Topic 1: The significance of slavery and western expansion Flashcards
What was the Louisiana purchase?
An 1803 treaty whereby the USA acquired the whole of Louisiana for $15 million.
How were the relations between the USA and Britain during this time?
The USA and Britain were at war from 1812 to December 1814. The war was caused by Britain’s naval blockade during the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. After 1815, US relations with Britain improved.
What points did the Adams-Onis (or transcontinental) treaty contain?
- Spain ceded Florida to the USA
- The western boundary of the Louisiana purchase was agreed
- The USA gave up its claims to Texas but acquired Spain’s claim to the Oregon territory north of the 42nd parallel
How was Western land purchased?
- Soldiers who volunteered to fight in the war of 1812 were given western lands as a military bounty.
- Settlers purchased lands from speculators
- Many squatted on empty land, farmed it and moved on
How did economic forces aid and discourage expansion?
- The 1815-1819 climb in wheat and cotton prices encouraged expansion, but this drove up land prices, discouraging it.
- Due to a reliance on agricultural exports, western farmers were susceptible to a crash, like the panic of 1819. Unable to meet their debts, they moved further west to squat on new land.
Why was there a huge increase in western agricultural production?
- The richness of the soil
- Improvements in agricultural technology, Such as:
Jethro Woods iron plough and John Deere’s steel plough.
How did transport developments encourage western expansion?
Transport developments facilitated the movement of goods and made it easier to access the West, both for trading and travelling, as well as stimulating the building of Western cities.
Were the transport developments an economic success?
Yes.
e.g.
- The Erie canal, which ran for 363 miles, paid for itself within nine years
Was there rivalry between the west and the east?
Yes.
Easterners viewed westerners as uncouth, westerners chided easterners for their soft lifestyles
What is the main issue that western expansion provided, politically?
-The issue of whether the new western states were open to slavery.
This issue divided westerners, and also northerners and southerners.
Why wasn’t the Native American resistance against white intruders successful?
- There were relatively few Native Americans in the mid-west.
- Factionalism and fragmentation among tribes discouraged unity against a common threat.
- Superior technology gave white Americans an advantage
How did the war of 1812 affect Native Americans?
The war of 1812 weakened Native American ability to resist US expansion. They no longer received assistance from Britain and Spain.
Describe the policies of the Indian removal act of 1830?
-The president was given the power and funds to relocate Native American tribes from their eastern lands to western lands.
-The western lands, thought unsuitable for white settlement, were to be guaranteed to the tribes ‘forever’
-The government would provide some financial compensation and assistance in relocating the Native Americans
Who were the Five Civilised Tribes?
-The Creeks, Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws and Seminoles
What was the Seminole war?
The Seminoles resisted removal from Florida. The Seminole war raged from 1835 until 1842 when the government declared the war over. The war cost the USA greatly.
