Chapter 17

A Short Presidency

• William Henry Harrison (Whig) elected in 1840 and began his term in March 1841, but died a month later. 
• Vice President John Tyler becomes President:  

           - Tyler was a Whig, but really more of a democrat 

           - Tyler battled Henry Clay in the Senate

           - Tyler did not totally agree with the Whigs and what they believed.

Manifest Destiny

• The U.S. used the idea to justify taking land from other countries west of the Pacific Ocean. 
• Main idea of Westward expansion.

Problems with Britian (AP)

      - U.S. and Britian did not respect 54' 40 or Fight

• Polk & his Plan- President Polk: understand, but was very forward thinking.        - He had a four-point plan which included lowering the tariffs so that everyone benefits from it. 

•   Mexican War: 

             - "Show me the spot" Speech 

          - Texas was a major issue (War with Mexico because U.S. wanted Texas and California, plus land in between).

             - We defeated Mexico (not in reality) 

             - Texas became a state and Mexico was angry 

Chapter 18

• Uncle Tom's Cabin:

- Fictional Book about Slavery 

- Written by white women from Vermont

- She was anti-slavery

- Helped contribute to the start of the civil war

- Uncle Tom = Blacks who kissed up to whites 

• The Unresolved Conflict: Slavery

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended Mexican war but opened a new can of worms of U.S. 

• Whigs v.s. Democrats

- Polk (D) is sick 

- Democrats pick General Lewis Cass, Whigs pick Zachary Taylor 

- Cass loses and puts forth the idea of popular sovereignty, let the people of a state/territory decide about slavery in their state/territory, since they are source of power. 

• Gold!

- Gold was found in 1849 in California, starting a "Gold Rush" at Sutter's Mill 

- Most never found much gold

- South was very Angry because it would no longer be 15/15 slaves vs. free states

• Slaves vs. Free States: 
• The South:

- 15 Slave states, so 30 senators (equal to the north)

- Mostly fought Mexican War, so thought they should decide about slavery in the new territories 

- Texas claimed even more land and was a slave state

• The North: 

- 15 free states, so 30 senators

- More house of representatives members because north had more people 

- Wanted NO slavery in Washington, D.C

- Some supported Underground Railroad, led by Harriet Tubman and others 

Compromise of 1850:

•  Three Greats worked on Compromise
• Compromise of 1850: Millard Filmore (NY) happy to work for compromise 
• Strict fugitive slave law

Gadsden Purchase:

• U.S. purchased land from Mexico to build railroad
• Manifest Destiny, encouraged this.

Death of the Whigs 

• By 1852 Election, Democrats nominate Franklin Pierce. Whigs nominate old Winfield Scott from the war of 1812
• By this time, both parties had Northern and Southern factions. 

Asia

• U.S. and China sign Treaty of Wanghia to open trade.
• Japan had been close off from the world but U.S. wanted to trade with them as well. 
• Sent Matthew Perry and signed the Treaty of Kanagawa.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Popular Sovereignty
• Steven Douglass, from Illinois
• Kansas and Nebraska. Both could vote themselves to be free or slave. 

Chapter 19

Bleeding Kansas: 1855, first election in Kansas territory. Both "free soilers" and pro-slavery people started flooding into Kansas. 

Election of 1856:

• Democratic vs. Republican 
• James Buchanan vs. John Fremont (R)
• Republicans only popular in North, whereas democrats had northern and Southern faction. 
• Nativist = America for Americans 
• Know-Nothings = would claim to know nothing about their James won but was not up for the job. 

The Dred Scott Decision

• Dred Scott was a slave who lived in the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin for a long time, he should be a freedman, even if back down South
• Supreme Court disagreed, claiming that Slaves are property, not citizens of US and no territory could ban slavery (1857)
• The North was furious, the south delighted. Country deeply divided. 

Panic of 1857:

• Causes of Panic of 1857:

- CA gold inflated money. 

- Grain prices collapsed

• Effects: 

- Felt worse than it really was because of stressed out country

- North hurt badly but South not so much, made South feel overconfident about themselves.

Lincoln Emerges:

• Lincoln runs for US senator from Illinois in 1858 against Stephen Douglas (KS/NB Act creator). 
• There are a series of famous debates about slavery and the future of the new territories. 
• Lincoln loses but it made him famous and it made Douglas very unpopular in the South.

John Brown:

• Very Anti- Slavery man 
• White
• Kind of crazy 
• Thought he could steal guns from U.S. Federal government in Harper's Ferry, Virginia and incite a slave revolt. 

Election of 1850:

• Lincoln vs. Douglas 

- South would not accept Lincoln and Soth California votes to SECEDE from the union (leave the USA). Other Southern States follow and form the Confederate States of America. (the Confederacy)