Ning Site Posting 1

Kelsey TaylorHistory 141

The Americas in the 19th Century

Into:

late 18th and early 19th centuries, almost all the lands of the Western Hemisphere won their independence from European colonial powers

the age of independence for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America was a contentious era characterized by continuous mass migration and explosive economic growth

American peoples struggled to build effective states, enjoy economic prosperity and attain cultural cohesion

The U.S.:

Americans entrusted themselves to a federal government

expansion westward was very rapid

ran into problems with the indigenous people, Mexico, and the republic

the end of the Civil War ensured the United States of America would remain politically united

The Americas in the 19th Century

Canada:

Canadian independence came gradually, not through war

originally colonized by trappers and settlers from both Britain and France

war of 1812 stimulated a sense of unity against an external threat instead of splintering Canada due to ethnic divisions and political differences

Canada developed as a culturally diverse yet politically unified society

Latin America:

solidarity was impossible to sustain

Creole elites pushed aside indigenous peoples and established Euro-American hegemony

terror was a common tool of the government

after the Mexican Revolution, the constitution addressed the concerns of the revolutionaries

instability and conflict plagued Latin America throughout the nineteenth century

The Little Ice Age14th-19th centuries were known as “the little ice age”

millions die from coldness

history’s most recent big hard chill

1653- in the French Alps, priest set off to try to confront a titanic river of ice-glaciers thought to have been possessed by the devil

devastated impact on much of the world

seasons so cold the year was known as the year without a summer

mystery as to what had caused it

many scientists believe that this can and will happen again

climatologists have noted that humans are vulnerable to even the smallest changes

rioting mobs in all areas of Europe demanded more food form the government because so many crops had been destroyed by the weather

weather pushed Americans towards the west

around 1850, the little ice age came to an abrupt end

global warming might cause another ice age

Frontiers of the Americas

The Louisiana Purchase

greatest real estate deal in American history- opened the west to expansion

April 30, 1803- nation doubled in size

bought for $15 million or 4 cents an acre

factors that helped the U.S. get the land: court intrigues of the Spanish court, the boundless ego of Napoleon, unexpected ice storms, and the uncertain fate of a small Caribbean island

economic importance of the Mississippi River drew Americans closer and closer so the planters could ship their goods

Spanish closed off the lower Mississippi which made the settlers almost revolt against national government and threatened to cede from the Union

Jefferson becomes president and Napoleon Bonaparte becomes leader of France

Frontiers of the Americas

Spain throne is weak and Napoleon looks to trade Louisiana area for a principality in Italy

French only wanted the area because Haiti was very important (economic reasons)

Jefferson thinks there is a way to negotiate with France and looks for a treaty, not war

Jefferson then communicates to Napoleon that if he takes Louisiana, it will be war

Haitian slave rebellion marked the beginning of the end for Napoleon

Congress wants to assemble the militia and take back Louisiana but Jefferson tries one last time for diplomacy

Since Napoleon needs funds for his war against Britain, he sells

made the U.S. a transcontinental nation and a world power

Crossroads of Freedom

Chapter 1- The Pendulum of War

McClellan took command of the Army of the Potomac after the Union defeat at Bull Run

McClellan was called the “little Napoleon”

he graduated second in the West Point class of 1846

He led the army to union victories that secured control of in between land

He privately expressed contempt for Lincoln and all abolitionists

stepped down after he got sick with typhoid fever, taken over by General Henry W. Halleck

Crossroads of Freedom

Chapter 2- Taking off the Kid Gloves

At the beginning of the war, Lincoln was only a restorationist, not an abolitionist because he didn’t want to loose support from border states and Democrats

Frederick Douglass called him out saying fighting against slaveholders without fighting against slavery is a half-hearted business

Lincoln came to acknowledge this point as the war rolled on and it eventually turned into a war for freedom

Crossroads of Freedom

Chapter 3- “The Federals Got a Very Complete Smashing”

Confederate Army won at Second Manassas

Lee chose to press his luck while he had it and go try another battle

Lee used his new stronghold in Maryland to propose the south’s independence and separate elections

Many thought that after this, the Union was hopelessly gone