-
Congress passes and enacts the Land Act
On April 24, 1820, Congress passed a new act, which lowered the cost of land purchased from the United States government in newly acquired American territories. Even though the fee had to be paid upfront, these low prices led to the rapid purchasing territorial land and subsequent expansion into these undeveloped areas. Although the point was to enable average people to buy land, wealthy people from both free and slave states began to compete for this land in order to shift power to their side. -
President James Monroe issues Monroe Doctrine
In December 1823, President James Monroe issued a statement known as the Monroe Doctrine. It stated that the western hemisphere was closed to colonization from European political and economic powers. His letter to Congress established that any and all foreign attempts to colonize western regions would be met with significant force from the United States military. With the settling of the West turning domestic, competition for control in these areas erupted between pro- and anti-slavery powers. -
Erie Canal formally opens
After close to half a decade of digging, the Erie Canal formally opened on October 26th, 1825. With the Great Lakes being connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Hudson River, the North gained a huge advantage: It could transport materials and merchandise at a fraction of the previous cost and time. Northern states and territories experienced new trade opportunities and transportation routes. These areas also benefited from the advantage of a consequent development in communication using cannons. -
Texas declares independence from Mexico
After brutal battling, Texas declared its independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836. Texas was then even a larger land area than it is today, with many natural resources and opportunities for settlement and economic growth. Rich with agriculture and in the southern region, the territory became a slave state when it was admitted to the Union a decade later. As it was such a physically, economically, and politically potent region, Texas became a powerful entity for the Confederacy before the war. -
Period: to
80,000 people migrate to California in Gold Rush
After gold was found in California, close to 100,000 people migrated there from 1848 to 1849. People came from all over the nation, leaving both slave and free states to get metallic wealth. This territorial expansion was matched with massive economic growth as money was generated from land. This migration not only took resources (in the form of people) away from slave states, but, because California became a free state the next year, this gave immense power to the Union a decade before the war. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed
The Mexican-American War was ended on February 2, 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. The United States gained an incredibly large amount of land in the southwestern region. After being divided up, much of this newly acquired land eventually became either free states or free territories with immense natural resources and economic opportunity. With Texas and other states and territories recently accepting slavery, this shifted a lot of power back to the Union prior to the war. -
Gadsden Purchase is signed
On December 30th, 1853, America signed a treaty to acquire a portion of land known as the Gadsden Purchase. The region was near Texas and had mild terrain in comparison to that of territories like Colorado and California. This, in addition to the area being agriculturally promising, led to Southerners inhabiting it and taking advantage of the opportunity for economic expansion via railroads to the Atlantic Ocean and agricultural business. It became a slave state powerhouse before the Civil War. -
The Panic of 1857 errupts
With the nation focusing on domestic territorial and economic expansion, international economic activity declined. As a result of over expansion within American territories and industries, a massive financial panic, the Panic of 1857, erupted in September—a few years before the Civil War. In addition to small businesses, many massive insurance and railroad companies—based mainly in the North—failed. With a failing industrial economy, northern areas lost a lot of power right before the Civil War.