ended D.C. slave trade, and enforced Fugitive Slave Act.

Popular Sovereignty

Policy letting residents of a territory decide whether to allow slavery.

Utah & New Mexico Territories

Created by the Compromise of 1850 with popular sovereignty.

End of Slave Trade in D.C.

Banned sale (but not ownership) of enslaved people in the capital.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Required citizens to help capture runaway slaves; angered the North.

Personal Liberty Laws

Northern state laws protecting escaped slaves from capture.

Irish Potato Famine (1848-1851)

Famine driving mass Irish immigration to the U.S.

German Revolutions of 1848

Political turmoil that caused German immigrants to flee to America.

California Gold Rush (1848-1855)

Mass migration westward for gold, shaping California's economy.

Chain Migration

Immigrants following relatives or communities to new areas.

Parochial Schools

Catholic schools established to preserve religious identity.

Anti-Catholic Sentiment

Nativist prejudice against Catholic immigrants.

Ethnic Enclaves

Urban neighborhoods formed by immigrant groups for support and culture.

Nativism

Hostility toward immigrants; favored native-born Americans.

Know-Nothing (American) Party

Anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic political party of the 1850s.

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel exposing slavery's cruelty.

Free Soil Party

Political party opposing the expansion of slavery into new territories.

Impending Crisis of the South (1857)

Hinton Helper's book arguing slavery hurt Southern whites economically.

James Hammond's "Mudsill Theory"

Justification of slavery as necessary to support civilized society.

George Fitzhugh's Cannibals All! (1857)

Argued slavery was more humane than Northern capitalism.

Biblical & Constitutional Justifications for Slavery

Arguments by Southerners claiming divine and legal sanction for slavery.

Sectionalism

Loyalty to one's region over the nation.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Repealed Missouri Compromise; allowed popular sovereignty in new territories.

President Franklin Pierce

Democrat whose enforcement of the Act deepened sectional conflict.

"Crime Against Kansas" Speech (1856)

Charles Sumner's anti-slavery speech; led to his caning by Rep. Brooks.

Bleeding Kansas (1856-1861)

Violent conflict between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas.

Pottawatomie Massacre (1856)

John Brown's attack on pro-slavery settlers.

John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)

Failed slave uprising aiming to seize federal arsenal.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Supreme Court ruled enslaved people were property, not citizens.

Republican Party (1854)

Founded to oppose slavery's expansion into the territories.

Lincoln's "House Divided" Speech (1858)

Warned that the nation couldn't endure half slave and half free.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

Senate debates over slavery and popular sovereignty.

Freeport Doctrine (1858)

Stephen Douglas's claim that territories could exclude slavery despite Dred Scott.

John C. Frémont

First Republican presidential candidate (1856).

Election of 1860

Lincoln's victory triggered Southern secession.

Abraham Lincoln (Republican)

Opposed slavery's expansion; elected president in 1860.

Stephen Douglas (Democrat)

Advocated popular sovereignty.

John Breckinridge (Southern Democrat)

Favored federal protection of slavery.

John Bell (Constitutional Union)

Wanted to preserve the Union and ignore slavery issue.

First 7 States to Secede

SC, MS, FL, AL, GA, LA, TX left after Lincoln's election.

Crittenden Compromise (1860-61)

Failed attempt to extend Missouri Compromise line to avoid war.

Fort Sumter (1861)

Confederate attack marking the start of the Civil War.

Border Slave States

Slave states (MO, KY, MD, DE) that remained in the Union.

Westward Expansion

Migration of Americans westward for land, wealth, and opportunity, fueled by Manifest Destiny and new transportation.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Land deal with France doubling U.S. territory; encouraged western settlement.

Regional Differences

Distinct economies and cultures: industrial North, agricultural/slaveholding South, and frontier West.

Market Revolution

19th-century expansion of markets via canals, railroads, and factories, linking regions.

"King Cotton"

Term for the South's dependence on cotton and slavery as economic foundations.

Abolition Movement

Social and political effort to end slavery in the U.S.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Balanced free and slave states; banned slavery north of 36°30′ latitude.

Second Party System

Political rivalry between Democrats and Whigs, reflecting regional and reform divisions.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that Americans were divinely destined to expand westward to the Pacific.

Oregon Trail

Major wagon route from Missouri to Oregon used by pioneers.

Oregon Boundary Treaty (1846)

U.S.-Britain agreement setting the border at the 49th parallel.

Mormons in Utah

Religious group (LDS Church) that migrated west under Brigham Young for religious freedom.

Gold Rush (1848-1855)

Discovery of gold in California leading to mass migration and statehood.

Annexation of Texas (1845)

Texas joined the U.S. after independence from Mexico; sparked tensions over slavery.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Ended Mexican-American War; Mexico ceded vast territories to the U.S.

Gadsden Purchase (1854)

U.S. bought land from Mexico to build a southern transcontinental railroad.

Pacific Railway Act (1862)

Funded construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

Homestead Act (1862)

Granted 160 acres to settlers willing to farm western lands for five years.

Morrill Land Grant Act (1862)

Gave states land to fund colleges teaching agriculture and engineering.

Election of 1844

James K. Polk's victory on an expansionist platform.