Outline of Chapters 19 and 20

Chapter 19 Drifting Toward Disunion

Stowe and Helper: Literary Incendiaries

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was a great success at showing the people the evils of slavery.
• It was a great political force as well that helped start and win the civil war, it was very influential in the North and abroad.
• Uncle Tom's Cabin convinced many foreigners that slavery and the south were in the wrong this made it impossible for French and British forces to intervene on the South's behalf. 
• The Impending Crisis of the South also was influential and was written by Hinton R. Helper.

The North-South Contest for Kansas

• Financed by Northern abolitionists the New England Emigrant Aid Company sent 2000 men to Kansas to sway the vote for free soil. 
• The south was enraged; they believes that Nebraska would become a free state and Kansas would become a slave state. 
• When the day came to elect officials the two groups created separate governments within Kansas
• in 1856 proslaverites shot and burned the free soil town of Lawrence.

Kansas in Convulsion

• Civil war broke out in Kansas on the issue of slavery.
• by 1857 there were enough free-soilers to apply for state hood.
• Proslavery forces created the Lecompton Constitution. this made it so that the people could not vote for or against the constitution but rater for slavery or against slavery. Whatever the outcome the constitution would still protect slaves already in Kansas. 
• Free soilers boycotted the vote thus the constitution was passed with slavery
• The debate went to washington where they put the issue to a popular vote. The free soilers went to the polls and denied slavery. 
• Buchanan by addressing the issue divided the Democratic party, the last national party. 

"Bully"Brooks and his Bludgeon

• the issue of "bleeding kansas" approached congress as well.
• Senator Charles Sumner delivered a long speech condemning proslavery men while directly insulting South Carolina
• Congressman Preston S. Brooks took offense, but was worried that if Sumner refused to duel with him then he would be placed on a lower social ladder, so he beat Sumner with a cane until it broke causing major mental damage. 
• Each blow caused thousands of Republican votes
• Sumner's "The Crime Against Kansas" speech was reprinted by the thousands, and it put Brooks and the South in the Wrong. 

"Old Buck" versus "The Pathfinder"

• In 1856 the Democrats chose James Buchanan as their presidential candidate. He was mediocre, irresolute, and confused, but was not tainted with enemies from the bleeding Kansas. 
• The Republicans chose Captain John C. Fremont who was a fighter in the Mexican American War
• The American party also known as the "Know nothing party" nominated Millard Fillmore
• Anti-foreignism was placed in the campaign
• The campaign was full of mudslinging and Fremont was hurt due to him being a Roman Catholic. 

The Electoral Fruits of 1856

• James Buchanan just barely won the presidency
• Fremont did not win due to a worry that the South would succeed (which they said they would) if Fremont was elected

The Dred Scott Bombshell

• The Dred Scott vs. Stanford was a supreme case 
• Dred Scott, a black slave, had lived with his master for five years in Illinois and Wisconsin Territory. He sued for freedom dependent on the fact that he had lived on free soil for a long period of time.
• The Supreme court ruled that Dred Scot was a black slave and not a citizen, and hence could not sue in federal courts. They went further to state that because a slave was private property he or she could be taken into any territory and legally held there in slavery. Also, in this line of thinking, the compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional. 
• Te case inflamed millions of abolitionists against slavery and even those who didn’t care much about it.
• Northerners complained; Southerners were ecstatic about the decision but inflamed by northern defiance, and more tension built

The Financial Crash of 1857

• The panic of 1857 was a psychological panic. 
• its causes were:

1. california gold causing inflation
2. over growth of grain
3. over-speculation

• The North was harder hit than the South because the South had favorable cotton prices thus they were able to keep their financial heads a float. This increased the go of the Southerners causing them to believe that Cotton was king. 
• In 1860 Congress passed the homestead act that would give cheap land to those in need, but it was vetoed by James Buchanan. 

An Illinois Rail-Splitter Emerges

• In 1858, Senator Stephen Douglas’ term was about to expire, and against him was Republican Abraham Lincoln.
• He was not a rich kid, but rather a humble man born in a log cabin. Lincoln was a good lawyer and debater and had a down to earth feel to him. 

The Great Debate: Lincoln versus Douglas

• Lincoln challenged Douglas to a debate duel. Everyone believed that Lincoln would fail for Douglas was a great debater and Lincoln did not have a good voice. He, however, managed to hold his own. 
• In Freeport, Illinois Lincoln asked Douglas if the people of a territory voted slavery down, despited the supreme court saying that they could not do so whom would he support
• Douglas replied that no matter what the Supreme court ruled slavery would stay away if the people wished it
• His decision caused the South to dislike him
• He won the senate seat, but lost his chance at presidency to Lincoln

John Brown: Murderer or Matyr?

•  John Brown was a man with a plan. He planned to invade the South, steal arms, and free Slaves along the way causing a major slave revolt that would free them all. 
• However, when he raided Harper's Ferry ( a federal arsenal) the slaves did not come to his calling and he was soon captured. 
• He was sentenced to death and hanged 
• In his last moments Brown portrayed himself as a Martyr against Slavery thus he became more influential to the cause after his death than before
• Northerners rallied around his memory. Abolitionists were angered by his execution. 
• The south, constantly paranoid, was worried of more slave revolts, but they were ecstatic that Brown was executed. 
• Even Ralph Waldo Emerson compared John Brown to Jesus

The Disruption of the Democrats

• After failing to nominate a candidate in Charleston, South
  Carolina, the Democrats split into Northern and Southern factions, and
  at Baltimore, the Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas for
  president while the Southern Democrats chose John C. Breckinridge.
• Meanwhile, the “Know-Nothings” chose John Bell of
  Tennessee and called themselves the Constitutional Union party. They
  tried to mend fences and offered as their platform, simply, the
  Constitution.

A rail-splitter Splits the Union

• The Republicans chose Abraham Lincoln instead of the well known Seward because "old abe" had caused less enemies. 
• The Republican's platform addressed every non-southern group. They gave a protective tariff to the Northern manufacturers, no abridgement of rights for immigrants, internal improvements out of the Federal wallet in the West and free homesteads for farmers. 
• Even though Lincoln was not an outright abolitionist Southerners threatened to succeed if Lincoln was elected 
• Despite not being on the ballot in the South Lincoln won the election. 

The Electoral Upheaval of 1860

• If the Democratic party had been more organized they might have won. 
• The Southerners, although losing the presidency, were still in a good position. The Republicans did not control the House or the Senate and the South still had a five to four majority in the Supreme Court

The Secessionist Exodus

• South Carolina seceded in December of 1860
• Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas soon followed before Abe was inaugurated
• Those seven met in Montgomery, Alabama in February of 1861 and created the Confederate States of America.
• they nominated jefferson Davis as president
• A country created by secession could not logically ban secession and it was difficult to have a strong central government because each state believed in powerful states rights. 

The Collapse of Compromise

• With a last ditch effort the Crittenden Compromise was created.
• The results would be ban of slavery north of the 36 30' line extended to the Pacific and would leave the issue of slavery in territories south of the line up to the people ; also any preexisting slavery south of the line was given a guarantee as to be protected. 
• Lincoln, sticking to principles, opposed the compromise due to his party's antagonism towards extension of slavery

Farewell to Union

• Many Southerners supported secession because they believed that they would be unopposed. 
• They feared for their right as a slaveholding minority 
• The South also hoped to create their own banking and shipping creating more profit and cutting out the middle man of the North. 

Chapter 20: Girding for War: The North and the South

The Menace of Secession

• March 4, 1861 Lincoln was finally inaugurated after seven states had already left the Union
• He stated that there would be no conflict unless the south provoked it
• Lincoln also declared that the unifying of the union was his main goal and that it was ridiculous in the first place of splitting
•  due to

1. geographically there was nothing that separated the two
2. sharing the national debt and federal territories
3. European powers could weasel their way into the Americas 

South Carolina Assails Fort Sumter

• There were still two forts in the South that flew the stars and stripes.
• Fort Sumter was one of them, but it was soon running out of supplies. Lincoln sent supplies and declared to the South Carolina governor that it was only supplies not reinforcements.
• However, the South did not see it that way. On April 12, 1861 cannons were fired onto the fort; after 34 hours the fort surrendered
• Northerners were enraged by the South's actions so when Lincoln called on volunteers to fight many flooded to the enlistment
• Lincoln also issued a naval blockade on the South
• This caused four more states to succeed: Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

Brothers' Blood and Border Blood

• Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland were crucial support for whomever held them. They were slave states that did not secede
• In Maryland Lincoln declared martial law so that DC would not be surrounded by confederate territory
• He also declared that the wr was to hold the Union together NOT free slaves, this helped secure the border states. If he had said it was to free slaves then the slave states would be worried about losing their property. 
• The war was one of brother vs. brother, with the mountain men of what’s now West Virginia sending some 50,000 men to the Union. The nation’s split was very visible here, as Virginia literally split.

The Balance of Forces

• Southern Advantages at the beginning of the war

1. They only had to fight to a tie
2. They knew the ground they were fighting on
3. Talented leadership in the form of Robert E Lee and Thomas Jackson
4. Most southerners knew how to fight and fire a gun 
5. they were protecting their livelihood and homes

• Southern Disadvantages

1. shortage of factories
2. shortage of train tracks
3. did not control the sea
4. lacked population
5. had a poor economy

Dethroning King Cotton

• The South needed Foreign aid, but due to Uncle Tom's cabin and a surplus of cotton most foreigners were inclined to side with the North
• Europe needed food such as Wheat and corn more than cotton therefore they sided with the Northerners

The Decisiveness of Diplomacy

• In 1861 a Union warship stopped a British steamer and removed two confederate diplomats. However Lincoln was forced to release the prisoners because it enraged Britain.
• The British built sea vessels that went to the Confederacy to help them in a legal loophole they were not technically war ships because they were not armed when in British territory
• Charles Francis Adams persuaded Britain not to build any more ships 
• for the Confederacy, since they might someday be used against England.

Foreign Flare-Ups

• Britain also created two rams that owuld destroy Union blockades, but threat of war caused them to keep the rams for  their own navy instead of giving them up to the confederates
• Napoleon III of France installed a puppet government in mexico directly disobeying the Monroe Doctrine while the United States was busy with their internal dispute
• After the war the U.S threatened war and Napoleon withdrew his influence. 

President Davis versus President Lincoln

• President Davis had issues because the States were more powerful than the confederacy and many soldiers did not want to fight past their own borders
• He was also not very popular because he did not appeal to the masses, but rather his own logic
• Lincoln had the benefit of ruling an already formed government and a powerful central government

Limitation on Wartime Liberties

• Lincoln did many questionable acts during presidency

1. illegally proclaimed a blockade
2. sending in troops to the border states
3. He advanced 2 million to three private citizens for war purposes
4. Suspended Habeas Corpus
5. Intimidated voted in the border states

• The Confederates refusal to sacrifice some states rights caused a handicap that ultimately led to their defeat.

Volunteers and Draftees: North and South

• The first draft appeared.
• This angered the poor in both the SOuth and the north because the rich could pay for their substitute. Many declared "It was a rich man's war, but a poor man's fight"
• The South had to declare a draft a whole year before the North

The Economic Stresses of War

• The North increased their tariffs 5 to 10 percents
• The Washington Treasury issued greenback paper money that was very unstable and lowered to almost 39 cents per dollar
• The Federal Treasury netted 2.6 billion i the sale of bonds
• The National Banking System was created to establish a standard bank-note currency, and banks that joined the National Banking System could buy government bonds and issue sound paper money.
• The southerners had difficulty with inflation. It went up 9000% as opposed to 80% in the North. 

The North's Economic Boom

• The North was more prosperous after the civil war than before.
• New factories were protected by the high tariffs and the first millionaire class was formed
• Many Union suppliers made their supplies cheaply and with new machines to reduce cost and increase profit
• Women began taking jobs that were previously men's during the war
• Women like Clara Barton and Dorothea Dix helped transformed nursing from a low job to a respected profession 

A Crushed Cotton Kingdom

• The South was crushed by the end of the war
• They only had 12 % of the national wealth as opposed to the 30% they had in the beginning
• Their transportation systems were destroyed
• Egypt had taken some of the cotton market from them

Identity: 

How did the conflicts that led to the Civil War change popular ideas about national, regional, and racial identities?  

The "bloody Kansas" incident led to a definitive split between the North and South. It gave a line to the border which caused the Civil war. 

Politics and Power: 
Why did attempts at compromise before the war fail to prevent the conflict?  

Compromise could only push back the inevitable conflict between the North and South because the two side were to juxtaposed. They both believed that they were defending their ways of life and protecting religion. Aso slaves made so much profit for the South that they would never give up their valuable assets. 

Unit 4 Learning Objectives

Identity: How did debates over American democratic culture and the proximity of many different cultures living in close contact affect changing definitions of national identity?

Work, Exchange, and Technology: How did the growth of mass manufacturing in the rapidly urbanizing North affect definitions of and relationships between workers, and those for whom they worked?  How did the continuing dominance of agriculture and the slave system affect southern social, political, and economic life?

Peopling: How did the continued movement of individuals and groups into, out of, and within the United States shape the development of new communities and the evolution of old communities?

Politics and Power: How did the growth of ideas of mass democracy, including such concerns as expanding suffrage, public education, abolitionism, and care for the needy affect political life and discourse?

America in the World: How did the United States use diplomatic and economic means to project its power in the western hemisphere?  How did foreign governments and individuals describe and react to the new America Nation?

Environment and Geography: How did environmental and geographic factors affect the development of sectional economics and identities?

Ideas, Beliefs, and Cultures: How did the idea of democratization shape and reflect American arts, literature, ideals, and culture?

chapter 15 Questions

Know:    Alexis de Tocqueville, The Age of Reason, Deism, Unitarians, Second Great Awakening, Camp Meetings, Charles Grandison Finney

1.        In what ways did religion in the United States become more liberal and more conservative in the early decades of the 19th century?

During the Second Great Awakening of the 19th Century new ideas such as Deism and Unitarians burst forth. Huge camp meetings and new fiery preachers allowed the gospel to be poured onto the common folk. Also, women experienced a sense of freedom during this period of religious freedom. They helped spread and further the spirit more than any other group. 

Denominational Diversity

Know:    Burned-Over-District, Millerites (Adventists)

2.        What effect did the Second Great Awakening have on organized religion?

The second Great Awakening fragmented old religious organizations. With these new ideas people continually broke off from the established churches and  created their own ideas.

A Desert Zion in Utah

Know:    Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Brigham Young

3.        What characteristics of the Mormons caused them to be persecuted by their neighbors?

Mormons were persecuted by their neighbors because they were different. The Mormon belief was an oligarchy that believed in polygamy. They also voted as one unit and continually drilled their militia for defensive purposes. Non-followers believed that polygamy went strictly against the bible and their drilling of militia made them nervous so they persecuted the mormons until they moved to Utah. There they created their own very successful community. 

Free Schools for a Free People

Know:    Three R's, Horace Mann, Noah Webster, McGuffey's Readers

4.        What advances were made in the field of education from 1820 to 1850?

Between 1820 and 1850 free public education was on the rise thanks to worried citizens about the "next generation". However, the quality of the education was not very good. The schools focused more on promoting patriotism and morality in their young students rather than critical thinking.

Higher Goals for Higher Learning

Know:    University of Virginia, Oberlin College, Mary Lyon, Lyceum, Magazines

5.        In what ways did higher education become more modern in the antebellum years?

Higher education became available to more and more people, even women, although it was still excluded from Blacks. Lecture associations, magazines, and liberal arts colleges were more abundant spreading knowledge throughout the classes. 

An Age of Reform

Know:    Sylvester Graham, Penitentiaries, Dorthea Dix

6.        How and why did Dorthea Dix participate in the reform movements?

Dorthea Dix, due to her infinite compassion, traveled a whole sixty thousand miles to expose the terrible conditions of insanity asylums. Using only her written pen Dix described the asylums so vividly as to sway legislature. 

Demon Rum--The "Old Deluder"

Know:    American Temperance Society, Neil S. Dow, Maine Law of 1851

7.        Assess the successfulness of the temperance reformers.

Temperance reformers were not very successful. Although they got about a dozen states to pass prohibition laws many of those laws were repealed or outright flouted. Drunkards cannot be tamed by simply writing a couple words into legislature. 

Women in Revolt

Know:    Spinsters, Alexis de Tocqueville, Cult of Domesticity, Catherine Beecher, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell, Margaret Fuller, Sarah and Angelina Grimke, Amelia Bloomer, Seneca Falls, Declaration of Sentiments

8.        Describe the status of women in the first half of the 19th century.

Women were infinitely considered minors and inferior to men during the first half of the 19th century. They were, however, legally better off than their counterparts in Europe. Many women to avoid submerging themselves against mens rule refused to marry. Women reformers also began to pop up - because of their hard work women were gradually being admitted into colleges and in some states were able to keep their property after they were married. 

Wilderness Utopias

Know:    Utopias, New Harmony, Brook Farm, Oneida Community, Complex Marriage, Shakers

9.        In what ways were utopian communities different from mainstream America?

Utopian communities tried to create an ideal town through religion (such as the Shakers) or philosophy (such as transcendentalists) . However, because we all know that nothing perfect exists, they all failed.

The Dawn of Scientific Achievement

Know:    Benjamin Silliman, John J. Audubon

10.        Was the United States a leader in the world in scientific pursuits?  Explain.

The Untied States was a leader in practical sciences. Meaning that agriculture and nautical sciences were advanced, but in depth research such as medicine was not.

Makers of America: The Oneida Community

Know:    John Humphrey Noyes, Bible Communism, Mutual Criticism

11.        The word "utopia" is a word that is "derived from Greek that slyly combines the meanings of `a good place' and `no such place'."  Does the Oneida Community fit this definition?  Explain.

For members of the Oneida community that believed in Noyes the community was certainly a "good place", but it could never exist with success because of persecution and its neighbors. This made it so that it fit perfectly with the definition of "utopia".

Artistic Achievements

Know:    Thomas Jefferson, Gilbert Stuart, Charles Wilson Peale, John Trumball, Hudson River School, Daguerreotype, Stephen C. Foster

12.        "The antebellum period was a time in which American art began to come of age."  Assess.

American painters, after the war of 1812, shunned the normal portraits and faced toward romanticism of local wilderness. In this way they turned from their old counterparts to new fresh unique ideas of their own, just like a teenager grows to have his or her own ideas. 

The Blossoming of a National Literature

Know:    Knickerbocker Group, Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, William Cullen Bryant

13.        In the early 1800's American writers emerged, who were recognized world-wide for their ability.  What made them uniquely American?

They were born in America and their works were steeped in the traditions and culture of America. They all emphasized modern america. There was a sense of brutality and individualism that was not present in the European works which made them ever so more popular. 

Trumpeters of Transcendentalism

Know:    Transcendentalism, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or Life in the Woods, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, Walt Whitman

14.        Which of the transcendentalists mentioned here best illustrated the theory in his life and writings? Explain.

Henry David Thoreau exemplified his philosophy throughout his life by spending two years secluded from civilization at Walden Pond. He worked to minimize his materials in order for him to meditate and further his philosophy. 

Glowing Literary Lights

Know:    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Russell Lowell, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson

15.        Name six important American writers and explain the significance of each.

Edgar Allen Poe's work contradicted with that of the normal American literature. This made it stand out not only in America, but Europe as well. Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter wrote deeply on the Puritan practice of forcing an adulteress to wear a letter A on her outfit and how sin affects the mind. Herman Melville, through actual physical experience, wrote Moby Dick.

Literary Individualists and Dissenters

Know:    Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville

16.        Why do you think Poe and Melville were not appreciated as much in America at the time as they were in other times and places?

Poe wrote in a morbid and pessimistic fashion, the opposite of the optimistic tone of the American culture. Melville's Moby Dick wasn't liked because it was very impersonal and unknowable, it was ignored because it wasn't straight forward.

Portrayers of the Past

Know:    George Bancroft, William H. Prescott, Francis Parkman

17.        How did the geographic background of early historians affect the history they wrote?

They take the point of  view or side from where they're from, they're biased. Also, the areas they're in, like Boston, may contain good sources of education. 

Varying Viewpoints:  Reform: Who? What? How? and Why?

18.        Were 19th century reformers compassionate, religious people; fanatics who didn't care if their actions had negative results; or conservatives who wanted to control the lower classes?  Explain.

19th century reformers were conservatives who wanted to control their income. All of the wars that they fought: for abolition of slavery, education, and feminism rights were used to control the lower class and keep them working for the upper class. 

Chapter 17 Questions

CHAPTER 17:  MANIFEST DESTINY AND ITS LEGACY

The Accession of "Tyler Too"

Know:    William Henry Harrison, John Tyler

14.        "Yet Tyler...should never have consented to run on the ticket."  Explain this quote from your text.

Tyler should not have run for the ticket because he disagreed with all of the unspoken platform ideologies in all aspects. As an ex-democrat (still more democrat than whig) Tyler was against large banks and protective tariffs. After Harrison died, and he took over presidency, he alienated many of his cabinet makers and whig politicians due to his viewpoints. 

John Tyler:   A President Without a Party

Know:    "His Accidency,"  Henry Clay

15.        What proof can you give of Tyler's unpopularity?  What did Tyler do that made Whigs so angry with him?

Tyler vetoed a centralized bank which would aid in many merchants profits. This caused burning of effigies and life threatening letters to become a normal. He was officially expelled from his party and there was an attempt to impeach him. He couldn't even stand up for his own principles because the treasury needed money. Tyler signed the Tariff of 1842.

A War of Words with England

Know:    Caroline, Creole

16.             Explain at least four causes of tension between the US and Great Britain in the 1830's and 1840's.

The two previous anglo-American wars (American Revolution and war of 1812) provided great tension. Americans were constantly worried that the british would come back and try to resubmit them to their rule. During the American Revolution a severe distrust and disliking to the "red coats" formed which was still in place at this time. The Federalists died out. This made the political scene anti-british because no Federalists were out there speaking up for the country. British officials in the West Indies protected runaway slaves. This cause the south to reject the British. Southerners were always worried about slave revolts and the safe haven for escapees was not acceptable. Another event that caused tension was when Americans flocked to the canadian rebellion to help. 

Manipulating the Maine Maps

Know:    Aroostook War, Lord Ashburton, Daniel Webster

17.        What was the result of the Ashburton-Webster Treaty?

The Ashburton-Webster Treaty was a compromise on the Maine boundary. The Americans retains 7,000 square miles of the 12,000 square miles that were disputed. The British got less land, but received their important trade route. In the small print the British gave up 6,500 square miles which contained the priceless Mesabi iron ore of minnesota. 

The Lone Star of Texas Shines Alone

Know:    Lone Star Republic

18.        How did Mexico view Texas from 1836 to 1845?

In Mexico's view Texas was simply like a little child throwing a temper tantrum, eventually they would be able to take over control once agin, but it did not recognize Texas's power and refused to acknowledge its independence. 

The Belated Texas Nuptials

Know:    Conscience Whigs

19.        Why did some hesitate to annex Texas?  Why was it finally admitted to the Union?

The questions of slavery was a very risky one that America was split on. Annexing Texas would upset the balance between slave states and free states thus causing one side to have a larger power in the congress where they could push bills down the others throats. Tyler pushed hard for annexation by creating a compromise  by a joint resolution which only required a majority in both houses of congress. It was able to pass because Texas was near to America, it was rich in land, and it was willing to join. Also, this further aided in american's view of Manifest Destiny. 

Oregon Fever Populates Oregon

Know:    54 40', Willamette Valley, Oregon Trail

20.        What change with Oregon from 1819 to 1844 caused the British to become more willing to negotiate a final boundary?

The Americans were overpopulating Oregon. "Oregon fever" took place causing many explorers to adventure to oregon and outnumber their british neighbors. If the British did not settle with a boundary they would end up with nothing because the Americans would simply take it. 

A Mandate (?) for Manifest Destiny

Know:    James K. Polk, Dark Horse

21.        What part did Manifest Destiny play in the 1844 election?

Although Henry Clary was easily the most popular candidate James J. Polk favored expansion through annexing Texas (which gained him many votes among the slave holding states). This along with the idea of Manifest Destiny caused expansionist democrats to side with Polk.

Polk the Purposeful

22.        What were Polk's four goals?  Assess his degree of success.

Polk's four goals were to lower the tariff, restore an independent treasury, acquire california, and settle the oregon dispute. He managed to do all of these with success, however immoral it was to declare war for land. Polk lowered the tariff from 32 to 25%. 

Misunderstandings with Mexico

Know:    John Slidell, Nueces River

23.        What were the sources of the strained relationship between the U.S. and Mexico?

After the rebellion of Texas against Mexico America had a claim of 3 million dollars in damages to America citizens, which the Mexicans agreed to pay, but they could not come up with their payments. They also were still pissed off about Texas's rebellion in general, and had in fact severed diplomatic ties because of it. Lastly. the boundaries between Texas and MExico were still disputed. 

American Blood on American (?) Soil

Know:    Zachary Taylor, Spot Resolutions

24.        Explain some of the reasons Congress declared war on Mexico.

Polk's declaration of war called on Congress's patriotic appeal. He stated that Americans' blood was shed on America's soil which should enrage patriotic Americans . In reality though, Polk needed to acquire california from MExico, and they would not sell it to him. He therefore had to force a war so that he could justly take it from them. 

The Mastering of Mexico

Know:    Stephen Kearney, John C. Fremont, Bear Flag Republic, Winfield Scott

25.        What battles were fought to defeat Mexico?

There were three main battle that allowed America to defeat Mexico: Santa Fe, Buena Vista, and Mexico city. Also, Polk had to convince and enrage Americans so that they would agree to fight the war which was a battle in itself. 

Fighting Mexico for Peace

Know:    Nicholas P. Trist, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

26.        Why did some people oppose the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

Some people opposed the treaty due to morality issues. There were two reasons: the first that it would expand the "curious institution" of slavery and second it would take land from another country for no reason other than greed. The whigs were the people who generally opposed the war. 

Profit and Loss in Mexico

Know:    Wilmot Proviso

27.        What positive and negative outcomes resulted for the United States from the Mexican-American War?

America lost thirteen thousand soldiers, hurt their relationships with Latin America,  and the issue of slavery was brought to the tip of the political views. However, they did manage to increase their territory by about 1/3, (which included the valuable gold of california) and gain valuable field experience to fight the civil war. 

Makers of America: The Californios

Know:    Californios, Father Junipero Serra, Franciscans, Secularization, Anglos
28.        How did the Californios gain and then lose power?