Sectional Differences

  1. Transportation:
  2. North: National Road, canals, privately funded turnpikes, steamboat, and railroads.
  3. South: Very little of roads or railroads, used steamboats developed and built in the North.
  4. Industrial Revolution- grew very fast in America because: free enterprise based on private property rights, era’s low taxes and easy general incorporation laws made it simple to form companies.
  5. North developed the factory system-all workers in a central site with large scale production, and interchangeable parts. Used water power and encouraged innovations to increase production.
  6. South- primarily agrarian, very few factories
  7. Labor force
  8. North: family farms, but many factories being created, labor forces began to organize labor unions to make sure their hours and conditions were better.
  9. South: slavery, slaves developed a distinct culture, music, religion, and some rebellions, Nat Turner’s

Manifest Destiny and Crisis

I. Manifest Destiny was the idea that it was the destiny of the

United States to spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

John Gast (1872) American Progress

What is Columbia holding in her hand? She leads civilization west-

showing the changing forms of transportation and communication.

A. Manifest destiny had three themes:

1. The special virtue of the American people and their institutions.

2. America’s mission to redeem the west and remake it in the

image of agrarian America.

3. A distinct dutyto accomplish this essential task.

B. “This was built out of a sense of mission to redeem the Old World by high example…generated by the potentials of building a new earth for building a new heaven.” Frederick Merk-historian

C. This concept justified our war with Mexico and the accumulation of land.

1. Mexico at first encouraged Americans to settle in Texas, when they outnumbered Natives 10 to 1 -they wanted to do things their way including using democracy in self-government. Mexico was angry and didn’t want to allow self-government.

2. Mexican forces were sent against Americans. Alamo and Goliad- Americans defeated. (Santa Ana)

3. San Jacinto- American’s won in April 1836.

D. Sept. 1844 citizens of Texas voted in favor of joining the U.S. as a slave state- anti slavery forces against.

1. Sam Houston was made President of the new Republic

2. Stephen Austin- new leader of the Senate

E. Election of 1844- annexation of Texas was key issue.

1. Polk won the election on this issue

2. Joint resolution of Congress voted to annex (take) Texas.

3. Dec. 1845 Texas became a slave state,

4. June, 1846- Oregon became a free state - U.S. and Britain-Oregon divided on the 49th parallel (Russ Baggot Treaty)

F. War with Mexico resulted because of annexation

1. American troops crossed the Nueces River hoping they would be attacked so that the U.S. could claim that Mexico fired the first shot. It happened and both houses of Congress declared war against Mexico.

G. Meanwhile American Californians led by John C. Fremont

overwhelmed the weak Mexican presence there.

  1. America sent ships to San Francisco and San Diego, claimed California for the U.S

G. Polk sent Winfield Scott to attack Mexico City captured in September of 1847.

H. February 2, 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed- Mexico gave the U.S. more than 500,000 square miles of territory, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, parts of Colorado and Wyoming. U. S. ended up paying Mexico 15 million and they took over 3.25 million of debt owed to American citizens by Mexico.

I. The only question that remained was would slavery be allowed into the new territories?

1. David Wilmot, a Democrat from Pennsylvania proposed that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist” in the new territory. This proposal passed the House of Representatives but the Senate refused to even consider it.

2. Popular sovereignty was proposed-let the states themselves decide as they entered the Union.

J. A new political party was created over this issue- the free soil party- led by Pres. Martin Van Buren- slogan “Free soil, free speech, free labor and free men.”

K. California wanted to be admitted to the Union as a free state- this would upset the balance in Congress.

L. Compromise of 1850-(Henry Clay) was introduced to help the impasse

1. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of this Compromise. It forced Northerners to help Southerners recover slaves in the North. Caused many Northerners who had not actively opposed slavery to turn against it. Freedom laws.

2. California would come in as free

3. Any other states would decide for themselves what their stand would be on slavery. (It opened up the possibility of slavery in every state.)

M. Transcontinental Railroad- there was now a need to tie both west and east coast together with a railroad that would stretch across the continent.

1. South wanted it to go from New Orleans to San Diego.

2. North wanted it to go from Chicago to San Francisco.

N. Dred Scott decision- Supreme Court Case

1. Dred Scott was a Missouri slave who was taken into free territory where he worked for several years. His contention was that living and working in a free state then made him free. His master had died and he was trying to become liberated after his death.

2. Supreme Court decided that slaves were not citizens of the U.S. so the Court could not even review the case. This is why it was necessary to create amendments after the Civil War to: make slavery illegal, make former slaves citizens and give them voting rights. Also Justice Taney ruled that Congress had no right to bar slavery in any states.

O. The Underground Railroad was a series of stops in places and houses where escaped slaves could rest during the day because they had to travel by night. Harriet Tubman, most famous “conductor”

P. As a result of all this fervor John Brown (a zealous abolitionist) decided to go with his sons to Harpers Ferry in VA and seize the Federal Armory there and arm the slaves so that they could all be freed. Robert E. Lee was sent by the government to capture Brown. He was latter hung for his crimes.