Hi, I'm Jeff, your friendly tour guide through time. Today in history, we are covering the Pre-Civil War Era! Lets start with some background.

BACKGROUND

Background:

• Conflict Over Slavery: The North thrived on industrial production, allowing them to view slavery from a moral standpoint. Meanwhile, the South relied on slave labor in order to produce its goods, meaning they had to look upon it more realistically. Due to these differing opinions, neither side could give in.

Background:

• American Expansionism: Some goals of this expansion were the acquisition of more/new lands, increased trade, new opportunity, nationalism, economic expansion. They began to achieve these goals through many different avenues, including military conflict, immigration, and diplomacy.

Now that we have the Background, lets head to some key terms that will help define and clarify the era!

Key Terms

Manifest Destiny is a term describing the feeling and attitude of Westward Expansion during a period of expansion during the 19th Century.

Manifest Destiny

A Supreme Court case that ruled that black people couldn’t be citizens, and therefore had no rights.

Dred Scott v. Sanford, United States Supreme Court, 1857.

Dred Scott Decision

Divisions over slavery in territory gained in the Mexican-American (1846-48) War were resolved in the Compromise of 1850. It consisted of laws admitting California as a free state, creating Utah and New Mexico territories allowing for slavery to be determined by popular sovereignty. It also settled a Texas-New Mexico boundary dispute in Texas’s favor, ending the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and It made it easier for southerners to recover fugitive slaves.

Compromise of 1850

Also known as “the American Party,” they were firmly against Catholic immigration and tried to make sure no Catholics were elected to any political office. Most members came from middle or working class.

Platform of the Know Nothing Party in 1950.

Know Nothings

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Act that called for popular sovereignty in new territories regarding the legality of slavery. Popular sovereignty was the idea that the people in the area had the power to decide.

Mexican-American War

1846-1848, war between the US and Mexico started by a dispute over Texas. Ended in the American annexation of the modern day states of Texas as well as California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.

Now that we understand some important terms from the era, lets have my friend Jess educate us on the major themes for this time period!

Hi everyone, I'm Jess! There was a big conflict over slavery in this time period due to the reasons detailed in the background. In addition, a sense of American Nationalism formed, which partly led to the last major theme, expansionism.

Major Themes

Conflict Over Slavery

The Compromise of 1850 resolved divisions over slavery in territory gained in the Mexican American War. It ended the slave trade in Washington D.C. and made it easier for Southerners to recover fugitive slaves.  

The Kansas-Nebraska Act called for popular sovereignty in new territories.

• Popular sovereignty was the idea that the people in the area had the power to decide whether or not slavery was allowed in that area.  

Dred Scott, a slave, attempted to file for freedom upon travelling to the North with his master. The Supreme Court ruled that black people were not citizens and had no rights, so Scott could not be free.

American Expansionism

Manifest Destiny fueled the want for more westward expansion for economic, religious, and nationalist reasons.

The Gold Rush was an example of the economic motives for moving west. Gold discovered in California brought 300,000 people to California from other parts of country.

After the Gold Rush, the Homestead Act was signed in order to encourage Western migration by giving settlers 160 acres of land. In exchange, settlers paid a small filing fee and were required to live there for five years before receiving ownership rights of the land.