5.2 Manifest Destiny: 

Change In Leadership:

• President Harrison died after only four weeks in office.

• Vice President John Tyler took over. 

  • He did not agree with most of the Whig platform.

• Financial reform.

  • He refused to charter another national bank.

  • Tariff Of 1842. 

Tension With England:

• British journalists were writing terrible things about the US, and vice-versa.

• British officials gave asylum to 130 Virginia slaves who had taken over The Creole.

• The Caroline (an American steamer) was burned by British troops on the Canadian front.

• Disputes over the Maine boundary line.

  • The Aroostook War (“Small-scale lumberjack clash”) ended in border compromise.

Oregon Territory:

• Massive wilderness west of the Rocky Mountains.

• Disputed claims between England and the US.

• “Fifty-four forty or fight!”

• Thousands of Americans moved west on the Oregon Trail.

Election Of 1844:

• Henry Clay (Whigs) vs James K. Polk (Democrats). 

• Polk was a “Dark Horse candidate”. 

• Polk favored westward expansion. 

• Clay did not take a stance on Texas.

• Liberty Party (Anti Slavery) made a stand in New York. 

• Narrow victory for Polk. 

Texas?:

• Mexico still refused to acknowledge Texas independence.

• England was pulling for an independent Texas.

• President Tyler annexed Texas through a joint-resolution (majority vote in both houses of Congress). 

President Polk:

• Walker Tariff: a tariff that reduced rates.

• Independent Treasury.

• Settled the Oregon boundary dispute at the 49th parallel.

To The West!:

• Americans wanted access to more natural resources, including land.

• Desired more economic opportunities and freedom of religion. 

• Increased migration.

• Increased settlement in the west.

• Moving west was looked upon as an adventure, only for the brave.

Why West?:

• Manifest Destiny: the nationwide belief that it was Americans’ fate and right to move westwards. 

  • Prime argument for annexing western lands.

  • “We are better…it is our duty to spread our goals and beliefs.”

• The US would continue to expand all the way to the Pacific Ocean. 

• Increased transportation and communication, along with economic opportunities.

5.3 Mexican-American War:

Tensions With Mexico:

• Texas.

• California.

The US At War:

• President Polk ordered 4,000 American soldiers to wait on the banks of the Rio Grande.

• He asked Congress for a declaration of war.

• Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande & attacked.

• American blood shed on US soil meant war.

• Did President Polk provoke?

Victory:

• Zachary Taylor at the Battle Of Buena Vista in 1847.

• General Winfield Scott overtook Mexico City.

• The US lost roughly 13,000 men.

• Momentary California Bear Flag Republic.

• 1848 Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war.

• Added new, huge territories to the west at the end of the war (Mexican Cession). 

  • The US purchased Texas, California, and all the land in between for $15 million. 

  • Pushback from the ‘Conscience Whigs’. 

Tensions:

• Led to questions about the status of slavery there.

• Wilmot Proviso: a proposal that stated slavery should not exist in any territories that came from Mexico.

• Conflict with Native Americans & Mexicans who already lived in the new territories.

  • Altered their economic systems & culture.

5.4 The Compromise Of 1850:

Mexican Cession:

• Territories were gained by the US after the Mexican-American War. 

  • Whether to allow slavery in the new territories.

• Popular sovereignty: a notion in which the people who live in a state should determine whether or not they want slavery there. 

Election Of 1848:

• The Whig party nominated Zachary Taylor. 

• The Democrats nominated Lewis Cass.

• Free Soil Party: a party organized by anti slavery men in the north.

• Victory for Taylor.

California Gold Rush:

• A few people struck it rich in California by finding gold.

• “Forty-niners”.

• Rough crowds began to settle in the west.

• The need for a government in California. 

Big Names In The Slavery Debate:

• Henry Clay: The Great Compromiser.

• Senator Stephen Douglas: supported Clay’s idea of compromise.

• Senator John C. Calhoun: “The Great Nullifier” and defender of the south.

• Daniel Webster: urged compromise, with concessions to the south in his Seventh Of March Speech of 1850.

  • Helped turn the tide towards compromise.

• Senator William Seward: firmly against compromise.

• President Taylor: vetoing any chance at compromise.

Breaking The Deadlock:

• Death of President Taylor.

• Vice President Millard Fillmore took over & gladly signed the compromises.

Compromise Of 1850:

• Attempt to pacify both sides. 

• Concessions to the north:

  • California was a free state.

  • Disputed territory given to New Mexico, not Texas.

  • Abolition of slave trade in Washington D.C.

• Concessions to the south:

  • New territory from Mexico was open to popular sovereignty.

  • Texas got $10 million from the federal government.

  • Stricter fugitive slave law.

5.5 Sectional Conflict & Regional Differences:

Election Of 1852:

• Democrats nominated Franklin Pierce, from New Hampshire (Dark Horse candidate).

  • Ran on a platform of territorial expansion & support for the Compromise Of 1850.

• Whigs nominated Winfield Scott.

• A split Whig party led to the election of Pierce.

• Beginning of the end for the Whig party. 

Increased Migration:

• Immigrants from Europe & Asia, especially Ireland and Germany. 

• Commonly settled in ethnic communities, in order to preserve a sense of culture. 

Nativist Movement:

• Anti-Catholic, Anti-Immigration.

• Wanted to limit immigrants’ political power, economic impact, & cultural influence.

• Know-Nothing party.

In The North: 

• Continued to expand the manufacturing industry.

• Relied on free labor, not slave labor.

• Free Soil Movement: a movement that opposed slavery not on moral grounds, but on the idea that it would undermine free labor. 

The Underground Railroad: 

• Runaway slaves escaping north through the help of the Underground Railroad.

• Escapees led north by ‘conductors’ through a series of safehouse ‘stations’.

• Harriet Tubman.

• Led to demands for a stricter fugitive slave law; after this was passed, the Underground Railroad increased their efforts. 

Pushback Against Slavery:

• Minority of very vocal abolitionists combined with black voices to call for an end to slavery.

  • Presented moral arguments.  

  • Helped slaves escape.

  • Even used violence to achieve their goals.

Defenders Of Slavery:

• Based arguments on racial doctrines & the Bible.

• Viewed slavery as a social good.

• Believed slavery and states’ rights were protected by the Constitution.

Expansion In The West:

• Need for land through which people could travel easily.

• Build a railroad all the way to the west.

• James Gadsden appointed minister to Mexico.

  • Gadsden Purchase Of 1853: purchased a narrow section of land from Mexico for $10 million because it was the most viable land for the railroad.

5.6 Failure Of Compromise:

Kansas-Nebraska Act Of 1854:

• Senator Stephen A. Douglas suggested that the Territory Of Nebraska be split into two territories, Kansas and Nebraska. 

  • Slavery status there would be decided by popular sovereignty. 

• Contradicted Missouri Compromise.

• Few slaves in these territories, but on voting day, thousands of slave supporters traveled to Kansas to vote in a pro-slavery legislature.

Bleeding Kansas:

• John Brown massacred five pro-slavery men, leading to Civil War in Kansas.

• 1857: applied for statehood on a popular sovereignty basis.

  • Lecompton Constitution: voters could choose “with slavery” or “without slavery”, but either way, slave masters already in Kansas would be protected.

  • No statehood.

• Two senators in a brawl over Kansas: Charles Sumner (Massachusetts) attacked by Preston S. Brooks (South Carolina). 

1856 Election:

• Democrats chose James Buchanan.

• The New Republican Party chose John C. Fremont.

• The Know-Nothing party chose Millard Fillmore (ex-president).

  • Also endorsed by the dying Whig party.

• Easy victory for Buchanan.

Dred Scott vs Sandford (1857):

• Slave Dred Scott had lived in (free) Illinois with his master & sued for his freedom.

• Ruled that he was not a citizen and so he could not sue.

• Ruled slaves were property and so could be taken into any territory.

• Ruled the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Congress had no ability to ban slavery from any state. 

Panic Of 1857:

• Overspeculation in land and railroads.

• Influx of gold from California inflated currency.

• Too much grain being grown.

• Hit the north the hardest.

• Attempts to pass homestead acts, selling land for cheap. 

• Tariff Of 1857: reduced duties. 

Literary Incendiaries:

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852.

• The Impending Crisis Of The South by Hinton R. Helper, 1857.

Political Changes:

• The Second Party System ended when slavery and nativism limited loyalty to the two major political parties.

• Fostered the creation of sectional parties. 

  • Republican party in the north. 

Emergence Of Lincoln:

• Running as the Republican candidate for the Illinois Senate seat against Stephen Douglas.

• Lincoln-Douglas debates (fall 1858). 

• Freeport Doctrine: the people had the right to determine slavery, not the Supreme Court.

• Douglas won the Illinois senate seat, but Lincoln was in the running for presidency.

Harper’s Ferry:

• John Brown created a plan to invade the south, arm the slaves, and start a revolt.

• Seized the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry in West Virginia, 1859. 

• Slaves did not revolt. 

• Brown was captured, put on trial, and executed.

• Murderer or martyr?

5.7 Election Of 1860 & Secession: 

The Democrats:

• First convention ended with no nomination. 

• Second convention ended with the nomination of Douglas (Illinois). 

• Southern Democrats hosted their own convention and nominated John C. Breckenridge (Kentucky). 

The Constitutional Union Party:

• Thrown together quickly out of fear for the future of the union.

• Mostly a mixture of former Whig & Know-Nothing members.

• Nominated John Bell (Tennessee). 

The Republicans:

• Appealed to many groups.

• Nominated Abraham Lincoln.

Victory For Lincoln:

• Got zero electoral votes from the south.

• The south saw it as an excuse to leave.

• Led to the ultimate secession of most southern states, triggering the civil war. 

Secession:

• Crittenden Amendments: amendments designed to appease the south.

  • Slave states could be protected under the 36-30 line.

  • Future slave states could decide for themselves. 

  • Refused by President Lincoln.

• South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas seceded and formed the Confederate States Of America in February 1861.

5.8 Military Conflict In The Civil War:

The Beginning:

• President Lincoln sent supplies to Fort Sumter.

• The south responded by firing the first shots of the civil war.

The South:

• Led by President Jefferson Davis.

• Fought on home turf, to protect their way of life.

• Talented officers & a skilled army.

• Lack of factories led to shortages.

• Army at first consisted of volunteers, but quickly had to turn to drafting.

• Transportation & infrastructure soon began to crumble.

• Roles for women. 

The North:

• Led by President Lincoln.

• Much stronger economy.

• Control of the sea.

• Greater population.

• Lack of strong officers/generals.

• Army manned at first by volunteers, then by conscription.

  • New York draft riots.

Foreign Relations:

• 1861: Trent Affair.

• The Alabama.

Battle Of Bull Run (First Manassas):

• First major clash of the two armies, July 21st, 1861.

• Confederate general “Stonewall Jackson”. 

• Confederate reinforcements arrived.

• Union troops fled, ending in southern victory.

• Gave the southern troops overconfidence.

Peninsula Campaign:

• General George McClellan marched towards the confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

• Driven back by Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

• Signified that this would not be a quick war.

The North’s Military Plan:

• Blockade southern coasts.

• Liberate the slaves.

• Seize control of the Mississippi River.

• Send troops through Georgia and the Carolinas, cutting part of the south off.

• Capture the capital.

• Force the south into submission.

Blockade The Seas:

• England recognized the blockade.

• Blockade-running.

Antietam:

• Second Battle Of Bull Run, September 17th, 1862.

• Extremely bloody, with a total of 22,000 casualties.

• Halted Lee’s advancement.

• Triggered the launch of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Getting To Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863):

• General A. E. Burnside now in charge of the Union army.

  • Rash attack at Fredericksburg, Virginia (December 13th, 1862).

• Joseph Hooker now in charge. 

  • Badly beaten by Stonewall Jackson.

• General George G. Meade now in charge.

  • Met & defeated Lee at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

  • President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

The War In The West:

• General Ulysses S. Grant.

• Victories at Fort Henry & Fort Donelson (February 1862).

• Confederates dragging out the war at Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862).

• Vicksburg victory the day after Gettysburg.

• Sherman’s march.

Ending The War:

• Wilderness Campaign: Grant moving towards Richmond, taking heavy losses.

• Attempted negotiation between north & south, but neither side was willing to make concessions.

• Lee’s troops cornered at Appomattox Courthouse (April 1865), where Lee surrendered.

President Lincoln’s Death:

• April 14th, 1865: President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C.

• He died the following morning.

• The north grieved.

5.9 Government Policies During The Civil War:

Limiting Liberties:

• Federal monetary advancements to the military without congressional approval.

• Writ of Habeas Corpus suspended.

• Supervised voting in the border states.

Economic Issues In The North:

• Morrill Tariff Act: an act that increased taxes.

• Greenbacks: green paper money that was produced.

• Sale of bonds.

• National Banking System: a system that established a standard currency.

• Economic boom during the war, thanks to new factories and machinery.

• Profiteers.

• New opportunities for women.

Economic Issues In The South:

• Sale of bonds.

• Increase in taxes.

• Printed out tons of money, worth little.

The Big Issues:

• Began the war in order to preserve the Union.

• Prevent the Confederacy from gaining support in Europe.

Emancipation Proclamation Of 1863:

• Freed the slaves in states that were still in rebellion.

• Inspired many slaves to free themselves, where possible.

• Slave refugees fleeing north.

• Removed any chance of negotiation between the north and south.

• Received mixed reactions.

• Committed the Union to fighting on a moral basis.

• Inspired former slaves to join the Union army. 

Anti-War:

• Congressional Committee On The Conduct Of War (1861): a committee of radical Republicans who desired to limit presidential power, but wanted President Lincoln to emancipate all slaves.

• Danger of northern Democrats.

• Copperheads: people who made every effort to obstruct the war, President Lincoln, & emancipation. 

Election Of 1864:

• President Lincoln vs General McClellan.

• In order to gain more support, Republicans joined with the War Democrats and called themselves the Union Party.

• President Lincoln & running mate Andrew Johnson.

• Nasty campaign against President Lincoln.

• The difficulty of soldiers voting.

• President Lincoln’s reelection meant the beginning of the end for the south. 

The Civil War In Hindsight:

• Loss of 600,000 men; 1 million wounded.

• $15 billion.

• The preservation of democracy.