EOC Test Preparation: Expansion
and the Antebellum Period
Territorial Expansion
• Northwest Territory, Northwest Ordinance
– Guidelines on how new states could be admitted
– Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin
– No slavery
Territorial Expansion
• Louisiana Purchase
(1803)
– President Jefferson
wanted to secure US
trading on the Miss. R.
– Bought from France
• Haiti revolt, FrenchBritish war
– Doubled the size of
the US
Territorial Expansion
• Lewis and Clark
– Meriwether Lewis
and William Clark
sent to find water
route to Pacific
Ocean
– Gathered info on the
OR and LA territories
– 1804-06
– Led to mass
migration to Pacific
NW
Territorial Expansion
• War of 1812
– Native Americans and settlers not getting along in
the new territories
– British had a strong presence in Canada and were
allies of the Native Americans
• British were impressing US sailors (taking captive and
forcing them to work on British ships)
Territorial Expansion
• War of 1812 (cont.)
– British invaded and burned Washington, DC in
August
– US won a victory at battle of Ft. McHenry
– Francis Scott Key: Star Spangled Banner
– US Commander Andrew Jackson won victories
over the Creek Indians at Battle of Horseshoe
Bend and against British forced at Battle of New
Orleans
Territorial Expansion
• War of 1812 (cont.)
– Treaty of Ghent did
not grant any land
against to the US,
but:
• Miss. R. and frontier
open, meaning more
western migration
• US could defend
itself and interests
• Nationalism
Monroe Doctrine
• Era of Good Feelings: left over pride from War
of 1812
• President James Monroe issued the doctrine
in 1823
– US would not allow European intervention in
independent nations in Americas
– No more colonization by Europeans
– US would view any actions as aggressive and
respond with force
Manifest Destiny
• America’s destiny, and divine right, to expand
and possess all land between the Atlantic and
Pacific
Manifest Destiny
• Missouri Compromise
– Admission of Missouri would mess up the balance
between slave and free state.
– Decision: all states south of 36 d. north would be
slave, those to the north would be free
– Missouri = slave
– Maine = free
TX: Independence and Annexation
• 1821
• Mexico controlled TX which had a lot of US
settlers
• Santa Anna tightened control, Texans rebelled
under Sam Houston’s leadership
• Texans declared their own independence,
Mexico responded with military force (The
Alamo)
– All Texans killed
TX: Independence and Annexation
• Texans eventually made a
comeback and took Santa
Anna hostage
– Agreed to Texas being free
and pulled back troops
• Texas wanted to be
annexed, but issue over
TX being admitted as a
slave state
– Potentially multiple slave
states?
– Became a state in 1845
TX: Independence and Annexation
• James K. Polk wins election as a Democrat
• President John Tyler (pre-Polk) urged Congress
to admit Texas
– 1845
Oregon
• 1827
• Oregon territory
– Britain and US would
both occupy the area
• Polk argued with Britain
over the territory
– “54-50, or fight!”
– Established the northern
border with Canada that
we know today (1846)
Mexican-American War
• June 1845, Polk ordered Gen. Zachary Taylor
to TX border
• John Slidell went to Mexico to settle disputes
over the border and negotiate purchase of CA
and NM
• Mexican president wouldn’t meet, US troops
pushed into disputed area, Mexican troops
attacked
• Polk demanded that Congress declare war due
to “shed American blood on American soil”
Mexican-American War
• US won multiple victories
• Sept. 1847, US troops moved into Mexico City
and forced Mexico to surrender
– Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in Feb 1848
– Give territory to US and final southern border of
the US would be Rio Grande
• 1853: issues still existed
– President Pierce sent Gadsden to purchase land
for RR. Gadsden Purchase gave US New Mexico
and Arizona
Trail of Tears
• Cherokee in NC and GA
– Good relationship with American settlers, even
fought in War of 1812
– Gold discovered in GA land…
– 1830: Indian Removal Act
• Supreme Court said this couldn’t be forced, Jackson
would not enforce decision
California
• Compromise of 1850
– Gold Rush 1849
– CA population
increased, need for
own government
– Admitted as a free state
Sectional Differences
• West
– Reasons to move west:
•
•
•
•
Religion
gold
Comstock Lode
Land
Sectional Differences
• Econ. Differences between
North and South
– Cotton Gin
• “King Cotton”
– Interchangeable parts
• Mass production
• Widely used in industry and
factories
Political Differences
• South and West:
– Federal government should be restricted, allow
states/territories govern themselves
– Slavery
– Small business vs. big business
• North:
– Strong central government for national
unity/consistency
– Free
– Big business
Election of 1824
•
•
•
•
North: John Quincy Adams
South: William Crawford
West: Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson
Election came down to Jackson and Adams,
HOR had to decide the winner
– Clay threw support to Adams, wins
– Jackson protested b/c Clay was being named Sec.
of State.
– “Corrupt Bargain”
• Jackson wins against Adams 4 years later
Universal Suffrage
• Jacksonian Democracy
– Western expansion
– Rights of white settlers
• All white men should be free to vote, not just
those who owned property
– Country becomes more democratic and enabled
all (white) men to have a voice
Spoils System, Strict interpretation,
Laissez- Faire
• Jackson would reward supporters with gov.
positions
• Although he sometimes pushed the powers of
the presidency, he had a literal view of the
Constitution
• No regulation for business or pass policies to
help US businessmen
– Allows a level playing field for all
Spoils System, Strict interpretation,
Laissez- Faire
• Jackson vs. Second National Bank
(1832)
– Jackson saw the bank as unconstitutional
– Political enemies pushed for the bank to
apply for its charter early so that it would
pose a threat during the election, but…
– Public agreed with Jackson, wins reelection
– Bank lost its charter
• Federal money placed in state banks
– This lead to an economic crisis
Two-Party System
• Issues within the
Democratic-Republican
Party led to a break up
– Democrats
– National Republicans
• Some of these people
formed a new party:
Whigs
Social Reforms
• Society changed in beneficial ways
• Second Great Awakening:
– Christian preachers traveled preaching the Gospel
and calling on believers to be socially active and
change society
• Temperance Movement: against alcohol
• Abolitionist Movement: against slavery
– Former slaves, Quakers, MC whites, educated,
church people
• Women’s Rights Movement