APUSH Period 5
Period 5 Review (1844 - 1877)
Topics Covered:
Manifest Destiny
The Mexican-American War
Growing Sectional Tension
Success and Failure of Compromise
The Civil War
Reconstruction
5.2 Manifest Destiny
Essential Question: What were the causes and effects of westward expansion from 1844 - 1877?
Context:
Desire to expand westward dates back to colonial times; Manifest Destiny became prevalent in the 1840s and 1850s.
American interests included Western territories, as well as Latin America, Cuba, and the Caribbean.
Motivating Factors:
Nationalism: The belief in the superiority of American democracy and society.
Population Increase: Rising population prompted the need for more land.
Rapid Economic Development: Growth of industries and farms necessitated more resources and territory.
Technological Advancements: Innovations eased westward travel and settlement.
Reform Ideals: Various movements, including abolition and religious missions, motivated expansion.
5.2 - Conflicts over Texas
Background:
After winning independence from Spain in 1823, Mexico encouraged Anglo settlers to move to Texas.
Key Figures: Moses Austin and his son Stephen F. Austin brought 300 families to Texas.
By 1830, American settlers outnumbered Mexicans 3:1.
Tensions escalated when Mexico enacted laws:
Outlawed slavery (1829) and required immigrants to convert to Roman Catholicism.
Many settlers defied these laws, leading to closure of Texas to new American settlers.
Revolt and Independence:
1834: General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna became dictator of Mexico, abolishing the federal government and enforcing laws in Texas.
1836: Sam Houston led a revolt, declaring Texas independence and instituting a constitution that legalized slavery.
Battle of the Alamo: Mexican troops defeated Texas defenders.
Battle of San Jacinto: Texan forces captured Santa Anna, who signed a treaty recognizing Texas independence, though Mexico later rejected the treaty.
Application for Statehood: Houston sought statehood for Texas but was denied by Presidents Jackson and Van Buren due to concerns over slavery and potential war with Mexico. Tyler attempted annexation, but it was rejected by the Senate in 1844.
5.2 - Conflicts over Maine and Oregon
Boundary Dispute in Maine:
In the 1840s, the Maine boundary with British Canada was unclear, leading to tensions.
Aroostook War (Battle of the Maps): Violence erupted between lumber workers.
Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842): Resolved the boundary dispute by splitting the disputed territory.
Boundary Dispute in Oregon:
U.S. claimed Oregon territory that had been contested by several nations.
Background:
Spain ceded claims via the Adams-Onís Treaty (1819).
British claims were based on fur trade with the Hudson’s Bay Company.
U.S. claimed through historical explorations:
Captain Robert Gray (Columbia River 1792).
Lewis and Clark expeditions (1805).
Established farming in Willamette Valley leading to “Oregon fever.”
By 1844, U.S. believed Oregon, Texas, and California were part of their Manifest Destiny.
5.2 - The Election of 1844 and the Annexation of Texas
Election of 1844:
The annexation of Texas and slavery divided the Democratic Party.
Northern Democrats opposed annexation (wanted Martin Van Buren as nominee).
Southern Whigs supported slavery and favored annexation (wanted John C. Calhoun).
Resulted in James K. Polk, who favored annexation, being nominated.
Campaign Theme: “Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!” regarding Oregon.
Whig candidate Henry Clay alienated voters by being indecisive on Texas, losing electoral support.
Annexation of Texas:
President Tyler pushed for Texas annexation through a joint resolution of Congress, requiring a simple majority instead of a treaty.
Implications: Polk was left to handle the fallout with Mexico over this decision.
Dividing Oregon - 1846:
Polk retreated from “54-40 or Fight.”
Signed an agreement with Britain to divide Oregon at the 49th parallel, securing land and maintaining peace.
Many Northerners viewed this as a betrayal of future free states.
5.2 - Settlement of the Western Territories
Overview:
Following the acquisition of Texas, California, and Oregon, Americans migrated through the Great Plains to more fertile lands.
Fur Trader’s Frontier:
Mountain Men: The earliest non-Natives in the West who traded with Indigenous peoples for furs and established trails.
Notable figures:
James Beckwourth
Jim Bridger
Kit Carson
Jedediah Smith
Overland Trails:
By the 1860s, thousands traveled west on trails such as the Oregon Trail and California Trail, starting from Missouri or Iowa.
Challenges:
Distance: typically about 15 miles a day, taking months.
Dangers included Native Americans, disease, and depression.
Mining Frontier:
Sparked by gold rushes in 1848, leading to surges in population (e.g., California from 14,000 in 1848 to 380,000 by 1860).
By the 1860s, nearly 1/3 of miners were Chinese immigrants.
Farming Frontier:
Families established farms and homesteads, aided by the Preemption Acts of the 1830s and 1840s, making land accessible.
Moving west was more viable for the middle class, costing $200-$300.
Initial hardships led to the creation of rural communities patterned after eastern U.S. towns.
Urban Frontiers:
Growth of western cities due to railroads and mining booms, with cities like San Francisco and Denver emerging rapidly.
5.2 - Foreign Commerce and Post Civil-War Expansion
Foreign Commerce:
U.S. trade expanded with the introduction of western agricultural products and growth of manufactured goods.
Important factors included:
Scheduled Atlantic voyages, increasing the frequency of trade.
New England’s focus on whaling fueled demand for whale oil.
Clipper Ships: Reduced travel time from New York to San Francisco to 89 days.
Steam Ships: Replaced clipper ships due to cost efficiency.
Matthew Perry's expedition opened trade with Japan via the Kanagawa Treaty.
Expansion after the Civil War:
From 1855-1877, although overshadowed by Civil War issues, U.S. expansionism continued.
Example: 1867 Alaska purchased by Secretary William Seward.
5.3 Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War
Essential Question: What are the causes and effects of the Mexican-American War?
Context:
After Americans frequently moved into Texas, Mexico's crackdown led to U.S. annexation of Texas and subsequent tensions.
Leading to War:
President Polk sent John Slidell to negotiate the purchase of California and New Mexico and resolve Texas' border issue but was rebuffed.
Mexico claimed the border at the Nueces River, while the U.S. asserted it at the Rio Grande.
In reaction, Polk ordered troops into disputed territories, leading to a skirmish where Mexican forces killed 11 American soldiers.
Congress supported Polk’s call to war despite Northern Whigs opposing it.
5.3 - Immediate Causes of the War
Military Campaigns:
General Kearney seized New Mexico and Southern California.
John C. Fremont declared Northern California’s independence (Bear Flag Republic).
General Zachary Taylor pushed Mexican troops out of Texas and won at Buena Vista.
General Winfield Scott captured Mexico City in September 1847.
5.3 - Consequences of the War
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848):
Negotiated by Nicholas Trist; favorable to U.S.:
Recognized Rio Grande as Texas border.
U.S. obtained California and New Mexico (Mexican Cession) for $15 million.
Met opposition from Whigs concerned about slavery expansion and Southern Democrats wanting more territory than was offered.
Wilmot Proviso:
Proposed by David Wilmot, seeking to ban slavery in lands acquired from Mexico, aiming to preserve land for White settlers and reduce job competition.
Passed House but failed in Senate due to Southern opposition.
Impact:
Renewed and intensified debates over slavery expansion.
Northerners viewed it as a scheme by the South to extend slave power.
5.4 The Compromise of 1850
Essential Question: How did regional attitudes affect federal policy after the Mexican-American War?
Context:
The expansion of the U.S. intensified slavery debates.
Northern abolitionists opposed slavery's westward spread for economic interests.
Southerners sought new lands for plantation agriculture.
Compromise Elements:
Admission of California as a free state led to talks of secession among Southern radicals.
Henry Clay’s Compromise:
Admit California as a free state.
Divide remainder of Mexican Cession into Utah and New Mexico with popular sovereignty regarding slavery.
Resolve Texas-New Mexico border dispute and assume Texas debt.
Ban slave trade in D.C. but allow slave ownership; strengthen Fugitive Slave Laws.
Political Debate:
Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun engaged in final debates over the compromise.
Clay argued for compromise while Calhoun rejected it, insisting on Southern rights.
Opposition grew until Taylor's death enabled compromise passage under President Fillmore.
Political outcome: Provided temporary respite but increased tensions between North and South.
5.5 Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences
Essential Question: How did regional variations regarding slavery escalate tensions before the Civil War?
Immigration:
Increased Irish and German immigration led to societal fears and prejudices.
Irish Immigration:
Around 2 million arrived, fleeing famine and competition for low-wage work, forming communities in cities like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
German Immigration:
Skilled artisans and farmers fled economic hardships, supporting education and opposing slavery, settling across the Midwest.
Nativism:
Growing hostility among Anglo-Americans towards immigrants fearing job loss and cultural dilution.
Formation of secret societies like the Know-Nothing Party, advocating against immigrant political power and increasing waiting time for citizenship.
5.5 - The Expanding Economy
Overview:
Period of rapid economic growth coinciding with territorial expansion from 1840 to 1857.
Industrial Technology:
Pre-1840 dominated by New England textile mills; post-1840 expansion into various industries, including clothing and firearms production.
Sewing Machine: Revolutionized clothing production, moving from domestic to factory settings.
Telegraph: Enhanced communications nationally.
Railroads:
Transition from canals to railroads in the 1820s and 1830s, linking agricultural interests to markets across the country.
The first land grants from the government promoted railroad growth.
Panic of 1857:
Financial crisis led to agricultural price drops and unemployment in Northern states, while cotton prices remained high in the South.
5.5 - Agitation over Slavery
Key Developments:
The Fugitive Slave Laws and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom's Cabin kept slavery at the forefront of political discourse.
Fugitive Slave Laws:
Allowed federal government to handle runaway slave cases instead of states; deprived accused enslaved people of a right to trial by jury, which angered many Northerners.
Abolitionist Movements:
The Underground Railroad aided enslaved people in their escape to freedom, exemplified by figures like Harriet Tubman.
Literature:
Critical works like Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Impending Crisis of the South raised awareness of slavery’s horrors and fueled antislavery sentiments in the North.
5.6 Failure of Compromise
Essential Question: What were the political causes of the Civil War?
Context:
Repeated compromises failed to resolve moral, constitutional, and economic questions surrounding slavery.
National Party Crisis:
Both major parties (Whigs and Democrats) faced increasing division over slavery issues, leading to weakened political power.
Election of 1852: Whigs struggled to address the slavery question, leading to defeat.
Kansas-Nebraska Act:
Proposed by Stephen A. Douglas, it led to further division.
Allowed popular sovereignty but effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise, igniting conflict known as “Bleeding Kansas.”
Violence and Extremism:
The act of popular sovereignty resulted in chaos and violence, exacerbating sectional strife, exemplified in the violent clashes in Kansas and the caning of Senator Sumner.
5.7 Election of 1860 and Secession
Key Factors in Lincoln's Election:
The Republican Party’s growth alarmed the South, particularly the idea of halting slavery’s spread.
John Brown’s Raid:
Raid on Harpers Ferry created panic in the South and contributed to rising tensions.
Election Outcomes:
Lincoln won all Northern states, threatening the South as they felt they no longer had representation and subsequently called for secession.
5.8 Military Conflict in the Civil War
Essential Question: What factors contributed to the Union's victory?
Military and Economic Differences:
The Union's larger population and resources versus the Confederacy's advantages of fighting on home territory.
Union Strategy:
General Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan aimed to blockade Southern ports, control the Mississippi River, and amass a large trained army for an offensive.
Key Battles:
Early failures, including Bull Run and Fredericksburg, emphasized the war's long duration.
The bloodiest day in military history occurred at Antietam, prompting shifts in war strategy and international relations.
The Union victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg in 1863 marked turning points in the war.
5.9 Government Policies During the Civil War
Lincoln’s Leadership:
Lincoln’s tactics, including suspension of habeas corpus and military control of dissenters, were controversial yet deemed necessary.
The draft and civil unrest highlighted tensions within Northern society.
Political Parties:
The fracturing of political parties reflected American societal changes and increased tensions surrounding civil liberties, exemplified by the Republican Party's shifts towards more radical stances.
5.10 Reconstruction
Essential Question: What were the effects of government policies during Reconstruction?
Presidential Reconstruction:
Lincoln and later Johnson attempted to restore the Union with lenient policies, allowing rapid reintegration of Confederate states.
Radical Reconstruction:
Congressional Republicans enforced stricter terms for readmission of Southern states to ensure civil rights protections for formerly enslaved individuals.
Amendments 13, 14, and 15 were critical in embedding rights for Black citizens and aiming for systemic change.
Resistance and Backlash:
The emergence of the Ku Klux Klan and various economic and social policies reflected continuous resistance to African American rights, leading to a focus on maintaining White supremacy and limiting the effectiveness of Reconstruction policies.
5.11 Failure of Reconstruction
Essential Question: How and why did Reconstruction result in continuity and change?
Evaluating Achievements:
Republicans had successes in liberalizing state laws and establishing rights for African Americans, but corruption and conflicting political interests undermined their efforts.
Conclusion:
High levels of violence, discrimination, and negation of civil rights in the post-Reconstruction era laid the groundwork for ongoing systemic inequalities in the U.S.
Note: This study guide synthesizes extensive material from the period, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of causes, events, and consequences from 1844 to 1877.