APUSH Unit 5 Notes

Growth of Slavery and King Cotton

• Post-Revolution Era: Slavery's future was uncertain; many southern leaders considered emancipation.

• Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin (1793): Revolutionized cotton cultivation by making it faster and cheaper to process, increasing profitability.

• Economic Impact: Led to a textile boom in the North and Great Britain; created a huge demand for slave labor.

• King Cotton: Fueled economic growth with Southern planters, northern shippers, and manufacturers profiting greatly; cotton became a leading export.

• Demographics: 25% of Southern families owned slaves, most owning 1-4 slaves; only 2% owned large plantations.

• Political Dynamics: Wealthy planters dominated politics, while poorer farmers often supported slavery, hoping for future benefit.

Rebellion and Defense

• Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831): Violent uprising strengthened Southern resolve to control slaves; led to more restrictive laws against free blacks.

Life as a Black Person in Antebellum America

• Free Blacks: Resided in both North and South, facing discrimination; many worked as laborers or artisans.

• Community Centers: Black churches served as hubs for support, education, and social gathering.

• Population Estimates (1860): Approximately 3 million slaves, and about 250,000 free blacks in both regions.

Expansion and Manifest Destiny

• Louisiana Purchase: Laid groundwork for westward expansion; Americans moved west after 1840 motivated by the belief in manifest destiny.

Westward Movement: Famous Western Trails

• Key Trails: Santa Fe, Old Spanish, Mormon, Oregon, California, Butterfield Overland - facilitated migration and trade.

• Oregon Territory: Disputed with Britain, but peacefully settled in 1846 at the 49th parallel.

Mexican Independence and Texan Independence

• Mexican Land Grants: Attracted American settlers before rising tensions led to the Texas Revolution (1835-36).

• Republic of Texas: Achieved independence; sought annexation by the US amid political debates during 1844 election.

War with Mexico

• Border Disputes: Conflicting claims of Texas boundaries led to conflicts and the subsequent declaration of war by Polk in 1846.

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): Mexico ceded vast territories in exchange for $15 million, viewed by many Mexicans as an insult.

Sectionalism and the Road to Civil War

• Sectionalism: Increased regional pride leading to tensions, particularly over issues of slavery.

• Missouri Compromise (1820): Attempt to balance free and slave states; only a temporary solution.

• California Gold Rush (1848): Surge in population and desire for statehood intensified sectional conflicts.

The Compromise of 1850

• Key Provisions: Admission of California as a free state, strict fugitive slave laws, and territorial governance decisions on slavery.

Rise of Railroads and Sectional Disputes

• Transcontinental Railroad: Conflict arose over terminus locations; Stephen Douglas proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act allowing for popular sovereignty.

• Bleeding Kansas: Violence erupted between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, leading to significant turmoil and bloodshed.

Dred Scott Case and Increasing Tensions

• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): Supreme Court ruled that slaves could not sue for freedom as they were property.

Harpers Ferry and the Election of 1860

• John Brown’s Raid (1859): Attempted slave insurrection raised fears among Southerners of a coordinated abolitionist threat.

• Election Results: Lincoln's win spurred Southern states towards secession, leading to the formation of the Confederacy.

Civil War Escalation

• Fort Sumter (1861): Site of the first conflict; led to increased recruitment and mobilization for war in the North.

Major Battles and Economic Impact

• Key Battles: Antietam (bloodiest day), Gettysburg (turning point), Vicksburg (control over Mississippi).

• Southern Economy: Devastated by war, faced shortages and inflation; Northern industry thrived under wartime conditions.

Reconstruction Era

• Political Changes: Expansion of federal government powers; shift from presidential to congressional control over Reconstruction policies.

• Legislation Passed: 13th (abolished slavery), 14th (citizenship), and 15th (voting rights) Amendments.

• Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: Tensions between him and Radical Republicans led to his political downfall.

Postwar Conditions and Changes

• Economic Rebuilding: Southern states faced a need for reconstruction while enforcing new rights for freedmen.

• Sharecropping and Tenant Farming: Systems that often trapped freedmen in cycles of debt and dependency.

End of Reconstruction and Legacy

• Compromise of 1877: Ended federal military presence in the South, allowing Democrats to regain control, laying groundwork for Jim Crow laws.

• Overall Impact: The North emerged industrialized; the South struggled with economic and social recovery, while African Americans faced new forms of oppression.