Building A Powerful Nation American History to the Civil War (Beginnings-1861)

Building A Powerful Nation

American History to the Civil War (Beginnings-1861)

I. Exploration and the Colonial Era

A. First Americans

May have arrived as many as 40,000 years ago by crossing a land bridge that once connected Asia and present-day Alaska

Migrated southward over the centuries

The descendents of these people are called Native Americans


B. Spanish Exploration1492- Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic looking for a sea route to India (resources)He thought he had landed on the islands off the coast of Asia called the Indies He actually landed on the islands of the Caribbean Sea1499- Amerigo Vespucci confirmed Columbus’ discovery of the “New World”


Columbian Exchange – exchange of goods, people, animals, disease, etc. among the people of the Americas, Africa, and Europe

1500s- Spanish explorers, searching for wealth (esp. gold), conquered civilizations in Central and South America, including the Aztecs and Incas

1513- Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain


1565-St. Augustine, Florida became the first permanent European settlement in North America – oldest city in the U.S. today

Spain also claimed the land west of the Mississippi River

Some settlements grew into colonies, or areas settled by immigrants who continue to be ruled by their parent country


C. French / Dutch Exploration1524- Giovanni de Verrazano, an Italian explorer for France, explored the eastern coast of N.A. – claimed northern U.S. and Canada for France1608- French founded its first successful colony in N.A. at Quebec 1626- Dutch (the Netherlands) established New Amsterdam (now NYC)Neither wanted to conquer the Indians, they only wanted to trade with them


D. English Colonization

Roanoke, NC – first major attempt at settlement -failed twice:

-1585 – starving settlers returned back to England

-1587 – ended in a great mystery – supply ship found only empty buildings


Jamestown, VA (1607) – first successful English settlement – established by a group of investors in the Virginia Company with the approval of King James I

-tried to make money off tobacco, but failed

-King James then appointed a governor over the colony


The governor shared his power with the House of Burgesses (1619) – lawmaking body of elected representatives – first example of self government in the English colonies

The King didn’t have absolute power either – Magna Carta (1215) made the King obey the laws and granted many powers to the aristocracy (land owners)


Tobacco was the only thing that saved Jamestown

John Rolfe was the first colonist to send tobacco to Europe (1614)

Not raised in Europe- learned from Indians

Settlers then began to move out of Jamestown and built huge farms, or plantations


E. Growth of English Colonies

By 1643 16,000 colonists were living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony – most of these settlers were Puritans (religious group who wanted to “purify” the Church of England)

Came to N.A. for religious freedom – tried to convert the Indians


Mercantilism – economic theory that said a country should try to obtain and hold on to as much gold and silver as possible – more money = more power


To control colonial trade, King Charles II approved the Navigation Act (1660) – required the colonies to sell certain goods (sugar, tobacco, etc.) only to EnglandSalutary Neglect – policy of England towards the 13 colonies during the early 1700s – colonists were left alone as long as they:

1) Sent raw materials back to England 2) bought English goods 3) remained loyal to England


Colonial Economies – by the 1700s, the colonies could be grouped into 3 regions, each with it’s own economy:1) Southern Colonies – plantation farming – rice and cotton – VA, MD, NC, SC, GA2) Middle Colonies – mixed economy of farming and commerce (business) – tobacco – NY, NJ, DE, PA3) New England Colonies – small farms and long distance trade – MA, NH, CT, RI


The new colonies relied on triangular trade (trade between Americas, Europe, Africa)

The part of the journey that carried African slaves to the Americas was called the Middle Passage


For enslaved African, the voyage to America usually began with a forced march to the West Africa coast, where they were sold to Europeans, branded, and crammed into ships.

Packed together in the ships’ filthy holds for more than a month the Africans could hrdly sit or stand.

Given minimal food and drink, and those that died or became sick were thrown overboard.


F. African Americans in the ColoniesBy the mid-1700s, 20% of all colonists were from African descentUsing slave labor provided several advantages for the colonists:1) master had complete control over his slaves2) cheap labor3) slaves worked until they died or were sold4) children of slaves became slaves


The tasks of slaves were not the same because of the diversity, or variety, of the colonial economies:

1) deep South – slaves worked on cotton and rice

plantations 2) middle colonies – slaves worked on tobacco

plantations 3) New England – slaves worked as

housekeepers, cooks, etc.

•Some Africans in the colonies were free – but they were brought to the colonies against their will and faced discrimination

II. The American Revolution

A. French and Indian War (1754-1763):

1753: the Virginia governor felt the need to protect his colony’s claim to the Ohio River – sent troops, led by George Washington, to take a French fort on the Ohio – failed

British and their colonists vs. French and their Indian allies

The final struggle for control of eastern N.A.


Most Native Americans allied with the French because they thought they were less likely to disrupt their way of life

The British drove the French out of New York and Quebec – won the war with the capture of Quebec

Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the war – forced France to turn over Canada to the British


B. Events Leading to the Am. Revolution:

Colonists had helped the British win the war – Americans thought they should have the same rights as English citizens

G.B.’s attitude changed after the war – because of huge debts following the war, Parliament passed laws designed to collect more money from the colonists


G.B. also set aside their practice of salutary neglect and began to interfere in local matters

Proclamation of 1763 – prohibited colonists from settling the lands west of the Appalachians – they wouldn’t have to spend money to protect those lands

New policies angered the colonists – decisions made without an American vote in Parliament – should be “no taxation, without representation”


Colonists began to boycott British goods

When G.B. refused to back down, the colonists decided to meet and plan a united response – this gathering became known as the First Continental Congress

All the colonies except GA were represented by the 56 delegates in Philadelphia in 1774 – called for the people to arm themselves and form militias


King George did not back down – called the colonists “rebels”

April 18, 1775: 700 British troops marched toward Concord, MA (20 miles from Boston) – intended to seize a stockpile of weapons

In Lexington (5 miles from Concord) they met 130 protesting colonists and ordered them to give up their guns – many refused


No one knows who fired the first shot – 8 Americans died and 9 others were injured – the British moved on to Concord and burned the supplies

As the British troops were returning to Boston, 4,000 Patriots gathered along the road

When the Battles of Lexington and Concord were over, more than ¼ of the British soldiers had been killed or wounded


C. The Revolutionary War (1775-1783):The Second Continental Congress met less than a month after the battles – some wanted independence others wanted a compromise with the British – 2 things were decided:1. Creation of a Continental Army – led by

George Washington2. Olive Branch Petition – expressed the

colonists’ continued loyalty to the King and begged him for a compromise


King George refused the Olive Branch PetitionJuly 4, 1776: the Declaration of Independence was signed – written mainly by Thomas Jefferson – listed all the wrongs done by King George against the colonistsG.B. didn’t expect a long war – troops were better trained and better equippedWashington knew the colonists must outlast the British – would never give up, even after several defeats


After years of fighting the war came down to the Battle of Yorktown in 1781

-British troops, led by Gen. Lord Cornwallis, had moved to the peninsula between the York and James rivers – waiting for reinforcements

-Washington moved a combined Am. and French force south – the French also

set up a blockade off the VA coast


-the French ships drove off the British navy

-a few days later Washington’s troops arrived

and began to pound Yorktown – Cornwallis had no escape and was forced to surrender

Nearly two years later the Treaty of Paris (1783) was signed – established the independence of the U.S. and outlined the borders of the country

III. The United States (1789-1830)

A. Louisiana Purchase (1803)Americans began to migrate westwardPres. Thomas Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris to buy the city of New OrleansHe could pay up to $10 million for the landNapoleon offered to sell all of the French land to the U.S. (known as Louisiana)Monroe offered $15 million for the landDoubled the size of the U.S.


Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) – Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the Louisiana Purchase – 3 goals:1) find a river route to the Pacific2) make contact with the Indians3) gather information about the natural resourcesHired a Canadian fur trapper and his wife, Sacajawea (Shoshone Indian), to navigate and interpret


Zebulon Pike – explored the Rocky Mts. and then southward to Spanish held territories (1806-1807)

B. Foreign IssuesEmbargo Act of 1807 – an embargo is a restriction on trade with other countries – Jefferson imposed an embargo on France and England in response to attacks on American trading ships – American businesses hated it – eventually led to war with England


War of 1812 -U.S. v. England-caused by England’s interference with American trade

and encouragement of Indians to resist settlement of the West-England had a superior navy - British burned the Capital

and the White House in Aug. 1812-forced Pres. Madison to flee-Treaty of Ghent ended the war - all old boundaries

restored-Gen. Andrew Jackson became an American hero

following the Battle of New Orleans


C. Domestic Issues

1818 – Pres. James Monroe est. boundary between U.S. and Canada

1821 – U.S. bought Florida from Spain

1823 – Pres. Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine which warned all nations against any colonization in the Americas


Missouri Compromise (1820) – over the issue of slavery in the West

-Missouri wanted to be admitted as a slave state

-northerners opposed it because it would give slave states a majority in Congress

-Congress agreed to 3 provisions developed by the “Great Compromiser,” Henry Clay:


1) Missouri would be admitted as a slave state

2) Maine (once a part of northern Mass.) would be admitted as a free state

3) As the U.S. expanded westward, states north of Missouri’s southern border would be free states


Indian Relocation – 1820s, wealthy plantation owners were looking to expand westward into Indian lands

-the “Five Civilized Tribes” of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole lived in the fertile lands of the South

-they had settled down and become farmers-some states began to break treaties with the Indians

by taking land away from them


Indian Removal Act (1830) - Congress gave Pres. Andrew Jackson the authority to give Indians land in parts of the Louisiana Purchase in exchange for land taken from them in the SE-About 100,000 from the Five Tribes were relocated-For 100 million acres of fertile land the Indians got about 32 million acres of prairie land in what became known as Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma)


Because of their “American” way of life, some Cherokee were allowed to stay in Georgia

However, gold was discovered in their lands

White miners moved in

Georgia took 9 million acres of Cherokee land, violating treaties with the tribe


The Cherokee sued, but Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that they had no legal standing in the American courts, because they were not citizensLater in the Supreme Court Case Worcester v. Georgia (1832), Marshall ruled that Georgia had no authority over Cherokee territoryGeorgia ignored the ruling1838 – U.S. Army moved approx. 15,000 Cherokee on a journey now called the Trail of Tears – 116 day march – 25% died

IV. The United States (1830-1860)

A. Western ExpansionCrowded conditions in the east is one reason why people moved west-Ex: 1780 - 2.7 million 1830 - 12 millionManifest Destiny (1830s-1840s) – the belief that the U.S. should control all of N.A. – Ex:

1) Oregon Territory (1846) - U.S. and England agreed to divide Oregon along the 49th parallel

2) Land held by Mexico – led to war


B. War with Mexico / Gold in California

Conflict began when 1000s of Americans who had settled in TX (Mexican territory) demanded independence from Mexico

Those settlers formed the Republic of Texas in 1836


Mexico’s dictator, Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, sent troops to TX to put down the rebellion

Became known as the Texas War for Independence

The Texans eventually won and became an independent country

1845 – Texas was annexed (added) to the U.S.


Pres. James K. Polk wanted more from Mexico than just TX

He wanted the land from TX to the Pacific

Offered to buy it from Mexico but they refused


Mexican War (1846-1848) – started over a border dispute

Americans claimed the Rio Grande River was the border between TX and Mexico

Polk sent in troops to protect the border

Mexico attacked and the war was on


The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo:

- forced Mexico to give up NM, AZ, and CA to the U.S.

- also established the Rio Grande as the border

Gadsden Purchase (1854) – U.S. bought 30,000 sq. miles from Mexico for $10 million (southern NM and AZ)


California Gold Rush (1849) – gold was discovered at Johann Sutter’s mill in CA in Jan. 1848

Reported by the newspapers and the rush was on

-1848- 14,000 people

-1849- 100,000 people

Disease killed 1000s of Indians


C. Growing Sectional Differences1850s – U.S. realized that the nation’s 2 main sections (North and South) were moving in opposite directions

North SouthPopulation 21.5 million 9 millionRailroad mileage 21,700 miles 9,000 miles# of factories 110,100 20,600# of factory workers 1.17 million 111,000 Value of products $1.62 billion $155 millionCotton (bales) 4,000 5 million


Major Events Over the Issue of Slavery1) Missouri Compromise (1820) – see previous notes2) Compromise of 1850 – created by Henry Clay – 4

provisions:a) CA admitted as a free stateb) people in NM and Utah territories given popular sovereignty (right to decide to be free or slave)c) slave trade abolished (did away with) in Wash. D.C., but not slavery itself


d) Fugitive Slave Act – ordered all Americans to assist in the return of runaway slaves

3. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) – written in

response to the Fug. Slave law by Harriet Beecher Stowe – portrayed slave owners as brutal masters – southerners hated it


4. Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) – divided Kansas and Nebraska into 2 states – each was given popular sovereignty – a minor war broke out over the issue of slavery (“Bleeding Kansas”) – Kansas eventually admitted as a free state


5. John Brown’s Raid (1859) – John Brown was an abolitionist (those that opposed slavery) who invaded Harper’s Ferry, VA to steal a stockpile of weapons to give to slaves – convicted of treason and hung


Election of 1860 – differences over slavery split the Democratic Party and allowed a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, to win the election – carried (won) all of the northern states (greater population than the south) – some states had already promised to secede (formal separation) from the Union if Lincoln was elected


After the election, 7 states voted to secede and form their own country (Confederate States of America):

1. South Carolina (1st)

2. Georgia

3. Florida

4. Alabama

5. Mississippi

6. Louisiana

7. Texas


After a southern victory at Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC (Union fort on Conf. soil) by Conf. general P.G.T. Beauregard, 4 more states voted to secede:

8. Tennessee9. Virginia10. Arkansas11. North Carolina


The northwest section of Virginia didn’t want to secede from the Union, so they seceded from Virginia and formed West Virginia

Building A Powerful Nation American History to the Civil War (Beginnings-1861)

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