Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Section 4
Expansion and War in the United States
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• Growth of the United States
• Quick Facts: Causes and Effects of Westward Expansion
• Map: Westward Expansion of the United States
• The Civil War
• Faces of History: Abraham Lincoln
• Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
• Video: The Impact of the Women’s Suffrage Movement
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Section 4
Expansion and War in the United States
Main Idea
As the United States began to expand west, conflicts erupted
over territory and slavery.
Reading Focus
• How did the United States expand during the first half of the
1800s?
• What issues led to civil war in the United States?
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Section 4
Growth of the United States
In 1803 the U.S. completed the Louisiana Purchase; during the rest
of the century, America would continue to grow and expand westward.
A Young Nation
War of 1812
• Early 1800s, United States still
young nation
• United States, Great Britain
went to war in 1812
• Had recently won
independence, but Great
Britain still harassing former
colony
• At war’s end, no territory
changed hands; some felt
America proved independence
– Seizing American sailors to
use in war with France
– Helping Native Americans
fight settlers in Northwest
• 1820s, President James
Monroe declared Americas off
limits to further European
colonization in Monroe
Doctrine
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
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Texas and Mexico
• 1820, Moses Austin got permission from Spain to found small
settlements in Texas, which was part of Mexico
• When Mexico gained independence from Spain, strict laws imposed
on settlers in Texas
• Settlers fought for, achieved independence for Republic of Texas
Texas Becomes State
• 1845, Texas admitted to union as state
• Mexican government claimed Texas still part of Mexico
• Led to Mexican-American War, 1846 to 1848
• United States won the war and gained large territory (now the
southwestern United States)
Section 4
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
The Move West
Manifest Destiny
• By 1850, westward expansion
of United States had been
ongoing for half century
• United States claimed territory
all the way to Pacific Ocean
• Rapid expansion led some
Americans to believe they had
God-given right to settle land
• Term manifest destiny came to
describe this belief
Reasons for Moving
• Settlers headed west for many
reasons
• 1848, gold discovered in
California; massive migration
• National law promised 160
acres of free land to anyone
making trip west
• Thousands of Americans
packed belongings into covered
wagons, traveled west
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
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Reforms, Revolutions, and War
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Effects on Native Americans
Conflict
• Settlers often moved onto land inhabited for years by Native Americans
• Frequent conflict between Native Americans and settlers
• Some believed solution was to push Native Americans further west
Indian Removal Act
• 1830, Indian Removal Act called for relocation of five Indian nations to Indian
Territory, part of Louisiana Territory in Great Plains
• Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, Creek forced from homes
Cherokee March
• Cherokee march to Indian Territory so deadly it became known as Trail of
Tears; estimated that a quarter of those who made trip died
• Subsequent laws moved Native Americans onto designated reservations
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
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Reforms, Revolutions, and War
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Summarize
What territories did the United States
acquire between 1803 and 1850?
Answer(s): Louisiana, Texas, Mexican Cession
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Section 4
The Civil War
As the United States expanded west, the issue of slavery became a
national problem. Many believed denying freedom to enslaved people
was wrong. Some fought for abolition, or the end of slavery.
The Road to War
• Americans had to
decide if new states
would allow slavery
• Southerners
worried that new
states without
slavery might shift
power in Congress,
end all slavery
Compromises
• 1854 KansasNebraska Act
created two new
territories in West
• Slavery issue left to
residents of states
• Set off bitter debate
between anti- and
pro-slavery citizens
South Carolina
• After election of
Abraham Lincoln
as president, South
Carolina separated
from Union; this act
called secession
• Other southern
states soon
followed
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
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War Begins
• Pro-slavery states seceded from union, set up own
government, Confederate States of America
• Selected Jefferson Davis as president, drafted own
constitution
• Lincoln did not believe states had right to secede
– Ordered supplies to American fort in Fort Sumter, South
Carolina
– First shots of Civil War fired at Fort Sumter
• War continued four years
– More than 500,000 soldiers died
– As conflict grew, future of country in balance
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Section 4
The Emancipation Proclamation
• January 1863, Lincoln issued Emancipation Proclamation,
declared all slaves free in areas of Confederate states not already
conquered by Union; Proclamation helped North in many ways
• Many southern slaves fled to North, which hurt Southern economy
• Gave renewed purpose to Union soldiers
• Caused European powers to withdraw support from Confederacy
The Union Prevails
End of War
• Battle of Gettysburg represented
turning point in war
• Union soldiers defeated
Confederate troops, began to
believe they could win war
• Lincoln delivered famous speech at
dedication of battlefield
• War continued about one-and-ahalf more years
• Union forces gained advantage
• Confederate general Robert E. Lee
surrendered to Union general
Ulysses S. Grant in 1865
• War ended; issues remained
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
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Section 4
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Effects of the Civil War
After the Civil War much of the South lay in ruins. Large areas were
destroyed, and the economy was ruined. The final battles had also
damaged railroads, roads, and bridges. Many Americans wondered
how the federal government would treat the former Confederate states.
Reconstruction
• Reconstruction was time of
rebuilding in South
• Difficult because people had
different ideas on how to solve
problems caused by war
• Congress passed several laws,
constitutional amendments
Amendments
• Fourteenth: granted citizenship to
all freed African Americans and
equal rights “enjoyed by white
citizens”
• Fifteenth: voting rights could not be
denied based on race
Reconstruction did not fully achieve goal of equal rights, but a
foundation was laid for later civil rights movement in America.
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Section 4
Contrast
In what ways did Reconstruction succeed
and in what ways did it fail?
Answer(s): It succeeded by passing the Civil Rights
Act and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments,
protecting and extending rights of African Americans.
It failed because southern states continued to pass
discriminatory laws and prevented many African
Americans from making a decent living.
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Section 4
Reforms, Revolutions, and War
Section 4
Video
The Impact of the Women’s Suffrage
Movement
Click above to play the video.