Manifest Destiny and Sectionalism
Manifest Destiny
-Young America Movement
· Embraced Manifest Destiny as a spread od democratic principles, modernization policies, American exceptionalism
-This is the beginning of American exceptionalism (Perfect country, God given right to everything)
Second Part System (1828-1854)-
-Democrats
· States’ rights and state sovereignty
· Strict constructionists
· Laissez-faire economics
· Territorial expansion
· Slave power
· Equal opportunity
· Coalition
i. Regional bases in South and West
ii. Yeoman farmers, working class, immigrants, small slave-owning class
-Prominent Members
Andrew Jackson, Martin can Buren, James K. Polk, John C. Calhoun
Whigs
· American system policies
· Modernization and development in existing jurisdictions
· Social reforms
· Mixed on slavery
i. Conscience Whigs
i. Cotton Whigs
· Coalition
i. Regional base in New England
i. Upper and middle class professionals, business class, Protestant evangelicals
· Prominent Members
i. Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, William Seward, Thurlow Weed
Taney Court (1833-1864)
-Chief Justice Roger Taney
· Appointed by Andrew Jackson
· Slave owner
· Proponent of states’ rights
-Major Cases
· Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837)
i. States more responsible for general welfare
ii. Community interest over private property
· Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842)
i. State laws superseded by federal laws
ii. Allowed for freed slave moved to Pennsylvania to be returned to Maryland
· Scott v. Sandford (1857)
· Ableman v. Booth (1859)
i. State courts cannot nullify federal jurisdiction
· Ex parte Merryman (1861)
Election of 1840
· William Henry Harrison (W)
i. “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”
ii. “Log Cabin and Hard Cider”
· Martin Van Buren (D)
i. Suffers from Panid of 1837
Sectionalist Presidents
William Henry Harrison(W)(1841)
-Campaign
· A war hero and hero of the common man
-Reality
· Wealthy plantation and slave owner
-Administration
· Intended to re-establish and promote American System policies
· Lasts one month after contracting pneumonia
· John Tyler assumes presidency
John Tyler (W) (1841-1845)
-“His Accidency”
· Assumes full presidential powers
-A Democrat in Whig Clothing
· Slave owner from Virginia
· Rejects American System policies
· Passionately pursues Texas annexation
-Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842)
· Settles Boundary disputes with Great Britain
Texas Revolution
-American Settlement in Texas
· Empresarios
i. Need permission from landowners
ii. Practice Catholicism
iii. Learn Spanish
-Texas Revolution (1836)
· Santa Anna’s policies
· The Alamo (Feb-Mar 1836)
· Battle of San Jacinto (April 21, 1836)
Election of 1844
-James K. Polk (D)
· Darkhorse candidate
· Expansionist platform
i. Texas
ii. Oregon
Henry Clay (W)
· Avoided direct expansionist rhetoric
· Viewed Texas annexation as increasing sectional tensions
Sectionalist Presidents
James K Polk (D) (1845-1849)
-Jacksonian Democrat, slave owner, and ardent expansionist
-Agenda
· Independent national treasury
· Lower tariffs
· Oregon
· California
-Oregon
· “54’ 40 OR Fight”
· 49th Parallel
-Mexican America War (1848)
· Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
· Mexican Cession
Oregon Country
-Boundary dispute with Great Britain
· U.S. proposed 49th parallel
· Great Britain countered with Colombia River
· “54’ 40 or fight”
Compromise
· 49th Parallel
· Vancouver Island to Britain
Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
-Nueces River and Rio Grande
-Thornton Affair (April 26, 1846)
-Spot Resolutions
-Declaration of War
Execution
· John C. Fremont in California
· Stephen Kearney in New Mexico
· Zachary Taylor across Rio Grande
· Winfield Scott in Veracruz and Mexico City
-Protest
· Whig Opposition
· Abolitionist
· If you are being told that the wrong this is the right thing to do, then break the law. - Henry David Thoreau
Wilmot Proviso
Introduced by Congressman David Wilmot (D-PA) on war appropriations bill
· The spend of money
-Passed the House 85-80
-Delayed and defeated in Senate
-Impact
· Infuriated and further entrenched Southern Slave Power
· Fractures Northern Democrats
Treaty of Guadelupe-Hidalgo
-All Mexico!
· To cede is to give up. California, New México, Arizona, Nevada
· Granted citizenship to everyone in territory.
-Provisions
· Rio Grande as Texas border
· Mexican Cession
i. California
· Citizenships to inhabitants
Election of 1848
-Zachary Taylor (W)
· Slave owner
· War hero
-Lewis Cass (D)
-Martin Van Buren (Free soil)
· Broke away from pro-slavery Democratic nominations
Sectionalist Presidents
Zachary Taylor (W) (1849-1850)
-War Hero of Mexican-American War
· “Old Rough and Ready”
-Unionism
· Ultimately a nationalist
· Respected states’ rights
· No secession
-Whig Policies
· Supported a national bank
· Against protective tariffs
· Against expensive internal improvements
-Views on Slavery
· Slave owner
· No expansion of slavery
· Refused to sign Compromise of 1850
-Died after a year in office
· Cherries and milk led to gastroenteritis
Millard Filmore (W) (1850-1853)
-Assumed the presidency after Taylor’s death
-Anti-Slave moderate
-Signs Compromise of 1850
· Including Fugitive Slave Act
-Perry Expedition to Japan (1853-1854)
California Gold Rush
Sutter’s Mil
· January 24, 1848
-Massive Immigration to California
· 300,000 people from U.S., Latin America, Europe, China, Australia
· San Francisco
i. 200 in 1846
ii. 5000 in 1848
iii. 25,000 in 1850
· Forty-Niners
-Impact
· Displacement of Natives from Lands
· Rapid statehood for California
Compromise of 1850
-Parameters
· Admit California as free state
· Mexican secession
i. Popular sovereignty
People who live there will decide if its free or slave territory
· Reinforced fugitive slave law
· Texas boundary and debt disputes
· Slave trade abolished in D.C.
Fugitive Slave Law
-background
· Fugitive slave clause
· Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842)
-Provisions
· Federal enforcement of capturing and returning escaped slaves
i. Punish officers for not arresting fugitive slaves
ii. Punish anyone who assists in fugitive escapes
· No right to trial
· Special commission
i. $10 for those finding for slaveholding
ii. $5 for those finding for fugitive
-The Twist
· Southern Slave Powder demanded federal intervention
· Northern states and jury nullifications
Underground Railroad
-Mostly run by free blacks and fugitive slaves
· Harriet Tubman
-Abolitionists and white supporters
· Levi and Catharine Coffin and “Grand Central Station”
Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)
-Harriet Beacher Stowe
· Piece of art that makes white people feel guilty about slavery
-Best selling novel
-Adapted as a play
-Fuels abolitionist guilt and rhetoric in Northern free states.
The Death of Compromising?
-The Great Triumvirate was no more by 1852
-A new generation of sectional and ambitious politicians assume leadership roles
· William Seward (W, R)
· Stephen Douglas (D)
· Jefferson Davis (D)
Election of 1852
-Franklin Pierce (D)
· “Doughface’
-Winfield Scott (W)
· Anti-Slavery
-Campaign of personalities
· Indistinguishable platforms
· Borth served in war
· Scott alienated Southern Whigs
Election of 1852
-Franklin Pierce (D)
· “Doughface”
-Winfield Scott (W)
· Anti-slavery
-Campaign of personalities
· Indistinguishable
· Both served in war
· Scott alienated Southern Whigs
Sectionalist Presidents
Franklin Pierce (D) (1853-1857)
-Jackson Democrat from New Hampshire
-Doughface
· Supported Compromise of 1850
· Gadsden Purchase
· Kansan-Nebraska Act (1854)
· William Walker and Nicaragua
Manifest Destiny Under Pierce
-Gadsden Purchase (1852)
· Negotiated purchase of Mexican territory in Southwest
· Land necessary for planned Southern transcontinental railroad
-Ostend Manifesto (1854)
· Proposal to acquire Cuba for $120 million or by force
· Rallied anti-expansionist and free soil Northerners
-Japan Visit (1853-1854)
· Commodore Matthew Perry
· Negotiated trade treaty with Tokugawa Shogunate
Kansas Nebraska Act (1854)
-Stephen Douglas and Chicago
-Parameters
· Divide Nebraska territory into Nebraska and Kansas
· Slave or free state based on popular sovereignty
-Impact
· Douglas won his railroad and Southern support
· Virtually repealed the Missouri Compromise
· Ended the Whig Party and Second Party System
Bleeding Kansas (1854-1861)
-Kansas Settlers
· Free-Soilers / Jayhawks
· Border Ruffians
-Civil War in Kansas
· Wakarusa War (1855)
· Sacking of Lawrence (May 21, 1856)
· Pottawatomie Massacre (May 24, 1861)
Kansas Statehood Controversies
-Topeka Constitution (1855)
· Anti-Slavery constitution by Free-Staters
· Rejected by U.S. Senate
-Lecompton Constitution (1857)
· Pro-slavery constitution
· Endorsed by President Buchanan and passed U.S. Senate
· House or representatives rejected it. Not fully representative of will of the Kansas people
-Leavenworth Constitution (1858)
· Progressive anti-slavery constitution
-Wyandotte Constitution (1859)
· Anti-slavery constitution
· Ultimately accepter by congress after secession of southern states
Brooks-Summer Incident (May 22, 1856)
-Attacks senator. Andrew Butler is having an affair with slavery. Loyalty to slavery, not to the constitution. Charles Sumner was beaten and unable to preform as senate for 6 months.
-Rep. Preston Brooks (D-SC)
The Republican Party
-Makeup
· Disillusioned Northern Democrat
· Frustrated Conscience Whigs
· Free Soil Party members
-Platform
· Increasingly against expansion of slavery
· Protective tariffs
· Homestead Act/sale of federal lands
· Funding for transcontinental railroad
Election of 1856
-James Buchanan (D)
· Doughface
· Democrats ran on popular sovereignty
-John Fremont (R)
· Primarily ran on free soil policy
· Election results establish republican party as legitimate national party
-Millard Fillmore (KNP)
· Focused on anti-immigration
James Buchanan (D) (1857-1861)
-Doughface
· Supported Kansas Nebraska act
· Involved himself in Dred Scott decision
· Lecompton Constitution (Kansas)
John Brown and Harpers Ferry (1859)
-Armed enslaved people in Virginia. Captured, put on trial and executed.
Election of 1860
-Abraham Lincoln (R)
· Free Soil Platform
-Stephen Douglas (D)
· Northern Democrats
· Popular sovereignty
-John Breckinridge
· Southern democrats
· With support of Buchanan and fire-eaters
-John Bell (CU)
· Coalition OF Cotton Whigs and Know-Nothing
· “The union as it is, and the constitution as it is.”
The South Secedes
First Series
-South Carolina Dec 20, 1860
-Mississippi
-Florida
-Alabama
-Georgia
-Louisiana
-Texas
-Arizona Territory