Lap 3 Notes

Discussion:

  • Could Slavery have been ended peacefully in the US?

    • No

      • slavery system is about money

      • people have been conditioned to have slaves

        • engrained cultural things

    • Yes

      • lots of opportunities

        • here’s how we are gonna pay the owners so they don’t have to rely on slaves

The American Civil War and the Failure of Leadership

  • What was the biggest mistake that led to the Civil War?

Federal Government and Slavery

  • Preamble: “We the People of the United States…”

    • for slavery: didn’t really mean all the people

    • against: all the people

  • Article I, Section 2: population will be determined by adding free people and 3/5 of all other persons

    • for slavery: weird fraction of a person

  • Article I, Section 9: importation of slaves is outlawed after 1808

    • for slavery: just stopping the importation, not slavery altogether

    • against: stopping the importation of slaves

  • Article IV, Section 2: If a person held in service escapes to another state, they will not be free, but will be returned to the owner

    • for slavery: viewed as property

Manifest Destiny

  • Definition

    • The fate of the US is to control the continent from coast to coast

  • Goals

    • spread democracy/civilization

    • gain resources

  • Benefits

    • gain new territory

      • ex: Cheap land attracted settlers west after the panic of 1837

  • Problems:

    • Mexican War

    • Expansion of Slavery

Video Bullet Points

  • 1821: Mexico got independence

  • After the Alamo, Texas got independence

  • Texans win independence

    • slavery illegal

Texas

  • 1836: Republic of Texas

    • American settlers in TX won independence from Mexico

    • Texans want to be annexed

  • New Problems

    • settlers had brought slaves/ Texas wants to be a slave state

    • Border questions

      • 10 years to accept

      • Texans wanted Rio Grand