Growth of a Nation (…2 Nations?)
As a result of the American Revolution, Britain cedes it's territory east of the Mississippi
What a Deal!
In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase nearly doubles the size of the young nation
Slave States vs. Free States As U.S. territory grows, new states are created. States in the North are considered Free States (no slavery) Southern states are considered Slave States. …it’s not necessarily all about slavery.
Slave States vs Free States
Slave States vs. Free States The creation of slave states vs. free states is mostly about political and economic power.
The Missouri Compromise Maine is admitted as a free state Missouri is admitted as a slave state, but.. Slavery is not allowed in any new states created above Missouri’s southern border.
Missouri Compromise
–In 1819, Spain cedes Florida to the U.S. in return for the nullification of a Five Million Dollar debt
Soon Thereafter, Mexico Wins Independence from Spain
Texan Independence
Manifest Destiny Throughout the 1830s and 1840s Americans dreamed of a continental empire stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific …”a divine mission to spread liberty across the continent” Newspaperman John O’Sullivan claimed it was the nations “Manifest Destiny” to overspread and possess the whole continent
War with Mexico After nearly 10 years, the United States decides the time is right to annex Texas.
New Land! The U.S. obtains land in what is now California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas (1.2 million square miles!) The Gadsen Purchase completes our southwest territory
Results of the Mexican War
Gadsen Purchase
The Compromise of 1850 California admitted as a free state Texas and New Mexico slave states Fugitive Slave Law Escaped Slaves are now the governments responsibility
Runaway Slave Ads
Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852 Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852 Sold 300,000 copies in the first year. 2 million in a decade! Sold 300,000 copies in the first year. 2 million in a decade!
Uncle Tom’s Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe So this is the lady who started the Civil War. -- Abraham Lincoln
Kansas – Nebraska Act “popular sovereignty” to decide free or slave Pro-Abolition and Pro-Slavery forces flood Kansas to sway the vote often clashing with one another - “Bloody Kansas”
Bloody Kansas This led to a series of violent acts in the divided territory Issue inflamed all sides of the slavery issue, dragging the country closer to war. Militant abolitionist John Brown and a few followers crept into a pro slavery settlement outside of Lawrence, Kansas They dragged five men out of their homes and hacked them to death with swords
Kansas Nebraska
Dred Scott Slaves are property Slaves (and former slaves) were not citizens Property rights are guaranteed by the Constitution (5 th amendment) Missouri Compromise is declared unconstitutional
John Brown Brown returns east from Kansas and plans a war in Virginia against slavery. On October 16, 1859, he and 21 other men -- 5 blacks and 16 whites -- raided the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry.
Election of 1860 Birth of the Republican Party Who was their first candidate? The Republicans win the election without winning any Southern States The South sees this as a complete loss of political power in Washington
Union and Confederacy
Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861