US History timeline & concept chart: 1789-1860 Early Republic to Antebellum

From A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide

US History timeline & concept chart: 1790s-1860

Objectives:

  • to help students to
    • associate timelines with events, persons, themes & concepts
    • associate presidents with timelines, themes & concepts
    • identify timelines with BIG IDEAS across periods of US history
    • find connections and common themes across US history
    • easily find relevant details for larger comprehension
  • to help teachers to
    • quickly review US History content for lesson planning
    • provide students with easy and complete reference source for US history

Click EXPAND for a note for mobile phone users (already shows on mobile)

  • these timeline & concept charts use tables in order to connect ideas, timelines, and major concepts
  • tables are not mobile-friendly (they do not wrap to a single column)
  • when these charts are complete, we will in the future convert the charts to mobile-friendly format as an alternative file
  • we encourage you to use a tablet or larger monitor in order to see the charts here

Index

Page structure & format guide

U.S. History course pages:


1790s Washington & Adams administrations[edit | edit source]

PERIOD / TIMELINE Major Events, Concepts & Themes Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
  • 1789 Washington unanimously elected and inaugurated

  • 1798-1793 Washington's 1st term
  • 1790 Capital moved from Philadelphia to New York

  • 1791 Bill of Rights enacted

  • 1791 First Bank of the United States

  • 1792 Washington unanimously re-elected
  • 1793-1797 Washington's 2nd term

  • 1793 "Citizen Genet" episiode

  • 1794 Whiskey Rebellion

  • 1795 Jay's Treaty

  • 1796 Pinckney's Treaty

  • 1798: Alien & Sedition Acts

  • 1798-99 Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

  • 1800: Washington, D.C. opened

BIG IDEAS

  • Washington sets precedents
  • assertion of federal powers
  • Hamilton-Jefferson split
  • rise of political parties
  • Adams presidency
  • avoidance of war with France over the XYZ Affair & naval clashes w/ French ships

National Debt

  • Congress passed taxes to help pay Revolutionary War debts
    • 1790 "Tariff of 1790" designed to reduce federal debt by taxing
    • 1791 "Whiskey Act" imposed excise tax on sale of alcohol
  • Residence Act of 1790 set location of Washington, DC in the South in exchange for national assumption of state debts from the War (principally northern states)

Whiskey Rebellion 1794

  • Whiskey Act extremely unpopular
  • Washington asserted Federal power to enforce the tax

Hamilton "Report on Manufactures"

  • promoted activist Federal governance re. economy

European wars & domestic U.S. politics

  • pro-British or pro-French sentiments in U.S.

Washington Farewell Address

  • warned against political parties
  • warned against "foreign entanglements"

Adams presidency

  • avoided war with France
  • marked by severe political partisanship
  • Alien & Sedition Acts
  • "Midnight appointments"

Alien & Sedition Acts 1798

  • restricted naturalization (citizenship)
  • criminalized "false statements"
  • allowed imprisonment & deportation of "dangerous" non-citizens

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

  • state legislatures declared Alien & Sedition Acts unconstitutional
  • states rights & "strict construction" of Constitution

Washington presidency, 1789-1797[edit | edit source]

  • the reluctant President

click EXPAND for excerpt from Washington expressing his reluctance to become president

in 1788, Washington wrote:

I should unfeignedly rejoice, in case the Electors, by giving their votes to another person would save me from the dreaded dilemma of being forced to accept or refuse... If that may not be–I am, in the next place, earnestly desirous of searching out the truth, and knowing whether there does not exist a probability that the government would be just as happily and effectually carried into execution without my aid."
(First President’s Election Was the Last Thing He Wanted (washingtonpapers.org) Upon election in 1791, Washington wrote that he had give up "all expectations of private happiness in this world." (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/george-washington-the-reluctant-president-49492/ George Washington: The Reluctant President (Smithsonian Magazine)]

click EXPAND for excerpt from and commentary on Washington's Letter to Adams from Archives.gov:

  • excerpt (closing paragraph
    • note that in the letter, Washington refers to himself in the 3rd person ("The President..." "he...")
      • he does so as a way of separating his person from his office
        • (the King of England called himself "We", as a way of expressing himself as the entire realm)
Many things which appear of little imp⟨ortance in⟩ themselves and at the beginning, may have ⟨great and⟩ durable consequences from their having be⟨en establis⟩hed at the commencement of a new general ⟨Govern⟩ment. It will be much easier to comme⟨nce the adm⟩inistration, upon a well adjusted system ⟨built on⟩ tenable grounds, than to correct errors or alter inconveniences after they shall have been confirmed by habit. The President in all matters of business & etiquette, can have no object but to demean himself in his public character, in such a manner as to maintain the dignity of Office, without subjecting himself to the imputation of superciliousness or unnecessary reserve. Under these impressions, he asks for your candid and undisguised opinions.
  • commentary on the Letter:
A major concern was the public image of the new administration. As Sen. William Maclay of Pennsylvania noted, GW “stood on as difficult ground as he ever had done in his life: that to suffer himself to be run down, on the one hand, by a crowd of visitants so as to engross his time, would never do, as it would render the doing of business impracticable; but, on the other hand, for him to be seen only in public on stated times, like an Eastern Lama, would be equally offensive. If he was not to be seen but in public, where nothing confidential could pass between him and any individual, the business would, to all appearance, be done without him, and he could not escape the charge of favoritism. All court would be paid to the supposed favorite; weakness and insignificance would be considered as characteristic of the President, and he would not escape contempt. . . . it was not thus the General gained the universal plaudits of his admiring fellow-citizens” (Maclay, Journal, 15). 
  • Washington was praised for displaying appropriate "condescension" to common people
    • relating to people of lower status while maintaining the dignity of the higher class
      • it was a very important concept for people of the time
      • students may consider the impact of Jacksonian Democracy in light of the Founding-era norms of political elitism
  • Washington's goals (con't)
    • to establish and protect the powers of the executive branch
    • to ensure popular support for new government
      • his tours of 1789, 1790, 1791 were designed to promote national unity, display presidency, and promote his policies
    • to consolidate U.S. territory, especially regarding Northwest Territories and Southern borders with Spain

election of 1789

  • prior to the 12th amendment (1803), the President and Vice President were selected by 1st and 2nd place in the Electoral College, with each Elector casting two votes
  • Washington received a unanimous 69 votes (one from each Elector)
  • John Adams won 2nd place with 34 votes, with rest split between ten other candidates

Bill of Rights adopted 1791 (BOR)

  • agreement between Federalists and Anti-Federalist in adopting the Constitution in 1789
  • BOR limits federal power
    • application of BOR to state laws comes in late 19th/ early 20th centuries
    • = “incorporation” of the Bill of Rights
  • Constitution was for the federal government only
  • 14th amendment starts the process of “incorporating” the Constitution, esp. BOR into state law

Hamilton-Jefferson split

  • thought to be largely over enactment of the First National Bank
    • Jefferson vehemently opposed a national bank, fearing its impact on sectional divisions
    • Washington reluctantly signed the bill following Hamilton's advice

Residence Act of 1790[edit | edit source]

  • location was disputed
    • deal made for Maryland-Virginia border in exchange for assuming national debt
      • Virginia wanted the location
      • Hamilton and New York wanted national assumption of war debts
  • established permanent capitol along Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia
  • Congress wanted a "federal" district of its own governance so as not to rely on a state
    • named for George Washington
  • territory ceded by Virginian and Maryland

Hamilton's 1791 "Report on Manufactures"[edit | edit source]

  • argued for federal support of domestic industry, including
    • protective tariffs
    • promote skilled labor immigration
    • federal investment in transportation infrastructure
    • laid basis for basic political/ ideological split

Whiskey Rebellion, 1794[edit | edit source]

  • a core goal of the new government was to establish a functional system of taxation
  • a primary goal of Hamilton's "debt assumption" (federal gov. taking over states' War debts and that of the Confederation) was to force the government into sound financial structures, including a national bank and raising revenue (taxation)
  • the 1971 Whiskey excise tax, however, was very unpopular, especially in western parts of the states
  • enforcement of the tax angered citizens, especially small, rural distilleries (manufacturers) who felt unfairly targeted by the tax collectors
    • there were a series of attacks and harassment of tax collectors, especially in western Pennsylvania
    • the Whiskey Rebellion was a more organized attack on a tax collector, involving 700 men
  • Washington sent an official to negotiate with the rebels, which was unsuccessful
    • Washington then invoked the Militia Acts of 1792 and sent 12,000 soldiers to put down the rebellion
    • the mob had already fled and only two rebels were found guilty of treason
    • Washington pardoned both

Rise of Political parties[edit | edit source]

  • Founders used the term "faction" for aligned groups, whereas political parties have formal organizations and identities
  • arose in Washington's 2nd term based on existing political alliances and perspectives
  • Federalists:
    • Adams, Hamilton
      • pro-national bank, pro-Fed gov powers, interpret constitution loosely, pro industry & commerce, pro-British
      • party starts to die out after 1812 War (opposed)
  • Democratic-Republicans
    • Jefferson, Madison
      • anti-national bank, states’ rights, interpret constitution strictly, pro farming, pro-French

Constitutional interpretations[edit | edit source]

  • enumerated powers
    • = powers specifically listed in Constitution
    • ex. Article I, Section 8: Congress shall have the power to...
  • implied powers
    • “necessary and proper” = implied powers required to enforce enumerated powers
  • strict construction
  • = word for word interpretation
    • advocated by Jefferson and Madison
    • Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions called for it
  • broad or loose construction (interpretation)
    • = interpreted “necessary and proper” loosely, expansively
    • advocated by Adams and Hamilton

European conflicts[edit | edit source]

click EXPAND for list of French Revolution & Napoleonic era wars

1791-1798 War of First Coalition
  • European monarchies challenge France over the French Revolution
  • France somewhat expands geographically but loses overeaas territories
  • Spread of French Revolution ideology
  • Rise of Napoleon starting 1795
1799-1802 War of the Second Coalition
  • continued French victories
  • France invades Egypt
  • Napoleon consolidates power
1803-1815
  • 2nd row 1st cell
Napoleonic Wars
  • broken into five "coalition" wars
  • France briefly conquers most of Europe
  • only Britain and Portugal maintain full independence
  • following disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia, Napoleon weakened and suffers defeat by energized "Sixth Coalition
  • Napoleon exiled to Elba, an island off coast of Italy, but returns a year later and starts the "Hundred Days War" (War of 7th coalition)
  • Napoleon defeated at Waterloo, Belgium in 1815 and is sent to the British island, St. Helena, in the south Atlantic ocean

French Revolutionary Wars (wikipedia)

  • French Revolution
  • British interventions
  • trade disruption, blockades, embargoes

European wars & domestic U.S. politics[edit | edit source]

  • various wars and clashes between European alliances centered around Britain and France
  • Americans were largely sympathetic with French Revolution (1789-1799)
    • especially as anti-British
  • however, partisan lines were drawn over European situation
    • partisanship grew into pro-British or pro-French sentiments
    • pro-British = Federalists, warned against radical change and extremes in French Revolution (not pro-monarchy)
      • Adams, Hamilton
    • pro-French = liberal, celebrating downfall of French monarchy and rise of democracy, ignoring its extremes; or simply anti-British,
      • Jefferson, Madison, Thomas Payne (who went to France to participate in the Revolution)

Citizen Genet affair, 1793[edit | edit source]

  • French government sent Edmond-Charles Genêt to the U.S. to
    • build support for its cause
    • tp promote anti-British sentiments & encourage American attacks on British merchant ships
    • he issued "letters of marque and reprisal," which legalized attacks on British ships on behalf of France
  • Washington was infuriated by the interference
    • issued the Proclamation of Neutrality on April 22, 1793 stating the America was neutral in the French / British conflict

Jay's Treaty (or "Jay Treaty"), 1794[edit | edit source]

  • Secretary of State John Jay negotiated a treaty with England that:
    • ensured US neutrality in British-French wars
    • opened US ports to British and British ports in Caribbean to Americans
    • British evacuated all remaining Western forts (was part of terms of Treaty of Paris, 1783, ending Revolutionary War)
      • = leaving Northwest territories to the U.S.
    • U.S. agreed to pay certain Revolutionary War debts
  • the Treaty was unpopular, especially in southern states
  • Senate approved the treaty and the House appropriated funding for its enactment, but only after bitter debate
    • the Jay Treaty episode further solidified the partisan/ ideological divide between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians
    • in 1796, House of Representative demanded internal Executive branch documents regarding the Treaty
      • Washington refused to deliver them
      • = establishing "executive privilege"

"Pinckney's Treaty", 1795[edit | edit source]

  • formal name: "Treaty of San Lorenzo"
  • agreement w/ Spain provided
    • US access to and navigation along Mississippi River
    • removal of Spanish forts on US lands
    • promise from Spain to help stop Indian attacks on US settlers

Washington declines to run for a 3rd term[edit | edit source]

  • = important example of a leader stepping down from power and supporting a peaceful transfer of power
  • sets precedent for two-term limit for presidents
    • precedent was honored until FDR, although Teddy Roosevelt ran for a third term in 1912 (and lost)

Washington's "Farewell Address[edit | edit source]

  • a "valedictory address" (via written statement) to the American people in order to articulate his most important advice:
    • follow the Constitution (rule of law) in order to ensure "that your union and brotherly affection may be perpetual"
      • especially in order to resolve differences
    • avoid "combinations and associations" (factions or alliances) that would subvert the Constitution and the national laws
    • avoid the "baneful effects of the spirit of party" (political parties)
      • warned against "a small but artful and enterprising minority" faction to seize power and subvert the Union
    • warned against "geographical discriminations" (sectional blocks)
    • avoid "foreign entanglements" (getting mixed up in the affairs of other countries, especially in Europe)

click EXPAND for excerpt from Washington's Farewell Address:

The unity of government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you. It is justly so; for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad, of your safety, of your prosperity, of that very liberty which you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee that, from different causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed, to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth; as this is the point in your political fortress against which the batteries of internal and external enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and insidiously) directed, it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national Union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the palladium of your political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts
(for full text see Washington's Farewell Address (wikisource)

John Adams presidency[edit | edit source]

  • Adams unpopular but firm
  • marked by political bitterness
  • a dominant issue was English-French wars
    • impacted American merchants
    • Americans/ parties split on allegiance to Britain or France of European wars

Quasi-War 1798[edit | edit source]

  • naval clashes w/ French privateers (private ships given permission to attack others) & American merchant ships
    • mostly in Caribbean and Atlantic coast
    • not a declared war, thus "“Quasi-War”
  • France resented pro-British terms of Jay's Treaty and felt it violated "Alliance and Commerce" treaties from 1778 (during the American Revolution)
  • Congress established the U.S. Navy and authorized use of force against French vessels

XYZ Affair. 1797-98[edit | edit source]

  • US diplomats sent to France over Quasi-War
    • three French officials demanded a bribe from them
    • known as = Monsieurs (M.) "X, Y, & Z"
  • turned American public against France

Alien & Sedition Acts, 1798[edit | edit source]

  • Adams and congressional allies attempted to outlaw dissent
  • congress dominated by Federalists
  • "Naturalization Act" restricted naturalization of immigrants to become a citizen
  • "An Act Concerning Aliens" authorized imprisonment or deportation of "dangerous" non-citizens
  • Sedition Act criminalized "false statements" critical of the federal government
    • outlawed publication of "false, scandalous and malicious writing" against the government
  • unpopularity leads to Democrat-Republican wins in 1800 elections

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions 1798-99[edit | edit source]

  • state legislatures "nullified" Alien & Sedition Acts
    • = declared them unconstitutional
  • "Principles of '98"
    • = as stated in the Resolutions
    • states rights
    • "strict construction" of the Constitution
      • (= reading of the Constitution by its text alone, without inferring additional powers)
    • state nullification of federal law
  • impact:
    • the Resolutions were authored in secret by Jefferson (then Vice President) and Madison
    • = statement of their interpretation of the Constitution
    • Washington called the Resolutions "a recipe for disunion" (see Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (wikipedia)
    • statement of southern states rights ideology

Taxation and Fries's Rebellion, 1799[edit | edit source]

  • as US prepared for the Quasi-War with France
    • Congress imposed a "direct tax" upon all of the states
      • = a federal tax apportioned by population per state
        • the "Direct House Tax of 1798" was calculated by houses, lands, and slave ownership
      • the only time a direct tax was ever imposed by Congress
  • the tax was unpopular
  • in 1799, John Fries, a German-American, organized resistance to the tax in Pennsylvania
    • local militia captured tax "assessors" (who were to "assess" property values for the tax assessment)
    • Federal marshals arrested resistance leaders, but local groups liberated them
    • Adams ordered federal troops to arrest the insurgents
    • Fries and others were arrested and charged with treason
      • Adams granted amnesty to them in 1800

Washington DC opened as national capital, 1800[edit | edit source]

  • "Federal City" opened
  • capitol moved from New York
  • Adams first President to occupy the White House
  • Supreme Court was located in the Capitol building
  • initial population was 14,093

Midnight appointments[edit | edit source]

  • after election of 1800
  • last minute appointments by Adams for 60 federal positions at end of his administration to fill offices with loyalists/federalists
    • including appointment of John Marshall as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
  • Jefferson mocked the appointees as "Midnight Judges"
  • several appointments were not delivered before end of Adams administration, including one to William Marbury
    • the new Jefferson administration refused to deliver them
    • in 1801 Marbury sued the government under grounds that he had been duly appointed

Leads to the "landmark" case, Marbury v. Madison that established judicial review (see below)


Other concepts & terms:

new States in 1790s[edit | edit source]

  • Vermont (territory ceded by New York) 1791
  • Kentucky (“western”), 1792
  • Tennessee (“western”), 1796

Northwest Indian War[edit | edit source]

  • American settlers moving into the Territory sparked conflicts with Native tribes, known as the Northwest Indian War
    • Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, commander of the American Army and Revolutionary War hero, defeated Native resistance at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794
    • Treaty of Greenville (1795) with the Western Confederacy, Native American Tribes led by the Delaware (tribe), formally opened the Territory to settlement
Federalists Democratic-Republicans
Leaders Adams, Hamilton Jefferson, Madison
Policies pro-national bank, pro-Fed gov powers, interpret constitution loosely, pro industry & commerce, pro-British anti-national bank, states’ rights, interpret constitution strictly, pro farming, pro-French
Notes party diminishes after War of 1812 War which it opposed and due to Monroe's adoption of some Federalist policies (bank, tariff: see Era of Good Feelings) becomes Democratic party; Jefferson considered its founder

1800-1810 Jefferson & Madison administrations[edit | edit source]

PERIOD / TIMELINE Major Events, Concepts & Themes Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
  • 1800 Jefferson elected w/ Democratic-Republican sweep of Congress

  • 1801-1805 Jefferson presidency 1st term

  • 1802 Louisiana Purchase

  • 1802 Yazoo land scandal (Georgia)

  • 1802 establishment of West Point Military Academy
  • 1802 admission of Ohio to statehood

  • 1803-1806 Lewis & Clark Expedition

  • 1804 Burr kills Hamilton in duel

  • 1805 blockades of US ports by British & French

  • 1805-1809 Jefferson presidency 2nd term

  • 1807: Embargo Act of 1807

  • 1807 Congress bans African slave trade, effective 1808

  • 1809-1813 Madison presidency 1st term

  • 1810 Macon's Bill Number 2

BIG IDEAS

Jefferson presidency

  • settled partisan rancor from Adams presidency and election of 1800
  • roll-back of Federalist policies
  • Louisiana Purchase

Jeffersonian democracy

  • egalitarian, social simplicity in contrast to Washington's pomp (formality)
  • pushed for state expansion of suffrage by elimination of property requirements
  • small government, states rights, run by small farmers



Marbury v Madison

  • landmark case establishes judicial review

European wars continued impact on domestic U.S. politics

  • trade disruption, embargoes, blockades

Revolution of 1800

  • marked peaceful transition of power despite bitter partisanship
  • Jefferson inaugural address



Louisiana Purchase. 1802

  • France sold territory taken from Spain bc of Haitian Revolution
  • US territorial expansion and settlement
  • land speculation & political maneuvering over control of new territories



Barbary War

  • Jefferson sent US Navy to Mediterranean Sea to fight "Barbary Pirates"
  • Stephen Decator became national hero for a raid on Tripoli in 1804



Twelfth Amendment adopted 1804

  • party-line vote in electoral college ("party ticket")
  • ensures two-party system & it's political organization & activity
  • leads to intra-party factions (factions within a single party)



Embargo Act of 1807

  • European war impacts on US trade & domestic politics
  • New Englanders oppose the embargo, economy hurt



Non-Intercourse Act of 1809

  • opens trade with all nations except France and Brtiain



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Revolution of 1800[edit | edit source]

  • the election of 1800 was bitter
    • Democratic-Republican party (Jefferson and Burr) accused Federalists of being monarchists
    • Federalists accused Jefferson of loyalty to radical French revolutionaries
    • pamphlets
  • first transition of power from one faction to another without violence
  • electoral college results:
    • Jefferson & Burr tied with 73 votes
      • Adams won 65 votes
    • Federalists majority in the House ultimately decided for Jefferson

Jefferson Inaugural Address, 1801[edit | edit source]

  • sought to reconcile bitterness between parties/factions
  • “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists”

Jeffersonian democracy[edit | edit source]

  • rode his horse to Washington for his inauguration as statement of egalitarianism
    • as opposed to riding in a formal carriage
  • egalitarianism, equality (whites)
  • as president preferred social simplicity in contrast to Washington's pomp (formality)
    • did not distinguish White House visitors based on social class
  • pushed for state expansion of suffrage by elimination of property requirements
    • led to higher voter turnout
  • small government, states rights, run by small farmers
    • Jefferson wanted fully pay off and avoid any future national debt
      • inherently anti-bank, esp. a central bank
      • at end of his office in 1809, the debt was reduced from $83 to $57 million

roll-back of Federalist policies[edit | edit source]

  • the new Democratic-Republican dominated Congress:
    • repealed the Alien and Sedition acts
      • pardoned the 10 people who were prosecuted under them
    • abolished internal taxes
    • reduced the size of the army and navy
  • despite reservations, Jefferson agreed to keep the First Bank of the United States
  • Supreme Court maintained Federalist ideologies under Chief Justice John Marshall
  • Federalist Party declines, especially outside of New England

Barbary War[edit | edit source]

  • Naval Act of 1794
    • founded the US Navy with funding for six warships
    • authorized payment of "tributes" (ransom $) to North African pirates who attacked US merchant ships
      • prior to the Revolution, the British Navy had protected American vessels
  • by end of Adams administration treaties w/ "Barbary States" (modern Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria)
  • in 1803 Jefferson sent US Navy to Mediterranean Sea to fight "Barbary Pirates"
    • the YSS Philadelphia was captured by Tripoli
    • 1804 Stephen Decatur became national hero for a raid on Tripoli freeing the Philadelphia
  • while isolating Tripoli with the raid and ongoing bombardments, the US continued to pay tribute to other Barbary States

Louisiana Purchase, 1802[edit | edit source]

UnitedStatesExpansion.png
UnitedStatesExpansion
  • Secretary of State James Monroe was sent to France to negotiate purchase of Louisiana Territory
  • the primary American goal was to gain full control of the Mississippi River
    • the Spanish had acquired Louisiana in 1762 from the French following the French-Indian War
    • the French regained the territory in 1800 under Napoleon
      • Haitian rebellion impact:
      • = successful slave revolt establishing Haitian independence
      • the French army sent to put down the rebellion was the largest European army ever sent to the Americas
      • with loss of Haiti, the French no longer needed New Orleans as a shipping point for Haitian trade
  • France offered to sell it for $15 million
  • the "territory" was loosely defined
    • the sovereignty conveyed (delivered) by the Purchase
      • = a "preemptive" right to the territory over other colonial powers
      • and the authority over other colonial powers to obtain the lands in the territory from Native Americans by treaty or conquest
  • Federalists opposed it because it would eventually add more southern states
  • Jefferson based power to purchase on executive powers of diplomacy
  • Lewis & Clark Expedition
    • to explore new territory
    • to identify natural geography & landscapes
    • to establish inland route to the Pacific Ocean
    • the Purchase did not include modern Oregon & Washington state territories, which were negotiated later w/ Britain
      • in the Treaty of 1818 regarding the northern border of modern MN, ND, & MO which established the 49th parallel as the US-Canadian border
      • and in the
    • the south and western borders were negotiated with Spain along with American acquisition of Florida in the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty" w/ Spain

settlement, territorial expansion & Native American relations[edit | edit source]

  • Jefferson wanted to take Florida from the Spanish
    • he refused to recognize Haiti in 1804 in order to gain Napoleon's support for US acquisition of Florida
  • acquisition of Louisiana Territory put pressure on Native American tribes and lands
  • Jefferson promoted Indian treaties and sought his civilization program of assimilation of American Indians into US society
    • however, Jefferson's policies more generally supported by white settlement of Native lands
    • conflict continued throughout his term of office in the Northwest Territory
      • British agents supported Native tribes with arms and encouragement
      • one of the British intentions was to create an Indian satellite nation aligned with Britain in US territory.

Yazoo land scandal, 1802[edit | edit source]

  • as nation expanded, land claims were frequently in conflict with one another
  • land speculation increased, especially as part of removal of Native Americans
  • Georgia sold large tracts (lots) of "Yazoo land"
    • = areas around the Yazoo River stretching to the Mississippi River (modern AL and MS)
    • named for the Yazoo tribe
  • because of massive fraud, Georgia invalidated the land grants retroactively (after the fact)
  • led to the Compact of 1802 in which the federal government
    • purchased western Georgia for $1.2mm (later Alabama and Mississippi)
    • agreed to invalidate Native American claims on the land
    • and agreed to settle claims by defrauded individuals (people who were ripped off)
      • the last term was scandalous as politicians claimed it was a pay-off to land speculators
      • even Jefferson's own party opposed it, especially John Randolph (from VA)
      • = led to rise of tertium quids which were factions within the Democratic Party
    • claims were not fully resolved until 1814 by act of Congress that paid off those remaining

Essex Junto[edit | edit source]

  • group of New England Federalists who advocated secession by New England (and against the 1780 Massachusetts constitution)
  • were sympathetic to England and opposed trade restrictions which severely impaired the New England economy
  • most organizers were from Essex County, MA
    • John Adams and John Hancock called them the "Essex Junto" as an insult
  • principal leader Rep. Thomas Pickering vehemently opposed Jefferson's anti-British trade acts
  • the Junto wanted Hamilton to join, but he refused to join their movement and plots
  • in 1804 they approached Aaron Burr who was sympathetic
  • supported the """Hartford Convention which met in 1814-15 in opposition to the War of 1812
    • during the war, the group was called the "Blue Lights" because they used blue lights to warn British warships of American vessels that were trying to run the British blockade or as a signal to the British to smuggle goods with them
  • events and personalities regarding the Essex Junto led to the Burr-Hamilton duel of 1804, in which Burr killed Hamilton

Aaron Burr[edit | edit source]

  • Democratic-Republican (same party as Jefferson)
    • born in New Jersey & practiced law in New York = had different interests and objectives from Jefferson
    • in 1785 Burr sponsored a bill to end slavery in New York
  • elected New York Senator in 1791
  • populist politician, defied the norms of "detachment" that Washington preferred (see above)
  • ran for President in 1800 and tied with Jefferson
    • the Federalist-controlled House of Representatives decided the election for Jefferson
      • leaving Burr as Jefferson's Vice President
    • Jefferson did not trust Burr and did not include him in most Administration decisions
  • although not illegal, the Hamilton duel ended Burr's political career
    • Burr's term was spent serving Vice Presidential role as President of the Senate, where he served to acclaim of his colleagues
  • Burr conspiracy of 1807

click EXPAND for details on the Burr Conspiracy

  • Burr was associated with the Essex Junta, which advocated New England succession
  • he was closely associated with General James Wilkinson, Commanding General of the US Army, who had attempted to remove Kentucky and Tennessee from the Union in the 1780s (Articles of Confederation period, while those states were still territorial areas claimed by Virginia and North Carolina respectively
  • Jefferson appointed Wilkinson governor of the new Louisiana Territory in 1805
  • after leaving office, Burr moved into the Louisiana Territory, looking for new opportunities, first in the Ohio Valley, then moving to Louisiana
  • while Vice President Burr held discussions with the British ambassador about raising an army to help the British regain the Louisiana Territory
  • after leaving office in 1805 he wrote to the ambassador asking for money to support the scheme
    • the ambassador gave him $1500 then declined to help any further
  • Burr gathered supporters for settlement in Louisiana and perhaps to form a militia to attack Spanish-held territories
  • at the same time he contacted the Spanish ambassador offering to help Spain against the United States
    • the Spanish ambassador gave him several thousand dollar but offered no further assistance
    • the Governor of Kentucky warned Jefferson of Burr's plans for rebellion and secession, but Jefferson ignored them as politically motivated
  • Governor Wilkinson became aware of the conspiracy and moved to seize weapons from Burr's associates
    • he then informed Jefferson of the plot, who ordered Burr to be arrested for treason
  • Burr was tried for treason but acquitted on the grounds that plans did not constitute actual treason
    • Burr's attorney was the future Whig, Henry Clay, and federalist Chief Justice Marshall presided over the case

12th Amendment to the Constitution, 1804 & electoral impact[edit | edit source]

  • in response to the contested election of 1800
    • (Jefferson and Burr tied in electoral college vote, so the House of Representatives decided the election)
  • also in response to partisanship during Adams administration:
    • President Adams was Federalist
    • Vice President Jefferson was Democratic-Republican
  • also in response to Vice Presidency of Aaron Burr under Jefferson
    • Burr and Jefferson were both Democratic-Republicans
    • but Jefferson and Burr did not get along, and Jefferson did not consult Burr on Administration decisions
  • made sense to combine President and Vice President candidates as a single ticket
    • so the Electoral College votes are for combined "ticket" of President and Vice President candidates
  • 12th amendment solidifies the two-party system
    • which led to greater political organization and voter turnout
    • winner of the electoral college must win a majority vote
    • therefore, it is in the interest of political opponents to organize around two political parties in order to win that majority vote

European blockades of US ports & US trade laws[edit | edit source]

  • British-French conflict again disrupts U.S. trade and politics in 1805
  • blockades of U.S. ports by both French and British
  • British commences impressment of US sailors
    • = seizing American sailors to serve of British warships
    • British claimed any sailor born in England or had previously served on a British warship had to serve Britain
      • the Chesapeake-Leopard affair sparked U.S. outrage over British impressment
        • the British HMS Leopard boarded the U.S. Chesapeake and took four crew members and hanged one for desertion
  • New England trade economy collapses
  • Non-importation Act of 1806 = embargo on British goods in response to British impressment of American sailors
  • Embargo Act of 1807 = US response to blockades, shut down trade
  • Non-Intercourse Act of 1809 reopened trade w/ other nations except Britain and France
  • ongoing tensions over trade, blockades, and impressment will lead to the War of 1812
  • Macon's Bill no. 2" 1808 reopens U.S. trade with Britain and France
    • France agrees to trade with the U.S. in exchange for not trading with Britain
    • Britain stepped up its embargo and impressment of US sailors
    • tensions between US and Britain rise

Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, 1807[edit | edit source]

  • the Constitution stipulated that there be no ban on African slave trade until 1808 (20 years from enactment)
  • most states had banned importation of slaves since the 1770s, including Virginia (promoted by Jefferson)
  • the Slave Trade Act of 1794 outlawed participation of U.S. vessels in African slavery
  • South Carolina had since re-opened its ports to importation of slaves
  • domestic slavery and slave trade were not impacted by the 1807 law

expansion of slavery[edit | edit source]

  • southerners feared that the slave revolt in Haiti would inspire similar revolts in US
    • part of Jefferson's refusal to recognize Haiti in 1804 was due to southern pressure
  • Louisiana Territory opened up additional land for expansion of slavery west of the Mississippi
  • Eli Whitney

new states admitted from 1800-1810[edit | edit source]

  • 1802-3 Ohio admitted to Union
    • = first state from the original Northwest Territory

Madison presidency, 1809-1817[edit | edit source]

  • elected overwhelmingly over Federalist candidate Thomas Pinckney
  • see 1810s timeline for details on Monroe

1810s Madison & Monroe administrations[edit | edit source]

PERIOD / TIMELINE Major Events, Concepts & Themes Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
  • 1809-1813 Madison presidency 1st term

  • 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe

  • 1813-1817 Madison presidency 2nd term

  • 1812-1815 War of 1812

  • 1813-1817 Madison presidency 2nd term

  • 1816 election of James Monroe

  • 1817-1821 Monroe presidency 1st term

  • 1818 Treaty of 1818 (49th parallel)
  • 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 (acquisition of FL)

  • 1819 Panic of 1819

  • 1819 McCulloch v. Maryland

BIG IDEAS French/ British blockades

  • Napoleonic wars in Europe put pressure on international trade

British impressment of U.S. sailors

  • British policy of boarding American ships and forcing certain American sailors into service in Royal Navy

Indian Wars in Northwest Territory

  • westward expansion and settlement = conflict w/ Native Americans
  • Indian tribal alignment w British to oppose American exapansion

border dispute w/ Canada

  • US War Hawks push for territory grab, especially Canada

War of 1812

  • opposed by Federalists
  • American militia attack Ontario
  • British invasion and destruction of Washington in retaliation for American attack on Canada
  • maritime war in Great Lakes and Atlantic coastal harbors

Monroe & the ""Era of Good Feelings"

  • post-War pride, nationalism and unity
  • Monroe deliberately sought political consensus
  • 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1826 = national pride

events leading up to War of 1812[edit | edit source]

  • Napoleonic Wars impact on U.S.:
    • British & French trade embargos / blockades
    • both French and British trying to isolate U.S. trade from the other
    • British impressment of U.S. sailors/ merchant ships
  • War Hawks push for US to take British territory
    • led by Henry Clay (Whig) and John Calhoun (Democrat)
  • Federalists, especially in New England oppose the war
  • The Hartford Convention (1814-15)
    • Federalists demanded changes in Constitution to require 2/3ds vote for trade laws
  • anti-War position led to demise of Federalists, rise of Whig party by election of 1824

Northwest Territory Indian raids and conflict leading up to War of 1812[edit | edit source]

The state cessions that eventually allowed for the creation of the territories north and southwest of the River Ohio
  • Northwest Territory originally consisted of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions south of Canada
    • the land was ceded by the British in the Treaty of Paris of 1783 that ended the American Revolution.
    • VA, MA, NY PA and CT claimed parts of the territory, often in conflict with one another's claims
      • in 1784, the Continental Congress extended the Mason-Dixon westward and defined the western border of PA, leaving the land west, the Ohio Valley, federal territory
      • the Mason-Dixon line marked the southern borders of PA with DE, MD, VA (including what is now WV); it was named for its original surveyors
      • the Mason-Dixon line became known as boundary between northern free and southern slave states
        • the northernmost corner of the Territories, in present MN, is known as the "the Angle" (see [Geography fun facts & oddities] and the border was settled in 1818
    • the Northwest Indian War of 1785-1795 marked a long series of conflicts in the Ohio Valley, ending with US establish rights to settlement there
    • subsequently, the settler-Native Indian conflicts continued in the Indiana Territory and northwestern regions of the Northwest Territory
  • Ohio became the first new state from part of the Territory in 1802
  • in 1800 Indiana territory governor, William Henry Harrison, negotiated with tribes for land acquisition in
    • Treaty of 1803 and ** Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809
  • British military outposts maintained presence in the Territories through the end of the War of 1812
  • American settlers put pressure on Native Indian land holdings
  • Britain armed Native American tribes to resist American settlers
    • British agents hoped to create a permanent alliance with an autonomous Indian nation in the region
  • Shawnee tribal leader Tecumseh objected to the treaties on the grounds that the land belonged collectively to all the tribes, not just to those who joined the treaty (incl. Miami, Pottawatomie, Lenape)
    • his brother Tenskwata, known as "The Prophet", led a "purification" movement to "purify" Native Americans of European influence (including alcohol)
      • Tenskwata's movement is similar to the 1890s "Ghost Dancers" movement
      • he and Tecumseh preached Indian tribal unity and formed a confederacy of tribes
  • Tecumseh's position was that he would not form an alliance with the British if the Americans returned Indian lands
  • Battle of Tippecanoe, 1811
    • key battle took place along the Tippecanoe River
    • Indiana territory governor, William Henry Harrison, led victorious Americans
      • launched him into national fame and, later, the presidency in 1840
  • afterwards, Tecumseh openly aligned with the British during the War of 1812

War of 1812[edit | edit source]

  • American militia attack on Ontario
  • Great Lakes naval battles
  • burning of Washington
  • war hero = Andrew Jackson at Battle of New Orleans, 1815
    • the battle took place after the peace agreement

post-War economic expansion and policies[edit | edit source]

  • economic expansion following War
    • manufacturing increased under wartime economy & European trade embargos
  • Henry Clay's “American System” largely adopted by Congress, including:
    • 2nd National Bank
    • federal road building
    • protective tariffs

Era of Good Feelings[edit | edit source]

  • nationalistic pride in defeat of British in War of 1812
    • especially following the sound defeat of British forces at New Orleans
  • Monroe toured New England to show solidarity

Territorial acquisitions & border settlements with Britain and Spain[edit | edit source]

  • Treaty of 1818 w/ Britain
    • Britain ceded land northwest of the Northwest Territory (western modern MN and north & east ND)
    • US ceded lands north of the 49th parallel above modern MT
    • established the 49th parallel as the border of US and Canada from Minnesota to the Rocky Mountains
      • thus is did not settle the Oregon Country boundaries, allowing joint British and American settlement
      • Oregon Country was officially ceded to the US in the Oregon Treaty of 1846
  • Adams-Onis Treaty, 1819 w/ Spain
    • Spain ceded Florida to the US

- McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

> said states cannot tax federal bank
> asserted federal power over states, i.e. Supremacy Clause

- Panic of 1819

> national bank tried to collect loans, very unpopular move


=== subheading

  • >>details

1820s: Monroe, JQ Adams & Jackson administrations[edit | edit source]

PERIOD / TIMELINE Major Events, Concepts & Themes Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
  • timeline here

  • 1819-1827 Era of Good Feelings

  • 1823 Monroe Doctrine

  • 1827 Jacksonian democracy
  • >>

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BIG IDEAS


Era of Good Feelings

  • national pride following War of 1812
  • political divisions lessened
  • 1826 Declaration of Independence 50th anniversary celebrations


Monroe Doctrine (1823)


John Quincy Adams single term

  • "Corrupt Bargain" w/ Henry Clay


Rise of Jackson, 1827

  • Democratic Party


2nd Great Awakening, 1820s-1830s/40s


Moralism / reform movements

Alexis de Tocqueville & "Democracy in America

  • How do people act under a democracy?
  • What are the outcomes of equality?

Henry Clay & the "American System"

  • Promoting commerce via tariffs, roads, & industry

National Bank

Rise of the Whig Party


Growth in sectionalism

  • South v. North
  • rising West
  • Southern democrats v. Northern democrats
    • rural v. urban interests


subsection

  • >>

<br

Monroe presidency 1st term[edit | edit source]

  • Democratic-Republican president

Era of Good Feelings[edit | edit source]

  • political comity (general agreement, less bickering)
  • National Bank and Tariff are passed by Congress (Federalist program)
  • Erie Canal built
  • 1826 50th anniversary celebration of U.S. Independence (huge good will across nation)
  • >>details

Monroe Doctrine, 1823[edit | edit source]

  • statement of autonomy of Americas from European influence
  • Spanish empire was falling a part and the Americans wanted to stop other European nations from interfering

rise of Whig party[edit | edit source]

  • Federalist party collapsed for its opposition to the War of 1812
  • Whig party rose in its place
  • = a coalition of reformers

Democratic party[edit | edit source]

  • Southern wing:
    • defense of slavery & its expansion
    • rural
    • states’ rights (includes protection of slavery and anti-tariff)
  • Northern wing:
    • urban interests:
    • immigrants
    • reformers

Sectionalism[edit | edit source]

Election of 1826[edit | edit source]

  • controversial
  • “corrupt bargain”

Rise of Jackson and "Jacksonian democracy"[edit | edit source]

  • “Jacksonian democracy”
  • “spoils system”

Second Great Awakening[edit | edit source]

Second Great Awakening - religious revival, esp, Methodist & Baptists - Charles Finney ran religious revivals and promoted reform movements - new religions arose, including Mormons and Shakers, utopians

> some preached apocalyptic visions, end of the world, etc. (“repent the end is near!”)

- women involved, reform societies, esp against drinking (temperance), gambling & prostitution (vice) and slavery (abolition) - reformers built orphanages, asylums

Alexis de Tocqueville * “Democracy in America”[edit | edit source]

> if these people consider themselves each other’s equal, what will they do? - observed how democracies created

 >> culture of equality
 >> culture of civic engagement << everyone in a democracy wants to talk politics
 >> a fluid sociopolitical-economic society 

Henry Clay's "American system"[edit | edit source]

Promoted by Henry Clay (from Kentucky) roads and canal building new technologies: railroads, telegraph

= unifying effect, promotes commerce
> allows for more western expansion and integration into national economy

- internal improvements

= main Whig policy (the American System)


  • >>details

1830s Jackson, Van Buren & >> administrations[edit | edit source]

PERIOD / TIMELINE Major Events, Concepts & Themes Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
  • timeline here

  • 18xx xxxx

  • 1831 Nat Turner's Rebellion
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BIG IDEAS

subsection

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sectionalism[edit | edit source]

  • House of Representatives passed Gag Rules, starting 1836, barring debate on slavery in House

Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831)[edit | edit source]

  • part of series of insurrections
  • Turner's killed 60 white, who retaliated by killing 200 slaves randomly
  • Slave Codes passed, banned blacks from gathering or learning to read


Republic of Texas[edit | edit source]

  • >>details

=== subheading

  • >>details


1840s: xx administrations[edit | edit source]

PERIOD / TIMELINE Major Events, Concepts & Themes Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
  • timeline here

  • 1842 Webster–Ashburton Treaty

  • 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
  • >>

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BIG IDEAS

Manifest Destiny & western expansion
br>

Expansion of Slavery (Texas)
br>

<>big>Mexican-American War
br>

  • 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Gold Rush of 1849

  • >>

Abolition, Women's suffrage & other reform movements

  • >>

Transcendentalism

=== subheading

  • >>details
  • Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842
    • settles border agreements between US and Canada with the British, including
      • Maine/Quebec, Lake Superior and present MN (The Angle), northwestern territories border along the 49th Parallel


Western expansion leads to Mexican-American war

Manifest Destiny[edit | edit source]

> Manifest -= plain, easy to see, clear + Destiny = going to happen

>> to move westward

Justifies western expansion, settlement >> v. Indians and Spain / Mexico = notion that the nation will expand and it is good and right

Oregon Treaty, 1848[edit | edit source]

  • the Treaty of 1818 set joint British-American control of "Oregon Country for ten years with guaranteed free navigation
    • after Mexican-American War, President Polk wanted to:
      • 1) consolidate US territories & 2) avoid a war with Britain over the northwest
    • with larger American settlement, it was in the interest of the British to cede the territory and settle a permanent border
      • the Treaty ceded a portion of Vancouver that lies below the 49th parallel
        • a portion of a peninsula, today called Point Roberts, remained as US territory, even though it is disconnected from the US (exclave)
        • there remained in dispute control of several islands , which resulted in the 1859 "Pig War" over their control
        • it was named for an incident over a pig that sparked the conflict

Mexican-American War[edit | edit source]

  • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848

Gold Rush of 1849 Effects: transportation, movement, banking (also slavery tensions)

 > political activism, especially in response to Compromise of 1850


> American anti-slavery society

 >> William Lloyd Garrison< abolitionist leader, publisher
   >> inspired by David Walker, a free black in Boston in 1820s

> Frederic Douglass

> Harriett Tubman
> Sojourner Truth
> underground railroad

Reform Movements >> combined activism: suffrage, abolitions, temperance, education

Transcendentalism = belief that god exists in humans, man & society can be perfected

> Ralph Waldo Emerson
> Nathaniel Hawthorne (Scarlett Letter)
> David Thoreau

- Sectional dispute over where to build transcontinental railroad > northern or southern route?


=== subheading

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1850s: xx administrations[edit | edit source]

PERIOD / TIMELINE Major Events, Concepts & Themes Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
  • 1850 Compromise of 1850

  • 1854 Gadsden Purchase

  • >>


  • >>

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BIG IDEAS subsection

Compromise of 1850

New territories & states from Mexican-American War & Western expansion = End of Missouri Compromise (1820)

Sectional Tensions rise

Slavery issues

Hardening of politics: pro-/anti-slavery

Heading towards war, 1850s presidents do nothing about it

Panic of 1857 / Southern economic stability

subsection

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subsection

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Compromise of 1850[edit | edit source]

  • Ends the Missouri Compromise (of 1820)
  • last of the “Great Compromisers” Clay (KY), Calhoun (CS) & Daniel Webster (MA)
    • Clay divided larger bill into parts in order to pass
  • parts of the Compromise of 1850
    • California admitted as free state
    • Fugitive Slave Law
      • upsetting to northerners
      • included a concession to Northerners in the ban of the slave trade in DC (but not of slavery itself)
    • Utah & New Mexico added as territories w/ each to write its own constitution (popular sovereignty concept re. slavery)
  • after Compromise of 1850 new generation of leaders take over, more strident, more sectional-minded, more radical / ideological on both sides
  • decline of Whig power
  • No Nothings party > American Party, anti-immigrant (“nativism”), anti-catholic

>> both sides radicalize >> no way to compromise

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)[edit | edit source]

> book about slave life by Harriett Beecher Stowe
> sold 2 mm copies
> compared to Common Sense in influence on public

- Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) >> popular sovereignty for KS and NB territories >> radicalizes the public > marks end of Whig party >> “Free Soil” party has KN as its sole issue << Republican can take a wider appeal - “personal liberty laws” passed in north to require trial by jury for disputes over fugitive slaves - Bleeding Kansas or Bloody Kansas (1854-1861) > territories > Lawrence, KS = location of battles between pro- and anti-slavery factions

 >> John Brown started anti-slave movement there

> “Border Ruffians” (rough houser – proslvery MO go to KS / NB to get into a fight - Dred Scott decision by Roger Taney, 1857 > Scott, a slave, went to North, and declared himself free

>> owner sues to get him back
>> Supreme Rules that slave/blacks are not citizens << 
 >> radicalizes the public

- John Brown’s raid (1859) > messianic anti-slavery leader >> God wants us to do this! > Harpers Ferry, VA to instigate a slave rebellion > put down by Federal troops, Brown hanged for treason

Western expansion[edit | edit source]

  • Gadsden Purchase, 1853
    • negotiated after the Mexican-American war to purchase Mexican territory in the south of modern AZ and southwest area of NM
    • includes modern AZ cities of Yuma & Tucson
    • cost was $10 million and motive for Mexico to sell it was likely to get the money before the Americans fully populated and/or seized it


Panic of 1857 - Contributing factors: > tremendous growth after Mexi-Amer war led to overexpansion > over-extension of credit during boom years accelerated losses after Panic > railroads and telegraph made US more interconnected, so impact of Panic was widespread - Triggers: > sinking of gold ship SS Central America w/ 30K lbs of gold (California gold) > British bank crisis following suspension of reserve requiements (reliance on paper money) led to panic in Britain - Impact: > railroad expansion & hiring halts > grain prices drop, impacting farmers > land prices drop, impacting tax revenues and causing land-tax delinquencies > growth in westward expansion halted until after Civil War - Federal response: > Pres Buchanan blamed panic on use of paper-money withdraws bank notes under $20 >> impact was to force banks to increase hard money (specie) reserves and lower inflation << this worked - Long term impact: > southern economy largely untouched, which led to less pressure on slavery institution from northern > northern bankers and railroads impacted but recovered > midwestern expansion most impacted

foreign trade & expansion[edit | edit source]

  • Pierce sends Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan to force to open to US trade
    • never having seen a steamship before, the Japanese acquiesce (gave in) to American demands
    • Japan agrees to open two ports to American trade (previously limited to the Chinese and the Dutch)
    • Japan decides to adopt Western technologies and embarks on industrialization that leads to imperial expansion in the 1900s
  • >>details

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