Manifest Destiny, Civil War, and Reconstruction

Manifest Destiny and Expansion (1844-1877)

• The period from 1844 to 1877 marks a significant era, encapsulating manifest destiny, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

Manifest Destiny

• Manifest Destiny: The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean.
• This idea fueled political debates and westward expansion.
• Disregard for Native Americans: The prevailing attitude was that Native Americans were not cultural equals, facilitating the seizure of their lands.
• Similarly, land was taken from Mexico without significant moral qualms.
• American Progress: A famous painting symbolizes manifest destiny, depicting a female figure representing America bringing light (civilization) to the West, symbolized by stringing telegraph wire and carrying a school book.

Territorial Expansion and Slavery

• Mexican Cession: Acquisition of a large territory, including California, after the war with Mexico.
• Wilmot Proviso: An attempt to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, sparking conflict.

Overseas Expansion

• Commodore Perry: Opened up trade with Japan in the 1850s.

Westward Movement and Conflicts

• Growth and Immigration: Cities continued to grow, and immigration increased, leading to nativism.
• Railroad: Completion of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s facilitated westward movement.
• Homestead Act: Offered 160 acres of free land in the West to settlers who agreed to farm it.
• Indian Wars: Conflicts with Native Americans persisted, including significant battles like the Little Bighorn where Custer and his men were killed. The U.S. army's defeat led to a change in tactics, aiming to confine Native Americans to reservations.
• Challenges on the Plains: Harsh conditions, including loneliness, lack of building materials, and extreme weather, made life difficult for homesteaders.

Escalation of Sectional Tensions

• Slavery Debate: The acquisition of new territories intensified debates over the expansion of slavery.
• Events in the 1850s: The decade was marked by increasing turmoil, including:
  • Kansas: Popular sovereignty in Kansas led to violence as people rushed to influence the vote on slavery, leading to a mini civil war.
  • John Brown: Murderous activities further inflamed tensions.
  • Harriet Beecher Stowe: Wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin," a book that heightened anti-slavery sentiments.
  • Brooks and Sumner: Physical altercations in the Senate reflected the intense divisions.
  • Dred Scott Case: The Supreme Court decision that slavery could exist anywhere intensified conflict.
  • Fugitive Slave Law: Northern states resisted enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law, angering the South.

Compromise of 1850

• California: Its admission as a free state created an imbalance.
• Terms: California was admitted as a free state, and in return, the South was promised a stronger Fugitive Slave Law.
• Kansas-Nebraska Act: Popular sovereignty in Kansas led to violence and effectively nullified the Missouri Compromise.
• Free Soil: Regarding Free Soil, need to understand Abraham Lincoln's earlier views on it.
• Lincoln's Election: No electoral votes in the South. Southern secession followed, triggering the Civil War, which began with the attack on Fort Sumter.

The Civil War (1861-1865)

• Union Advantages: The Union possessed significant advantages, including industrial capacity, population size, railroads, and telegraphs.
• Confederate Advantages: Robert E. Lee.
• Key Battles: Gettysburg marked a turning point in the war.
• Key Figures: Ulysses S. Grant defeated Lee.
• Sherman's March: Sherman's destructive march to the sea devastated the South.
• Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln's strategic move to make the war about slavery prevented European countries from supporting the Confederacy.

Reconstruction (1865-1877)

• Slavery Amendments: Although good, failed, which led to the civil rights movement.
• Congressional/Military Reconstruction: Initially, Reconstruction under Congressional control offered greater rights and opportunities for African Americans including black politicians.
• Erosion of Rights: Over time, rights were eroded due to the Ku Klux Klan, and lack of federal enforcement.
• Economic Issues: Sharecropping replaced slavery, perpetuating economic dependence.
• Failure of Reconstruction: The North's lack of commitment and Southern resistance contributed to the failure of Reconstruction.
• Compromise of 1877: Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the presidency, and in exchange, federal troops were withdrawn from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.
• Women's Rights: Women began advocating for the right to vote.

Recap

• Manifest Destiny: more territory
• Mexican war, Mexican session: way more territory
• Compromise of 1850
• Underground railroad and abolition
• Cities growing, immigration, negativism
• Stephen Douglas tries to get cute right here, and it makes things worse.