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Jamestown - Reason for Establishment
The Virginia Company (Founder) was in search of economic opportunity. They were expecting profit from mineral wealth (ex: gold, iron ore, timber and wood products, as well as other natural resources). Not only that, but they were also in hope of finding a Northwest Passage or sailing route to the Orient for trade. Other motives included the prevention of spreading Spanish colonies, in turn spreading Protestant Christianity, and converting the Virginian Indians. -
Jamestown - Tabacco
John Rolfe thought that the site would be a beneficial place for growing tabacco. Rolfe imported seed from the West Indies and cultivated the plant in the Jamestown colony, and it became a big part of the economy. By 1630, there was over a million and a half pounds of tabacco that were being exported from Jamestown each year. The tabacco industry and economy grew and shaped the society and development of the colony. -
Jamestown - Headright System
This was done in means to solve the labor shortage. The system included the following:
- Colonists who were already residing in Virginia were granted two headrights, meaning two tracts of 50 acres each, or a total of 100 acres of land.
- New settlers who paid their own passage to Virginia were granted one headright. Since every person who entered the colony received a headright, families were encouraged to migrate together. -
Jamestown - Headright System Continued...
Wealthy individuals could obtain headrights by paying for the passage of poor individuals. Most of the workers who entered Virginia under this arrangement came as indentured servants. The implementation of the headright system was an important aspect in Virginia’s success. Land ownership gave many people a reason to work hard, with the assurance that they were providing for their own futures, not that of the company. -
Puritans - Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, signed by 41 English colonists on the ship Mayflower, agreed to accept majority rule and participate in a government in the best interest of all members of the colony. The agreement set the precedent for later documents outlining commonwealth rule. This was the first written framework of government established in what is now the United States. The compact was drafted to prevent dissent amongst Puritans and non-separatist Pilgrims. -
Puritans - City on a Hill
This was a phrase that became a part of American vocabulary when John Winthrop warned in one of his sermons that all eyes of people and God were on them and their newly established community.
"We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." -
Puritans - Religious Tolerance
The Puritans came to America to find religious freedom—but only for themselves. They had little tolerance or even respect for the Pequot Indians, who lived in nearby Connecticut and Rhode Island. Ministers like the Reverend John Cotton preached that it was wrong to practice any religion other than Puritanism. Those who did would be helping the devil. They believed they followed the only true religion so everyone should be forced to worship as they did.
Opposition to this view: Roger Williams. -
Puritans - Work Ethic
The Puritan work ethic is more commonly called the Protestant work ethic . It is a theological and sociological concept that emphasizes diligence and hard work within the life of the Christian. The term was coined by the legendary German sociologist Max Weber. In terms of Christian theology, the term refers to the view that diligence in one's work pleases God and is a form of worship. -
Mercantilism
The British government pursued a policy of mercantilism in international trade and it stipulated that in order to build economic strength, a nation must export more than it imports. To achieve this favorable balance of trade, the English passed regulatory laws exclusively benefiting the British economy. The colonies could not compete with Britain in manufacturing and English ships, as well as merchants were always favored, excluding other countries from sharing in the British Empire's wealth. -
Salutary Neglect
Throughout the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the English government did not enforce the trade laws that most harmed the colonial economy. The purpose of salutary neglect was to ensure the loyalty of the colonists in the face of the French territorial and commercial threat in North America. The English ceased practicing salutary neglect following British victory in the French and Indian War. -
Puritans - Halfway Covenant
This was a Puritan Church document. The Halfway Covenant allowed partial membership rights to those who were not yet converted into the Puritan church. It lessened the difference between the "elect" members of the church from the regular members. Soon, women made up a larger portion of Puritan congregations. -
Bacon's Rebellion
This was an uprising of Virginia backcountry farmers and indentured servants led by planter Nathaniel Bacon. It was initially a response to Governor William Berkeley's refusal to protect backcountry settlers from Indian attacks, and the rebellion eventually grew into a broader conflict between impoverished settlers and the planter elite. -
Bacon's Rebellion - Slavery & Indentured Servants
Poorly treated African Americans, indentured servants, and the poor farmers of the region, united and demanded better treatment under colonial rule. Over the next several years, British soldiers defeated Bacon’s forces and restored Royal rule over the Virginian colony. The ruling class in Virginia changed the hardened slave policy along racial lines. No longer would white and black people serve together on the base of the pyramid. From now on, black labor would be the only stolen labor. -
Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening was a time of religious fervor during the 1730s and 1740s. The movement arose in reaction to the rise of skepticism and the waning of religious faith brought about by the Enlightenment. Protestant ministers held revivals throughout the English colonies in America, stressing the need for individuals to repent and urging a personal understanding of truth.
Colonists were finally able to step out from under the protectorate of established Christian churches. -
French and Indian War Effects - End of Salutary Neglect
Although the war ended in a British victory, it had depleted British coffers. They wanted to generate this revenue from the colonies, therefore, they began to tax the American colonists in 1763, previously unheard of during the initial period of salutary neglect. In addition, the British began to send troops to the colonies, which put further strain on British funds. At this time period, attacks from Native Americans became common. -
French and Indian War Effects - Proclamation
A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling West of the Appalacian Mountains, which further required any settlers already living West of the mountains to move back East.
Consequences: The British colonists vehemently resented the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the introduction of the concept of the Proclamation Line. Many of them wanted to go West, which insinuated conflict. -
French and Indian War Effects - Stamp Act & Other Revenue Acts
This required colonist to purchase stamps on legal documents, which included wills, deeds, mortages, newspapers, wedding liscences, and death certificates, etc.
Other acts included the Townshend Acts (1767), Sugar Act (1764), Navigation Acts, Tea Act (1773), and the Quartering Act. -
Deism
This is a religious philosophy and movement that derives the existence and nature of God from reason and personal experience. This typically rejects supernatural events and it tends to assert that God does not intervene with the affairs of human life and the natural laws of the universe. In the 1790's, less than 10% of white Americans belonged to a formal church. People started rejecting the idea of predestination, which led to the Second Great Awakening. -
Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War was fought from 1775 to 1783. It was also known as the American War of Independence. The Revolutionary War began with the confrontation between British troops and local militia at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress and drafted by Thomas Jefferson. The main purpose of it was to announce and explain separation from Great Britain. It formalized the colonies' separation from Britain and laid out the Enlightenment values of natural rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" upon which the American Revolution was based. -
Revolutionary War - Importance of French Aid
Between 1778 and 1782, the French provided supplies, arms and ammunition, uniforms, and, most importantly, troops and naval support to the beleaguered Continental Army. The French navy transported reinforcements, fought off a British fleet, and protected Washington’s forces in Virginia. French assistance was crucial in securing the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. -
Articles of Confederation
This was the first American constitution that established the United States as a loose confederation of states under a weak national Congress, which was not granted the power to regulate commerce or collect taxes. The Articles were replaced by a more efficient Constitution in 1789. -
Articles of Confederation - Weak Central Government and Flaws
This had created a weak central government that prevented the individual states from conducting their own form of foreign diplomacy. The Articles gave Congress the power to pass laws but no power to enforce those laws. If a state did not support a federal law, that state could simply ignore it. Congress had no power to levy taxes or regulate trade. Amending the Articles of Confederation would also require a unanimous decision, which would be extremely difficult. -
British Violations of the Treaty of Paris
The British did not give up control in the "Northwest Territory", but instead, they maintained a force in Detroit. They used their influence with Native Americans to destabilize the region and they even bought scalps of American colonists that were killed by the Indians. This was especially evident in Kentucky. Britain retained control in this region and they argued that Americans had failed to live up to their bargain, which was to compensate Loyalists for confiscated property. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
This was a law that divided much of the United States into a system of townships, which was done to ficilitate the sale of land to settlers and to raise money. US government would sell, at auction, Western lands for a minimum of $1 per acre. Profit was used to pay off national debt. This was a part of the Articles of Confederation. -
Articles of Confederation - Shay's Rebellion
This was a revolt by angry farmers in MA and it illustrated the chaos within the country. This rebellion pointed out the inability of the central government to maintain law and order. In reaction to the event, Alexander Hamilton (New York) started the organization of a meeting in Philadelphia during 1787. This convention would eventually throw out the Articles of Confederation and soon, draft the Constitution. -
Land Ordinance of 1787 and Admission of States
This was passed under the Articles of Confederation, and it had set up a government in the region North of the Ohio River. If a territory reached a population of 60,000 or more, they were able to apply for statehood. It prohibited enslavement of anyone born into the territory. The first state created from this was was Ohio, in 1803, at which time the remainder was renamed Indiana Territory. The other four states were Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. -
Founding Fathers Attitude Toward Political Parties
They were convinced that political parties (or factions, as they called them) would only destroy representative government and that there should be no place for parties in American democracy. As good republicans, the founders believed that parties were a threat. If the political community broke into small groups committed to their own narrow interests, the search for the common good would be compromised. -
Constitution
This document established the rights and liberties of the American people. It created a federal government of three branches - legislative, judicial, and executive. It separated powers among the three branches and it established a system of checks and balances among them. Not only that, but it also defined the distribution of power between the federal government and the states. -
Constitution - How it Strengthened the Federal Government
- The introduction of a tax for the national government - these are what we now call Federal Taxes.
- Because the national government was able to collect taxes from its citizens, this gave it the power to raise a national army.
- No one branch of government could have complete power ("Checks and Balances") and the National government was considered more powerful than the individual state governments, which greatly decreased the number of conflicts between state and national governments.
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Constitution - Ratification Fight
Federal Power: The Federalists wanted a strong federal government to hold the nation together while the Antifederalists thought that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government.
State Power: Federalists believed that states were ultimately subordinate to the federal government. Antifederalists believed that states should be more powerful than the federal government because states were closer to the people. -
Constitution - Ratification Fight
Bill of Rights: The Federalists considered it to be unnecessary because state governments already had such bills. The Antifederalists considered it to be necessary because the absence of such a bill raises the threat of tyranny. -
Constitution - Ratification Fight
This dispute was between the Federalists (supported) and Antifederalists (opposed). Their views differed from one another in terms of popular sovereignty, federal power, state power, and the bill of rights.
Popular Sovereignty: The Federalists were fearful of too much democracy, so they advocated for limited popular election of federal officials. The Antifederalists thought that the Constitution took too much power away from the people. -
Hamilton Economic Policies - Tariffs
Hamilton favored tariffs, and there were taxes on imported goods, such as shoes and textile. Benefits of tariffs included the fact that it raised money for the government and it encouraged the growth of American industries. They were designed to protect American industry from foreign competition, government subsidies, and government-financed transportation improvements, in which he hoped to break Britain's manufacturing hold on America. -
Hamilton Economic Policies - Growth of Political Parties and Jefferson's Reaction
Two Political Parties were formed: Federalists and Democratic Republicans. Federalists were those who supported Hamilton's Plan and the Democratic Republicans were those who opposed it. Thomas Jefferson (the leader of the D.R.) feared that Hamilton's plan would give too much power to the national government and support the rich in the North. Opposers also argued that no mention of Congress setting up national banks is contained in the Constitution. -
Hamilton Economic Policies - Funding and Assumption
Hamilton issued the following proposal: (Assumption of State Debts) The federal government should pay off all Confederation debts at full value. Such action would dramatically enhance the legitimacy of the new central government.To raise money to pay off the debts, Hamilton issued new securities (bonds). Investors who had purchased these public securities could make enormous profits when the time came for the United States to pay off these new debts. -
Hamilton Economic Policies - Bank of U.S.
The creation of the National Bank
- Private investors would own and operate the bank.
- The federal government would have a safe place to deposit tax revenues.
- The bank could give inexpensive loans to the government in times of need.
- The bank would also have the power to issue paper currency backed by the federal government. -
Constitution - Major Amendments
This included the Bill of Rights, which are the first ten amendments of the Constitution.
1. Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion, and Petition
2. Right to Keep and Bear Arms
3. Conditions for Quarters of Soldiers
4. Right of Search and Seizure Regulated
5. Provisions Concerning Prosecution
6. Right to a Speedy Trial, Witnesses, etc.
7. Right to a Trial by Jury
8. Excessive Bail, Cruel Punishment
9. Rule of Construction of Constitution
10. Rights of the States Under Constitution -
Bill of Rights - Purpose and Timing
Although the Anti-Federalists failed to block the ratification of the Constitution, they did ensure that the Bill of Rights would be created to protect individuals from government interference and possible tyranny. The Bill of Rights, drafted by a group led by James Madison, consisted of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guaranteed the civil rights of American citizens. -
Washington's Neutrality Proclamation
This was Washington's declaration that the U.S. would not take sides after the French Revolution touched off a war between France and a coalition consisting primarily of England, Austria and Prussia. This proclamation was technically a violation of the Franco-American Treaty of 1778. -
Eli Whitney - and Cotton Gin Impact
He was an American inventor who developed the cotton gin and contributed to the concept of interchangeable parts that were exactly alike and easily assembled or exchanged.
The cotton gin separated the seeds from raw cotton fibers. It increased the development of the South and expanded slavery due to the fact that there was more time for cotton to be planted. -
Washington's Farewell Address
This document was made when Washington retired from office. It was not given as a speech, but printed in newspapers. It did not concern foreign affairs because most of it was devoted to domestic problems. He stressed that we should stay away from permanent alliances with foreign countries and that temporary alliances wouldn't be quite as dangerous, but they should only be made in "extraordinary emergencies". He also spoke against partisan bitterness. Jeffersonians rejected this document. -
Eli Whitney - Interchangeable Parts
This was the basis of modern mass-production. Machines made each part so that it would all be alike and easy to change. It also led to the mass production of muskets for the U.S. army. -
Alien and Sedition Act
This contained four parts:
1) Raised the residence requirement for American citizenship from 5 to 14 years.
2) Alien Act - Gave the President the power in peacetime to order any alien out of the country.
3) Alien Enemies Act - permitted the President in wartime to jail aliens when he wanted to.
4) The Sedition Act - Key clause provided fines and jail penalties for anyone guilty of sedition. Was to remain in effect until the next Presidential inauguration. -
Alien and Sedition Act - Kentucky and Virginia Resolves
This was put into practice in 1798 by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. These were secretly made to get the rights back that were taken away from the Alien and Sedition Acts. These also brought about the later compact theory which gave the states more power than the federal government. -
Election of 1800 (Significance)
A.K.A Resolution of 1800 - Jefferson and Burr tied in the number of electoral votes and then Hamilton (who despised Burr) supported Jefferson, whcich eventually won him the election. This was significant becuase political power was shifted between parties, peacefully. It also caused further conflict between Burr and Hamilton. -
Marbury v. Madison
William Marbury sued for his commision as a judge because he had been promised a job by Adams but refused by Jefferson The ruling came out to be this: Marshall claimed that the Supreme Court could not rule on the case and ruled the earlier Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional. This led to the establishment of judicial review. -
Louisiana Purchase; Why Jefferson Wanted It
Jefferson wanted the US to be able to freely use the Mississippi River and the Port of New Orleans for shipping crops to the market. He sent Monroe, who ended up spending $15 million, and he was able to purchase Louisiana and an immeasurable amount of land to the west. The purchase of this land doubled the size of the United Sates. Also, it represented Jefferson's contradiction to his own beliefs of strict construction, buying this enormous amount of land without first consulting the government. -
War of 1812; Causes
This was a war between the U.S. and Britain. America declared war in 1812 because of trade restrictions, impressments, British support of American Indian tribes against American expansion, and humiliation of American honor. It lasted until 1814, ending with the Treaty of Ghent and a renewed sense of American nationalism. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention was a meeting of New England Federalists held in Hartford Connecticut in the winter of 1814-15. These Federalists opposed the War of 1812 and held the convention to discuss and seek redress by Washington for their complaints and wrongs that they felt had been done. Many of these complaints were manifestations of their fears of being overpowered by states in the South and West. The Hartford Convention was an example of the growing issue of Sectionalism. -
Lowell System
This was a paternalistic textile factory system of the early 19th century that employed mainly young women from the ages of 15-35 from New England farms. This was done to increase efficiency, productivity and profits in ways different from other methods. -
Cult of Domesticity
This was a widespread cultural creed that glorified the customary functions of the homemaker. Married women held immense power in being able to control the morals of a household. -
Compromise of 1820 - Purpose, Terms, and Map
The issue was that Missouri wanted to join the Union as a slave state, therefore unbalancing the Union, so there would be more slave states than free states. The Compromise set it up so that Maine joined as a free state and Missouri joined as a slave state. Congress also made a line across the southern border of Missouri saying that except for the state of Missouri, all states north of that line must be free states (states without slavery), alternating the map. -
Monroe Doctrine
- This was written by John Quincy Adams and it stated that the U.S. would consider any foreign challenge to the sovereignty of existing American nations an unfriendly act.
- This rose from the U.S.'s relationship with Europe in the 1820s. Many feared that Spain's allies (France) would help Spain regain its former empire.
- Adams also feared that Britain had designs on Cuba, which he believed would ultimately fail on their hands. -
Monroe Doctrine Continued...
The Roosevelt Corollary stated that the U.S. would intervene as a last resort to ensure that other nations in the Western Hemisphere fulfilled their obligations to international creditors and did not invite any foreign aggression to the detriment of the entire body of the United Nations. -
American System and Canal Building (including effect(s))
- This was a plan proposed by Henry Clay to work on economic reform. Clay wanted to help stabilize the country and begin the pursuit for work recognition. The plan called for a protective tariff to be put in place for the manufacturers, a new Federal Bank to be put in place, and to begin work on many internal improvements.
- Improved roads and canals would facilitate commerce, speeding it up and making it less costly. -
Andrew Jackson
He was a Democratic Republican and was voted into office in the year of 1828. He believed that the people should rule and was the first president from the West, and represented many of its characteristics. Jackson appealed to the common man and was said to be one himself. He believed in the strength of the Union and the supremacy of the federal government over the state government. -
Manifest Destiny - Democratic Policies
Democrats were against privilege/social distinction, national bank and economic regulation, federal funding for internal improvements, and protective tariffs. They supported expansion and universal male suffrage for whites. In terms of slavery, they were divided as Fire-Eaters (supported slavery) and Barnburners (against slavery). -
Tariff of Abominations/Nullification Crisis - Calhoun
John C. Calhoun (current Vice President) of South Carolina anonymously wrote the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, in response to the tariff, discussing the doctrine of nullification. The doctrine emphasized a state’s right to reject federal laws within its borders and it questioned the morality and constitutionality of taxing imports without the goal of raising revenue. Later on, the South Carolina Legislature used Calhoun's line of reasoning to nullify the Tariff of 1832. -
Tariff of Abominations
This was the name given to the Tariff of 1828 by Southerners who were outraged and felt that the tax on imports was excessive, and that it also unfairly targeted their region in the U.S. The tariff became law in the spring of the same year, and it had set very high duties on goods imported into the U.S. It created major economic problems for the South and adding to the injury, the law had been devised to protect manufacturers that were in the Northeast. -
Transcendentalism
A philosophy made by Ralph Waldo Emerson, in which each person has direct communication with God and Nature, and there is no need for organized churches. It incorporated the ideas that mind goes beyond matter, intuition is valuable, that each soul is part of the Great Spirit, and each person is part of a reality where only the invisible is truly real. Promoted individualism, self-reliance, and freedom from social constraints, and emphasized emotions. -
William Lloyd Garrison
He was a famous American abolitionist, social reformer, and journalist. He is best known for his famous paper called, "The Liberator" and for his founding of the American Anti-Slavery Society. He was also a voice for the women's suffrage movement. -
Emerson, Cooper and Other Early 19th Century Authors
- Emerson was an American Transcendentalist who was against slavery and stressed self-reliance, optimism, self-improvement, self-confidence, and freedom. He was a prime example of a transcendentalist and helped further the movement.
- Cooper a profilic and popular American writer of the early 19th century who wrote numerous sea-stories and historical novelss known as the the "Leatherstocking Tales".
- Other authors included James Russel Lowell and Oliver Wendell Holmes.
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Andrew Jackson - Indian Policy
A.K.A. Indian Removal Act: After Jackson demanded both political and military action on removing Native American Indians from the Southern states of America in 1829, he signed it into law. All the tribal leaders agreed after his landslide election victory in 1832. This act created the end of Indian Rights to live in those states under their own traditional laws, and they were forced to assimilate and concede to US law or leave their homelands. -
Andrew Jackson - Bank of U.S.
- Jackson started a campaign in 1833 called the Bank War. It was set to destroy the Second Bank of the United States.
- His reelection convinced him that his opposition to the bank had actually won him national support.
- He believed that the Bank of U.S. had too much power and was too rich.
- He vetoed the Second Bank Charter and withdrew government money from the U.S. Banks and had put it into "pet banks". -
Nullification Crisis and Effects on Later Sucession
This was a debate/battle between Andrew Jackson (current president) and the South Carolina Legislature. The Legislature had declared the Tariff of 1832 null and void in the state and threatened secession if the federal government tried to collect duties. It was resolved by a compromise that was negotiated by Henry Clay in the year of 1833. -
Tariff of Abominations/Nullification Crisis - Jackson's Reaction
President Andrew Jackson issued a proclamation to the people of South Carolina that disputed a states' right to nullify a federal law. Jackson's proclamation was written in response to an ordinance issued by a South Carolina Convention. -
Mexico/Manifest Destiny - Whig Policy
They existed during the Era of Jacksonian Democracy. They opposed Jackson and claimed that he took too much executive power that was not given to him. Not only that, but they were also in favor of the National Bank, high tariffs, federal funding for internal improvements, and political actions for social reforms. They were divided in terms of slavery (Conscience and Cotton Whigs). -
Andrew Jackson - Pet Banks
"Pet Banks" was a degrading term used by the opponents of Andrew Jackson to describe state banks selected to receive large deposits of government money. In the year of 1833, the 2nd Bank of the U.S. had about nine million dollars that belonged to the government. He stated that no more govenrment money should be put into the bank, and all future deposits were to made into certain state banks . Those were controlled by Jackson's political friends and referred to as the 'Pet Banks'. -
Manifest Destiny
This was the 19th century American belief that it was the United States destiny to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrats in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico. The concept was then later denounced by the Whigs, and it fell into disuse after the mid-19th century. It was first used for the annexation of the Texas issue, and it was opposed by Clay, Webster and Lincoln, but supported by Polk. -
Andrew Jackson - Expansion of Suffrage
The Jacksonians believed that voting rights should be extended to all white men, and by 1820, universal white male suffrage was the norm. By 1850, nearly all voting requirements to own property or pay taxes had been dropped. -
Mexico - Election of 1844
This included the following candidates: Henry Clay (Whig) and James K. Polk (Democrat). Polk was in favor of expansion and he demanded for Texas and Oregon to be added to the U.S. and Clay had already spoke out against annexation. In the end, Polk won by the vote of one state, which was New York. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
The treaty was very successful, giving America claim to Texas, and all of the land west of Texas stretching up to Oregon, including California. The U.S. paid $15 million for the land, which increased the size of the country by about 1/3. Some were resentful of the victory over Mexico and the terms of the treaty because they thought that the U.S. should get all of Mexico. Others were angry because they thought Polk hadn't followed the "Anglo-Saxon spirit of fair play." -
Seneca Falls Convention
This was the first women’s rights convention in the U.S. It was organized by a handful of women who were active in the abolition and temperance movements and was held in Seneca Falls, New York. It was done for the purpose of calling to attention the unfair treatment of women. 300 people attended this convention, including 40 men. -
Seneca Falls Convention - Stanton and Anthony
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a leader in 19th century activism for women's suffrage, and Susan B. Anthony was a key spokesperson for the 19th century women's suffrage movement. They often worked together, and Stanton was the theorist and writer while Anthony was the public spokesperson, as mentioned above. -
Irish Immigration and the Know-Nothing Party
In he 1840s, the potato famine struck Ireland, and by the 1850s, the potatoes were unusable. As a result, millions of Irish left for America to pursue the “American Dream" and many ended up in Boston. Irish Catholic immigration, unfortunately, was opposed by the Know-Nothing party, and they were occasionally discriminated against. -
Popular Sovereignty
This was the concept that political power rested with the people who could create, alter, and abolish government. People did this by expressing themselves through voting and free participation in government. This concept was largely opposed by Northern abolitionists, because they feared that it would promote the spread of slavery to the territories. -
Compromise of 1850 and California
Divisions over slavery in territory that was gained in the Mexican-American War were resolved in the Compromise of 1850. It consisted of laws that admitted California as a free state, created Utah and New Mexico territories with popular sovereignty in action, settled a Texas-New Mexico boundary dispute in the former’s favor, ended the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and made it easier for Southerners to recover fugitive slaves. -
Compromise of 1850 - Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Acts were a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway slaves within the territory of the U.S. The first one was created in 1793, and due to widespread resistance to the law, later led to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This added further provisions regarding runaways and levied even harsher punishments for anyone who interfered in their capture. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act - Popular Sovereignty - Missouri Compromise
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was an 1854 bill that allowed “popular sovereignty”. This allowed settlers of a territory to decide whether slavery would be allowed within a new state’s borders. This was proposed by Stephen A. Douglas, and the bill overturned the Missouri Compromise’s use of latitude as the boundary between slave and free territory. -
Dred Scott Case - Constitutionality of Missouri Compromise and Reactions
-During the trial, the antislavery justices used the case to defend the Constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise, which had been repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The Southern majority responded by ruling that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the territories.
-This case was being criticized by northerners and Republicans, and praised by southerners and Democrats. -
Dred Scott Case
He was a Missouri slave who sued for his freedom, claiming that his four year stay in the Northern portion of the Louisiana Territory, which was made free land by the Missouri Compromise, had made him a free man. The U.S, Supreme Court decided he couldn't sue in federal court because he was property, not a citizen. -
John Brown - Harper's Ferry - Reactions
- John Brown was a radical abolitionist who believed in the violent overthrow of the slavery system. In 1859, Brown and 21 of his followers attacked and occupied the federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry. Their goal was to capture supplies and use them to arm a slave rebellion. Brown was captured during the raid and later hanged.
- The majority of the North saw John Brown as a hero and person who wanted to end slavery, while the South was enraged and saw him as a murderer. -
Lincoln/Republican Policy on Slavery in 1860 and Secession
Both Lincoln and the Republican Party supported the eventual abolition of slavery. The Republicans of 1860, recognized political reality, and proposed to ban the spread of slavery into the territories. By banning the spread of slavery into the territories (which would eventually become states), the Republicans hoped to alter the future political balance of power, enough to make it possible to enact a bill abolishing slavery. During this time, Southern Democrats wanted to seceed from the Union. -
Civil War - Strengths of the North and South
- North: They had a large navy and fleet of trading ships. They were 70% of the nations rail lines to transport food and troops. They had 4x the free population to volunteer in army and work, and 90% of the nation's industry, including factories that produced weapons and war supplies.
- South: They knew the territory that they were fighting on and they had trained soldiers with hunting skill and attended military school.They also had a cause, which was for independence. -
Civil War - Causes
There were two major causes of the Civil War - Slavery and State's Rights. The economy in the South was based on the cash crop plantation system, which depended on the slavery. Whereas the economy in the North was based on manufacturing and industry, and they were not reliant on slaves. The South were concerned about the dominance of the Northern states following the election of Abraham Lincoln and the Republican party and the possible infringement of states rights. -
Civil War - Weaknesses of the North and South
- South: They had few railroads to transport troops and supplies and a small population to volunteer for the army and to make supplies. They also had few factories to creat those supplies and weapons.
- North: They had few trained soldiers and was traveling into unknown territories. Not only that, but they also had long distances to transport troops and supplies. -
Civil War - Foreign Policy of Britain and France
The diplomatic strategy of the Confederacy was based upon a faulty assumption. Government officials assumed that Southern cotton was so vital to European economies, especially the British, that active support would ensue. That support never arrived, despite a tendency of both Britain and France to imply they were about to side with the South. -
Emancipation Proclamation - Purpose and Terms
By 1862, Lincoln was convinced that abolition was not only a sound military strategy, but that it was also the morally correct path. At the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln declared that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” It was an important turning point in the war, transforming the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom.
