POWERPOINT 11 Panic and Boom, 1837 - 1845

Economic Crisis and Innovation Martin van Buren elected president in 1836 Panic of 1837 created by foreign and domestic economic problems In Charles River Bridge case, Supreme Court ruled that a state charter did not imply a monopoly Railroads become main form of transportation as Americans become more connected Samuel Morse

The Growth of Railroads ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. The Growth of Railroads

Life in the New Slave South Most slaves worked in plantation fields, in hemp, wheat rice, corn, sugar, tobacco, and cotton African American families develop networks of “fictive kin” to counteract pressures of slavery Plantation life varied greatly, from benevolence to atrocity Both Whigs and Democrats support slavery in the South, but the parties’ constituents were vastly different

Paths of the Slave Trade ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. Paths of the Slave Trade

©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. Spread of Slavery

Percentage of Population Enslaved, 1820 and 1840 ©2002 Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. Percentage of Population Enslaved, 1820 and 1840

Reform Takes Root Reform in public education gained support Horace Mann Movements against alcoholic beverages grew in popularity The Washingtonians “Martha Washington” Societies Abolition remained strongest reform movement Grimké sisters Liberty Party Amistad Frederick Douglas

Development of an American Culture Transcendentalism emerges as a new cultural movement Ralph Waldo Emerson William Gilmore Simms Henry David Thoreau American popular culture developed in a great variety of mediums Artists such as Cole, Audubon, and Powers Daguerreotypes Writers such as Poe and Melville

The Transformation of American Politics Campaigns become a major part of America’s entertainment Emphasis on informal issues helped elect William Henry Harrison in 1840 Harrison’s death from pneumonia brings John Tyler to the presidency Tyler alienated his presidency from Whigs and Democrats Webster-Ashburton Treaty

©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. Election of 1840

The Challenge of the West California and Oregon become “The West,” and many Americans begin to migrate westward Westward migration brings issue of slavery back to political forefront “Manifest Destiny” is used to describe God’s plan for Americans to inhabit the continent James K. Polk elected by narrowest of margins in 1844 Turmoil in this period within the United States arises from religious schisms and the issue of slavery

Oregon Boundary Dispute ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. Oregon Boundary Dispute

Population Explosion 1830-1850 ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. Population Explosion 1830-1850

©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. Trails to the West Web

Discussion Questions Evaluate the presidency of Martin van Buren. How does he compare to Andrew Jackson? Describe the conditions of slave life on the plantation. Did it differ for field slaves to house slaves? What was the abolitionist movement? What was its part in politics in the pre-civil war period? What is “Manifest Destiny”? What part did it play in the 1800s? Does it still exist today?