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U.S. History I - Expansion, War, and Sectional Tensions

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Study GuideU.S. History I–Expansion, War, and Sectional Tensions1. Slavery in the New LandsThe Mexican War raised the urgent question ofwhether slavery would expand into newlyacquired territories. Several solutions were proposed:1.1Key Proposals1.Wilmot Proviso (1846)–Introduced by Democrat David Wilmot of Pennsylvania:oCalled forslavery to be bannedin all territory acquired from MexicooNever became law2.Calhoun’s Response–John C. Calhoun argued:oSlaves were property protected under theFifth AmendmentoCongress could not prevent a slaveowner from taking slaves into new territories3.Popular Sovereignty (Squatter Sovereignty)–Lewis Cass of Michigan proposed:oSettlers in a territory shoulddecide for themselveswhether to allow slaveryoSeen as a middle ground between Wilmot Proviso and Calhoun’s position1.2The Election of 1848•Democrats:Lewis CassoPlatform: Congress shouldnot interfere with slavery•Whigs:Zachary TayloroSlaveowner but hadno public stance on slaveryoRan mainly onmilitary record•Free-Soil Party:oCoalition of anti-slavery Democrats, Liberty Party members, and Northern WhigsoAdvocatedno slavery in the territories

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Study GuideResults:•Taylor won: 163 electoral votes (8 slave states, 7 free states)•Cass: 127 electoral votes (7 slave states, 8 free states)•Free-Soil party split Northern votes but did not win any states1.3California Gold Rush (1848–1852)•Gold discovered inJanuary 1848, confirmed by President Polk•Tens of thousands migrated to California (“forty-niners”)oMostly young, single menoLater included free African Americans, Mexicans, Pacific Islanders, and Europeans•By 1852, mining shifted from individual prospectors tolarge mechanized operations•Many made more money providingfood, lodging, and servicesthan mining1.4Political Impact of California•California adopted astate constitution prohibiting slaveryin 1849•Admission threatened thebalance of power: 15 free states vs. 15 slave states•Oregon had been organized as afree territory, north of the Missouri Compromise line•Congress now faced the challenge of decidingslavery’s status in the Mexican Cession2.Expansion of America2.1 Western Boundary by 1803•By spring 1803, the U.S. western border reached theMississippi River.•The original 13 states had expanded to17:oVermont(1791)oKentucky(1792)oTennessee(1796)oOhio(1803)

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Study Guide2.2 Louisiana Purchase (1803)•Doubled the size of the country.•Land stretched:oNorth to South:Gulf of Mexico → British CanadaoEast to West:Mississippi River → Rocky Mountains2.3 Further Expansion (1803–1850s)•Floridaacquired from Spain in 1819.•Border disputes with Canada resolved:Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842).•Oregon Countrysettled at the49th parallel(1846).•Texas: Won independence from Mexico in 1836; joined U.S. in 1845.•Mexican-American War (1846–1848): U.S. gained the Southwest, includingTexas, NewMexico, and California.3. Mexican Borderlands and Oregon3.1 Mexico After Independence (1821)•Political instability:oShifted from monarchy to republic.oTensions betweencentralists(strong government in Mexico City) andfederalists(provincial autonomy).•Northern provinces underpopulated: Texas to California were hard to defend; MexicoencouragedAmerican settlement and tradeto develop these areas.
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Document Details

University
Texas A&M University
Course
U.S. History I
Subject
History

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