5.2
Causes of Westward Migration:
The desire for access to natural and mineral resources
The hope of economic opportunities
Religious Refuge
Alamo
Led by Colonel William B. Travis
Mexico took the win killing all 187 men
President James K. Polk
His decision and the mexican american war would lead texas to become a 28th state and symbol of american expansion
Oregon Territory
Jointly claimed by the United States and Great Britain
Early 1840’s Oregon fever occurred across the country
This drew many settlers to brave the 2000 mile Oregon Trail journey from the western edge of american settlement in Missouri
With the rising population James K. Polk was able to convince Britain to release the territory making oregon the 33rd state
Second Great Awakening
Joseph Smith founded the Mormon Religion
Brigham Young led more than 2000 followers to Utah where they could practice their faith undisturbed
Gold was discovered in Nevada at a sawmill owned by a swiss immigrant Johann A. Sutter
This set off Gold Rush
50,000 people to the Golden State in 1849 gaining the name the Forty-Niners
Access to the Pacific Ocean gave major cities like San Francisco to develop major trading centers
Manifest Destiny
Whole continent was meant for White Americans, it was theirs to exploit, theirs to make one mighty nation, and theirs to display virtues of democratic and Christian institutions
John L. O’Sullivan “the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our multiplying millions.”
Thus led americans to believe it was their destiny by God, who intended the American nation to reach all the way to the Pacific Ocean
Homestead Act
Gave 160 acres to any settler who would farm the land for five years
This was an effort to populate the sparsely populated territories of the Midwest
Transcontinental Railroad
Was established due to the Pacific Railway Act
Connected the two coasts of the U.S.
American Warships sailed into Tokyo Harbor aboard the command of Commodore Matthew Perry
Japanese leaders were impressed by his weapons so the Kanagawa Treaty was agreed to which opened two ports to American Shipping
Closer ties to asia than ever before
5.3
James K. Polk
An ardent expansionist
Won the presidency with an electoral vote
He interpreted such a narrow victory as a mandate for expansion in the spirit of manifest destiny
Boundary Dispute
Over the texas border between U.S. and Mexico
Texans claimed the Rio Grande River as their western and southern border
Mexico argued the border was the Nueces River to the north
Polk sent a small army with Zachary Taylor to texas to protect the new state from Mexican invasion
Mexican American War
Mr Polks War
US had won nearly all of Mexico north of the capital city
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was settled
Mexico accepted the Rio Grande as the Texas Boundary
Mexico ceded New Mexico and upper california to the U.S. for 15 million
The southern portion of New Mexico and Arizona would be bought for 10 million in the Gadsden Purchase
Impacts of this War
Nationalism
Feelings of nationalism and manifest destiny was strengthened
Slavery Debate
Debates over the status of slavery in the territories was intensified
Native American Conflict
Conflict with Native Americans continued and intensified as white Americans moved west
5.4
Wilmot Proviso
An amendment prohibiting slavery nor involuntary servitude in any part of said territory
Was defeated in the senate where southerners held the balance
Popular Sovereignty
Polk proposed to extend the line of the Missouri Compromise through the new territories to the Pacific Coast, banning slavery north of the line and permitting it in the south
Others supported a different plan that would allow the people of each territory to decide the status of slavery in that territory
Previously known as “squatter sovereignty” and now defined as Popular Sovereignty
Allowed Congress to avoid the responsibility of deciding the question of slavery in the newly acquired territories
Compromise of 1850
Proposed by henry clay
Admissioned California as a free state
The formation of territorial governments in the rest of the lands acquired from mexico without restrictions on slavery
The abolition of the slave trade in washington DC
A new and more effective strictly enforced fugitive slave law
The act required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state.
5.5
Anti-Catholic Nativist Movement
Aimed to limit new immigrants political power and cultural immigrants from political power and cultural influence
Nativist political parties such as the “American Party” or Know-Nothing Party emerged to prevent the immigrants from voting or becoming citizen
Johns Brown and William Lloyd Garrison
Abolitionist
Harriet Beacher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Attempt to arouse pubic anger through propaganda
She was not an abolitionist nor a professional writer
But she was angered by the fugitive slave act
Underground Railroad
Assists slaves looking for freedom during the Civil War
Harriet Tubman helped immensely
Free Soil Party
Formed before the 1848 election
Was rooted the desire to stop the expansion of slavery to territories
Goal was to ban slavery in the territories so white farmers would not need to compete with large slave based plantations
John C. Calhoun
Stated the essence that slavery was a “good - a positive good”
Him and other southerners argued slavery was a “positive good” for the slaves because they enjoyed better conditions than industrial workers in the North
5.6
Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854
Stated the issue of slavery would be left to the decision of settlers in this region, based on the principle of popular sovereignty
Received support from the south and partial support from the northern democrats
Divided and destroyed the Whig party and drove many northern democrats from the democratic party
Stephen Douglas introduced a bill that organized a huge territory west of Missouri and Iowa as the Nebraska Territory
Bleeding Kansas
White settlers from both North and South began moving into Kansas as soon as the act was passed
Thousands of pro slavery “border ruffians” moved from neighboring Missouri to Kansas
Known as Bleeding kansas
Radical abolitionist John Brown dragged five pro slavery settlers from their cabins in Pottawatomie Creek and butchered them
Charles Sumner
Delivered a speech in congress called “A crime against Kansas” in which he demanded Kansas be admitted to the Union at once as a free state
Congressman Preston Brooks two days after his speech caned Sumner over 30 times at his desk
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was enslaved in Missouri, owned by an army surgeon that had taken scott with him into Illinois and Wisconsin, where slavery was forbidden
Scott filed a suit due to the death of his army surgeon for freedom on the grounds that his residence in free territory had liberated him from slavery
Dred Scott vs Sandford that Dred Scott had no right to sue because Black americans were not citizens
Decision nullified missouri compromise and opened all territories to slavery, a major victory for southerners
The republican party
Ran on the platform of free soil in the territories
Third Two-Party system, pitted democrats against republicans
5.7
Lincoln
House Divided Speech
He put issue of sectionalism and slavery front and center
Republican
Stephen Douglas is a democrat and had debates with Lincoln
Series of seven debates in July 1858 which attracted enormous crowds and media attention
Douglas stated even in spite of the Dred Scott decision, which effectively declared territories open to slavery the territories would instead pass and enforce laws to protect slavery
Came known as the Freeport Doctrine
Lincoln made clear argument against the expansion of slavery in the territories
Lincoln Ended up losing the election
The republicans nominated Lincoln with a platform based on free soil, a protective tariff, immigrant rights, a transcontinental railroad, and homesteads for citizens in the west
Constitutional Union Party
Southern Democrats warned that they would leave the Union if Lincoln were elected, so some Whigs and moderates broke off and formed the Constitutional Union Party
This nominated John Bell as their candidate to prevent secession
Election of 1860
Lincoln secured 40 percent of the popular vote
Breckenridge carried the South
Douglas only won over Missouri
Lincoln elected as the president
As soon as end of election became known, the South Carolina legislature declared its intention to secede from the United States
This was soon followed by the rest of the South
Soon enough their representatives adopted a constitution closely resembling the U.S. constitution and establishing the Confederate States of America
Following day they elected Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederacy
Fort Sumter
A fort belonging to the U.S. government located in South Carolina began to run low on supplies, Lincoln sent a relief expedition and Confederates bombarded the fort for two days until it was surrendered to the southerners
This began the Civil War
5.8
Advantages of the Union (The North)
Greater industry and manufacturing
Larger population
Transportation and communication
Southern advantages
Advantages of the Confederacy
Well trained generals
High troop morale and enthusiasm
Home soil advantage (most battle took place in the South)
First Battle of Bull Run
Also known as Battle of Manassas in July 1861
Union anticipated an easy win but were driven back by General Stonewall and were forced to retreat to washington
Union Army Four Phase Plan
Anaconda Plan: focused on blockading all southern ports to cut off supplies and trade
Control of Mississippi: focused on gaining control of the Mississippi river in the western region, general Ulysses S Grant achieved this
Engage in “Total War”: General William T Sherman launched a total war on the south, attacking soldiers and civilians in the south and destroying cities in Sherman’s March to the Sea
Capture Richmond: final phase was to capture of Richmond the capital of the confederacy which fell to Grant’s union forces on April 3rd, 1865
City was surrendered and Union has won
Battle of Gettysburg
Union victory over the confederates gave North their first major victory over Lee, who was forced to retreat
From this point forward Lee attempted no more strategic offenses
5.9
National Draft Law
All young adult males were eligible to be drafted
Opposition to the draft - or conscription - was widespread “Copperheads” who were democrats opposed to the war
Violence would erupt like in July 1863 New York City Draft Riot when the first drafted names were read out
Conscription Act
Subjected all white males between age of 18 and 35 to military service for 3 years
At Start of the Civil War Lincoln’s primary goal was to preserve the Union
Emancipation
Radical republicans passed a bill abolishing slavery in washington Dc
Congress soon passed the Confiscation Act which freed all slaves owned by those supporting the insurrection and authorized the president to employ Black Americans as soldiers
Emancipation Proclamation: all slaves in areas in rebellion against the U.S. shall be free
No single slave was freed directly by lincoln's announcement which did not apply to border states
Presidential War Powers
Lincoln's greatest political problem was the widespread popular opposition to the war in the North, he ordered military arrests of civilian dissenters and suspended the right of habeas corpus, the right of an arrested person to receive a speedy trial
Lincoln's gettysburg address
Dedication of the soldiers national cemetery in gettysburg four months after the deadly battle of gettysburg
He solidified the revised cause of the Civil War “a new birth of freedom”
5.10
Reconstruction
Ten Percent Plan
Stated that all southerners could reinstate themselves as US citizens by taking a simple loyalty oath
When in any state a number equal to 10 percent of those who voted in the 1860 election had taken this oath they could set up state government
Wade Davis Bill
Required a majority of southerners in a given state to take the loyalty oath
Confederate officials and anyone who has “voluntarily borne arms against the United States” were barred from voting
Andrew Johnson’s reconstruction Plan
Withdraw its secession
Swear allegiance to the Union
Ratify the 13th amendment which abolished slavery
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Declared specifically the blacks were citizens and could not have their rights to property restricted
The passage of the bill effectively announced that the national government had the responsibility of protecting the rights of the citizens not states
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery
14th Amendment
Guaranteed citizenship to anyone
Military Reconstruction Act
Separated southern states into 5 military districts each overseen by a Union military general
New strict terms were laid out
Southerners at the time called these new terms the “bayonet rule”
Scalawags
White southerners who cooperated with radical reconstruction in this period
Carpetbaggers
Northern whites who traveled into military districts to advance the radical cause
15th Amendment
Forbade all states the denial of the right to vote to anyone
This and the 14th amendment split the women’s suffrage movement into two
5.11
General William T Sherman issued special field order No. 15 which gave 40 acre parcels of confiscated land and a mule to Black families
Freedmen's Bureau
This organization provided food, clothing, education, and job training to freed slaves
After the passage of the 15th amendment the reconstructed southern states sent the first African americans to congress both as representatives and senators
Hiram R. Revels: won election to the Senate, becoming first African American senator
Black Codes
Legal methods of keeping freed slaves in positions of servitude
Authorized local officials to apprehend unemployed blacks, fine them for vagrancy and hire them out to private employers to satisfy fines
Sharecropping
Began on the sugar plantations of Louisiana and quickly spread to the rest of the South
Secret Terrorist Societies
Southerners established the Ku Klux Klan, the Knights of the White Camelia and the Pale Faces
Congress attempted to strike at the Klan with three force acts which placed elections under federal jurisdiction and imposed fines and prison sentences for anyone interfering with a person’s right to vote
Redeemer Governments
Led by rich former planers and businessmen dominated southern politics
Under these governments that the Jim Crow Laws would be passed
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Prohibited racial discrimination in public accomodations, public transportation, and jury selection
Compromise of 1877
- hayes is elected
- he recalled the last troops from the south and april, thus bringing an end to military reconstruction and reconstruction as a whole