Study Guide Nationalism through Territorial Expansion
Jacksonian Democracy
Strict interpretation of constitution
Spoil system
Hands off approach to the economy
Champion of the common man
Called King Andrew the first because of the way he ruled
 Vetoes more than all of the previous presidents combined
 He redefined the presidency: 1. Spoil System 2: Veto Power 3.
Force Bill—willing to uphold the constitution 4. Indian Removal
Act (defies Supreme Court)
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The Spoil System
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LOYALTY was key to Jackson—Replaced many long serving officials
“Rotation of office,” so the government is better served
Gave government jobs to his political party supporters, whether they were qualified
or not
Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)
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Marked the beginning of the civil service reform
Provided that competitive exams be used to hire some government officials
Set up a commission to administer the tests
Banned the common practice of forcing government employees to give money to the
political parties
Tariff of 1828
Tariff—tax on imports—purpose is to buy American and increase production of goods
made in factories (North).
 “Tariff of Abominations,” primary exports are cotton and tobacco
 North will favor tariffs to protect the developing manufacturing industry
 South will oppose tariffs because it will raise the cost of their exports.
 Calhoun from SC, resigns as vice president
 Jackson introduces Force Bill—he will send US troops into South Carolina and force
them to introduce the tariff
 Foreign countries respond to tax by taxing our exports into their country
 Compromise Tariff of 1833
The Nullification Crisis
1. Federal government gets its power from the states
2. If a state does not like a law passed by the federal government, the state does not
have to obey the federal law.
*The states feel what the state gives, it can take back = states’ rights—going back to
the Articles of Confederation. However, The Law of the land is the US Constitution,
not the Articles of Confederation.
 Indian Removal Act—the forced relocation of Native American Indians to west
of the Mississippi River
 Supreme Court decision in favor of Cherokee that they don’t have to leave
 Jackson defies this decision
 Act passed in 1830 with Jackson’s support
The Trail of Tears
 Forced removal by Andrew Jackson from Georgia to Oklahoma Cherokee
unprepared for harsh conditions
 About ¼ died along the way
Sectionalism and the Constitution
Canals & Railroads
The Erie Canal was built (Hudson River to Buffalo, NY)
Farmers could more easily ship goods to markets at a cheaper price
The Emergence of Factories
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During the War of 1812 factories emerged in order to make up for British Imports
***US becomes Self-Sufficient***
Expanded the growth of the economy
Centered in the northeast
Decline of British Imports
Led to the growth of cities (urbanization)
With the creation of new jobs, immigrants were needed because of the shortage of
labor
North and South Differences
The North
The South
Primarily Industrial—due to an abundance of
natural resources
Mostly urban and some small farms
Primarily Agricultural—due to the climate and
topography, which supported crops
Mostly small farms and plantation system
Supported tariffs
Generally opposed tariffs
For strong central government
For “states' rights”
-Relied on cheap labor—unskilled immigrants,
increased immigration to the U.S
-Led to the growth of the middle class
Relied on slavery due to smaller population
Cotton Gin increased the speed of cleaning
cotton by separating the seeds from the cotton
Wanted to limit spread of slavery in West
fibers. This increased the need for slaves
Supported extending slavery in West
The issues of States’ rights, the tariff and slavery led to the growth of sectionalism
Many immigrants moved to the U.S. for economic advancement—American Dream
Between 1845-1850 millions of Irish people came to the US because they were starving
from the potato famine
Nativism—anti-immigrant feelings. “Know Nothings,” was formed to support the
nativist political program. It campaigned to restrict immigration, because the nativists
feared immigrants would work for cheaper wages.
Missouri Compromise Key Points:
1. Maine—admitted as free state
2. Missouri—admitted as a slave state
To maintain a balance of members of free and slave states
3. Rest of Louisiana Territory—states north of 36 30' would be free states below
36 30' would be slave states.
Dred Scott Decision—a Supreme Court decision that declared slaves were not citizens but
were the property of their owners. This led to the Missouri Compromise being declared
unconstitutional. Antislavery forces were disgusted with this decision. It denied Congress
the power to regulate slavery in the territories.
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 Key Points:
1. Popular sovereignty would decide if slavery was permitted in the Kansas and
Nebraska territories.
2. The Kansas-Nebraska Act replaced the Missouri Compromise which had closed the
Northern part of the Louisiana territory to slavery.
Over the first half of the 19th century, territorial expansion led to increased tensions over
slavery.
Abolition
The abolitionist (or antislavery) movement grew as cotton production became more
profitable and slavery spread.
William Lloyd Garrison—radical abolitionist began publishing The Liberator, an antislavery newspaper. He founded the American Anti-Slavery Society.
Frederick Douglass—He was born a slave and learned to read. He was brutally beaten as a
young slave. He ran away, changed his name, spoke out against slavery, and purchased his
freedom.
Underground Railroad—a network of escape routes that provided protection and
transportation for slaves fleeing north to freedom. Harriet Tubman was a former slave
who escaped from a Maryland plantation in 1949 on the Underground Railroad. She
returned the following year to rescue family members and made frequent trips to the
South rescuing more than 300 slaves.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's book, Uncle Tom's Cabin—this caused people in the north and
south to fight more for their causes and ultimately pushed the two sides toward war. The
north thought slavery would ruin the US. The south felt that the northerners were worse
than slave owners because they gave out meager salaries in their factories while
southerners at least took a personal responsibility for their workers.
"Bleeding Kansas"—1,200 New Englanders went to Kansas to fight against slavery.
Tensions in Kansas escalated between proslavery settlers in Missouri. Conflict over
popular sovereignty vote between pro and antislavery. There was a summer of murderous
raids sparked by John Bowen in response to proslavery supporters.
Women’s Suffrage
 The first women’s rights convention in U. S. history took place in Seneca Falls, NY,
in July 1848 by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott
 The Declaration of Sentiments—a historic set of resolutions based on the
language of the Declaration of Independence
 The convention passed 12 resolutions. They protested the lack of legal and political
rights for women
 One resolution called for women’s suffrage, or the right to vote
 In 1920 the 19th amendment finally gave women the right to vote
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny—US should extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
 United States had a divine mission to spread liberty across the continent
 Expansion and settlement of the west
Louisiana Purchase
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Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to look for a water route to the Pacific
Ocean, explore for economic resources, and to strengthen US control of the
territory
Jefferson bought the territory
o It doubled the size of the U.S.
o Gave the U.S. control of the port of New Orleans
o Focused the U.S. on westward expansion
Oregon Territory
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In 1818 the U.S. and United Kingdom established a joint claim over the
Oregon Territory
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Joint control worked for a while but then it became a problem
In 1844 Presidential candidate James Polk ran on a platform to take over the
whole Oregon territory with the slogan “fifty-four forty or fight”
He wanted to go to war over the entire area for the U.S.
He won and the Treaty of Oregon established at 490
Texas Independence
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American settlers moved into Texas to grow cotton, which they needed slaves for
Dispute over border of Texas and Mexico
The Mexican-American War
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Mexico did not recognize Texas’ independence
Border dispute between Mexico and US over Texas
The purpose of the Mexican-American war is to expand the US to Pacific
Ocean—Manifest Destiny.
War started in 1846 and ended by 1848
US gained what became the southwest
Popular Sovereignty—People vote and decide on slavery
Mexican Cession
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Land gained from winning Mexican-American war