Westward Expansion

Louisiana Purchase, 1803

● Thomas Jefferson wanted to purchase New Orleans from France○ Spain had given the land to France in a secret treaty and Napoleon

intended to use it to produce food for their sugar-producing colonies in the Caribbean

● Napoleon was soon uninterested in maintaining France’s territory○ Failed to put down slave revolts in Haiti (France’s main sugar-producing

island)○ Was about to resume war with England and needed troops back in Europe○ Needed money more than wilderness territory○ Agreed to sell not only New Orleans, but all of Louisiana Territory

Louisiana Purchase, 1803

● Jefferson normally advocated strict adherence to the Constitution, the Constitution didn’t technically allow federal government to purchase new territory○ Needed an amendment, but it would take too long; Congress agreed to

ratify a treaty to allow the purchase

Lewis & Clark

● Jefferson convinced Congress to appropriate funds for an expedition into Louisiana Territory

● Meriwether Lewis & William Clark put together a company of 50 men○ Hunters, boatwrights, gunsmiths, blacksmiths, cooks, soldiers, carpenters,

and several Frenchmen familiar with Naive culture

Lewis & Clark

● Followed the Mississippi River up to modern-day North Dakota and wintered with the Mandan Indians○ Headed out in the spring to follow

Missouri River into the Rockies○ Accompanied by Sacagawea, a

Shoshoni woman, and her French-Canadian husband

○ Sacagawea served as an interpreter and guide for the expedition

Lewis & Clark● After reaching the Rockies, they crossed the Great Divide

(separates rivers flowing east to Atlantic from those flowing west to Pacific)○ Lewis & Clark followed Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean and then

headed home

● The expedition covered 8000 miles and took over 2 years● Expedition brought back detailed notes of plants, animals,

climate, soil, and passageways through the territory○ Also established friendly relationships with many Native American tribes

(Flathead, Nez Perce, Wallawalla, etc)

Journal

What did the expedition of Lewis and Clark accomplish?

War of 1812● Causes:

○ Impressment of American sailors by the British Navy

○ British law (Orders of Council) declaring blockages against American ships bound for European ports

○ Attacks by natives on the frontiers (Americans believed them to be instigated by the British in Canada)

War of 1812● War Hawks in Congress pushed for another war in order to gain

American prestige○ Wanted the United States to seize Canada and gain control of it

● Called “America’s 2nd War for Independence” ○ Wanted to garner respect from Britain and other European countries

● The War of 1812 was very controversial○ Congress was heavily split and only declared to go to war with a 19-13 vote○ Americans in general were opposed to the war○ Maritime states (those on the coast) voted against the war, while Western

states voted in favor of the war (they stood the most to gain)

War of 1812

● During the war, Francis Scott Key, penned a poem called “The Defense of Fort M’Henry.○ Put to music, it became “The Star-Spangled Banner”

● Fighting took place on the Atlantic, in Canada, in the West, in the Southern states, and on the Gulf

● Britain and US soon tired of the war and with Napoleon’s defeat in France, some of the original reasons for the war were now irrelevant

War of 1812

● The War ended with the Treaty of Ghent, which restored peace between Britain and the US○ Neither side gained or lost any territory○ Both countries ended up in the same amount of debt

● Thousands of slaves escaped during the War○ Some joined British lines, some escaped in the chaos○ US complained that Britain’s refusal to return slaves was a violation of the

Treaty○ Britain agreed to pay US reparations for the cost of the slaves

War of 1812● Both Canada and the US saw the War as important victories in

their growing status as new countries.○ Britain was preoccupied with Napoleon in Europe and so gave little

thought to the conflict

● The real losers of the war were the Native Americans○ Suffered heaviest casualties○ No allies left in Europe; London policymakers reneged on agreements

made in favor of peace○ Lost territory and were forced to relocate to “Indian Territory”○ Traditional ways of life were destroyed or forcibly declined in the years

after the war

Monroe Doctrine, 1823● Monroe Doctrine is put forth by President James Monroe

○ Any attempt by European nations to colonize or interfere in the Americas would be seen as an act of aggression and the US would intervene

○ US wouldn’t interfere with current European interests in Americas and wouldn’t intervene in internal concerns of European nations

● At the time, most Latin American territories either were or were in the process of gaining independence○ US and Britain didn’t want other European countries filling the power

vacuums ○ It was a way to maintain security for America

Monroe Doctrine, 1823● A defining moment in US foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine is one

of the US’s longest standing tenets○ The following presidents, among others, have used and/or expanded on the

policy since its inception:■ Presidents Grant■ Theodore Roosevelt■ John F. Kennedy■ Franklin D. Roosevelt■ Ronald Reagan

Indian Removal Act, 1830

● George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both supported the idea of Native acculturation

● President Andrew Jackson, however, strongly advocated for the removal of Native Americans

● Removal was strongly supported by non-Natives, who wanted the land that was currently occupied by the “5 “Civilized” Tribes”○ 5 “Civilized” Tribes: Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole○ Georgia had been striving from removal since 1802 and was fighting with

the Cherokee over territory disputes - Jackson hoped Indian Removal would end this crisis

Indian Removal Act, 1830

● Many opposed removal of the Native Americans, especially in the northern states.○ It took a bitter debate in Congress before the Removal was eventually

passed.

● Jackson pushed his Removal as an “act of mercy” and treated the decision as a “wise and humane policy”. ○ He believed that if the Native Americans were to stay on their lands, it

would lead to their extinction

● Some tribes went peacefully, but many others opposed before they were forcibly made to “voluntarily” head West

Indian Removal Act, 1830

● Indian Removal relocated Native Americans in the Southern states to federal territory West of the Mississippi River○ The Natives were “given” land in the West in “exchange” for their

ancestral lands

● Thousands of Native Americans were removed from their homes○ The forced relocation was known as the Trail of Tears

● Some tribes agreed to go peacefully, others refused to leave○ The Second Seminole War was fought from 1835-1842, by both Seminoles

and fugitive slaves○ Led to the Seminoles being allowed to remain in the Florida swamplands

Indian Removal Act, 1830● Due to his treatment of Native Americans, Jackson’s reputation

as a president has suffered greatly○ Many accuse him of genocide (both physical and cultural)○ Some historians argue that rather than genocidal, Jackson was simply

“paternal”, choosing to decide what was best for the Natives and then forcing them to comply

Industrial Revolution● The Industrial Revolution lasted from 1820-1870

○ A change in hand/homemade production to machine and factory production

● Reason for the Industrial Revolution was the War of 1812○ Americans needed better transportation & more economic independence

● Industrialization involved 3 major developments○ Expansion of transportation○ Harnessing of electricity○ Improvements made to industrial processes by improving refining process &

speeding up production

● The American government helped by providing protective tariffs for people producing goods in America

Industrial Revolution

● In 1794, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which made separating cotton seeds from fiber much faster

● Prior to this invention, slavery had been on a downward slope○ It was costing too much to maintain slaves and cotton was a finicky crop

● The cotton gin turned cotton into a lucrative crop and increased demand of cotton required an increased demand in slaves○ Farmers in the South could now plant huge fields of cotton and slave labor

was the only way to process such massive amounts of cotton

Industrial Revolution

● As industries/factories arose, people moved from farms to cities● Innovation in cities led to innovation in agriculture as well● Other inventions:

○ Telegraph was invented to speed up communication○ First national road (became Interstate 40)○ James Watt invented first reliable steam engine○ Transcontinental Railroad was completed, as was the Erie Canal

Manifest Destiny● The idea that America not only could but was destined to stretch

from coast to coast. ○ Anglo-Euro Americans were supposed to spread their civilization across

the continent for the betterment of all

● Manifest Destiny helped “justify” Native American removal, helped to fuel western settlement, and would eventually lead to war with Mexico○ Inspired the Homestead Acts, which encouraged people to move out

West by giving them 160 acres practically for free

● This concept would later be used to justify American Imperialism○ Manifest Destiny was widely contested with those like Lincoln opposing it

Reform Movements (Late 1700s-through 1800s)

● Temperance Movement: An epidemic of alcoholism led to spousal abuse, family neglect, chronic unemployment○ Americans went from drinking lightly-alcoholic beverages like cider, beer,

and wine to harder, cheaper beverages like rum and whiskey○ The Temperance Movement was meant to curb the drinking of alcohol in the

States○ “Temperance plays” were created that showed drunkards turning their lives

around by giving up alcohol; these dramas helped bring temperance into the mainstream

Reform Movements (Late 1700s-through 1800s)

● Abolition: Movement to end the use of slavery in the US○ Abolition movements existed since the colonial era, but the popularity

waned after the Revolution○ Renewed interest picked up in the 1830s and 3 groups formed during this

period:■ American Colonization Society - called for emancipation and

transportation of freed slaves back to Africa■ American Antislavery Society - led by William Lloyd Garrison and

demanded immediate emancipation by any means necessary■ Liberty Party - the more moderate group, pledged to end slavery by

political means

Reform Movements (Late 1700s-through 1800s)

● Public Schools: After Revolution, especially in Northern states, there was a huge focus on education○ Emphasis was put on education as industrialization flourished○ By 1870, all states had free elementary school○ America had one of the highest literacy rates in the world at the time

Suffrage

● As the frontier states began to grow and other regions began to be settled, more and more people were desiring the right to vote.

● Originally, only white landowning men were allowed to participate ○ As more states were added to the union, voting laws were

changed so that nearly every white male was allowed franchise or suffrage (the right to vote)

Women’s Suffrage● In the 1840s, women were seen as socially and legally inferior to

men○ They couldn’t vote and, if married, couldn’t own property or keep their

earnings

● Women were typically leaders in the reform movements that were taking place during the time period○ When a group of prominent women activists were denied entrance into an

Antislavery Convention because of their gender, they became outspoken supporters of women’s suffrage.

○ They thought if women could earn the right to vote, they would be able to earn more rights as well

Women’s Suffrage

● In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention was the first official women’s rights convention held to discuss “social, civil, and religious conditions and rights of women”. ○ Beginning of the women’s rights movement○ Passed a resolution in favor of women’s right to vote, despite the idea

being radical at the time

● Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a suffragist, social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the women’s rights movement○ One of the major speakers at Seneca Falls Convention○ Also stood for women’s employment rights, divorce rights, etc

American Nationalism

● After the War of 1812, American leaders were determined to never get involved in another international crisis

● The US focused itself inward and was dominated by one political party: the Democratic Republicans

● Time period became known as the Era of Good Feelings○ The main drive of the era was to promote and strengthen the US by

focusing on internal improvements to the country

Rise of Popular Political Culture

● Election of 1824 - the few years leading up to this election saw the US under a single political party (Democratic Republicans)○ The Federalist party had dissolved earlier○ The election saw the Democratic Republican party fractured when 4

separate candidates all ran for the presidency

● This election is the only election to go to the House of Representatives since the 12th Amendment was passed○ John Quincy Adams was chosen○ Andrew Jackson and supporters would evolve into Democratic Party○ Adams’ side would be National Republican Party and later, the Whigs

Jacksonian Democracy

● After election of 1824, US had a 2-party system again○ Jacksonian Democrats○ National Republicans

● Jackson’s presidential campaigns caused an increase in public participation in politics○ Mud-slinging from both sides was rampant, publicized in pamphlets, lapel

buttons, songs, posters, etc○ First-ever campaign rallies and barbecues were held

Jacksonian Democracy

● Political philosophy favored a strong executive branch (president) and a weak legislative branch (congress)

● Expanded suffrage to include all white men, not just landowners● Also allowed politicians to appoint followers to government jobs

to prevent domination by elite groups● Favored Manifest Destiny and westward expansion