APUSH Enlarging the Nation State Name _________________________ Date __________________________ Part A: Today, Americans unanimously accept the present territorial boundaries of the continental US. This was not always the case. Opponents of expansion objected to the acquisition of each piece of land. However, the dominate theme in the country’s past has always been expansion. Research each of the following acquisitions of the US and complete the chart below to show how the US accomplished this expansion to the Pacific. Territory Date acquired Previous Owner Circumstances of acquisition Original United States Louisiana Purchase British Cession Spanish Cession Texas Annexation Oregon Country Mexican Cession Gadsden Purchase Part B: Read the overview or sectional framework and then read the vignettes of three typical individuals provided to you. You will need to explain how each of the three men would react to each of the 8 sectional issues of the ante-bellum period listed on the chart below. Complete the chart by writing each man’s position and rationale on each issue. Issue The national government should pass high tariffs. The national government should encourage settlement of small farms in the West. Watson Hicks Figzhugh Issue Watson Hicks Figzhugh The national government should complete the nation’s Manifest Destiny and prepare the new acquisitions for eventual statehood. The national government should promote internal improvements, including roads, canals, and railroads, at government expense. The national government should abolish slavery. The national government should promote technology. The national government should promote unlimited immigration to this country. The national government should promote universal education. Part C: Answer the following questions. 1. How did the definition of the West change in the years 1800 – 1860? 2. What were the assets of continental expansion? 3. What negatives accompanied new territorial acquisitions? 4. How did Henry Clay’s American System help to promote national unity? 5. How did the social structure change more dramatically in the North than in the South in the decades before the Civil War? 6. How would you characterize the emerging position of the West within the Union during the decades before the Civil War? 7. How did the increasing regionalization of the nation create difficulties for the national government?