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

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    Study Guide U.S. History I – Expansion, War, and Sectional Tensions 1. Slavery in the New Lands The Mexican War raised the urgent question of whether slavery would expand into newly acquired territories . Several solutions were proposed: 1.1 Key Proposals 1. Wilmot Proviso (1846) – Introduced by Democrat David Wilmot of Pennsylvania: o Called for slavery to be banned in all territory acquired from Mexico o Never became law 2. Calhoun’s Response – John C. Calhoun argued: o Slaves were property protected under the Fifth Amendment o Congress could not prevent a slaveowner from taking slaves into new territories 3. Popular Sovereignty (Squatter Sovereignty) – Lewis Cass of Michigan proposed: o Settlers in a territory should decide for themselves whether to allow slavery o Seen as a middle ground between Wilmot Proviso and Calhoun’s position 1.2 The Election of 1848 • Democrats: Lewis Cass o Platform: Congress should not interfere with slavery • Whigs: Zachary Taylor o Slaveowner but had no public stance on slavery o Ran mainly on military record • Free - Soil Party: o Coalition of anti - slavery Democrats, Liberty Party members, and Northern Whigs o Advocated no slavery in the territories

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    Study Guide Results: • 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 states 1.3 California Gold Rush (1848 – 1852) • Gold discovered in January 1848 , confirmed by President Polk • Tens of thousands migrated to California ( “forty - niners” ) o Mostly young, single men o Later included free African Americans, Mexicans, Pacific Islanders, and Europeans • By 1852, mining shifted from individual prospectors to large mechanized operations • Many made more money providing food, lodging, and services than mining 1.4 Political Impact of California • California adopted a state constitution prohibiting slavery in 1849 • Admission threatened the balance of power : 15 free states vs. 15 slave states • Oregon had been organized as a free territory , north of the Missouri Compromise line • Congress now faced the challenge of deciding slavery’s status in the Mexican Cession 2. Expansion of America 2. 1 Western Boundary by 1803 • By spring 1803, the U.S. western border reached the Mississippi River . • The original 13 states had expanded to 17 : o Vermont (1791) o Kentucky (1792) o Tennessee (1796) o Ohio (1803)

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    Study Guide 2. 2 Louisiana Purchase (1803) • Doubled the size of the country. • Land stretched: o North to South: Gulf of Mexico → British Canada o East to West: Mississippi River → Rocky Mountains 2. 3 Further Expansion (1803 – 1850s) • Florida acquired from Spain in 1819. • Border disputes with Canada resolved: Webster - Ashburton Treaty (1842) . • Oregon Country settled at the 49th parallel (1846). • Texas : Won independence from Mexico in 1836; joined U.S. in 1845. • Mexican - American War (1846 – 1848) : U.S. gained the Southwest, including Texas, New Mexico, and California . 3. Mexican Borderlands and Oregon 3. 1 Mexico After Independence (1821) • Political instability : o Shifted from monarchy to republic. o Tensions between centralists (strong government in Mexico City) and federalists (provincial autonomy). • Northern provinces underpopulated : Texas to California were hard to defend; Mexico encouraged American settlement and trade to develop these areas.

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