1. Expansion and Reaction, 1846 - 1854
POWERPOINT 12
Expansion and Reaction,

2. War with Mexico Polk provoked war to acquire territory
Zachary Taylor
John Fremont
Stephen Kearney
Winfield Scott
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo added 600 million acres territory to the United States
Wilmot Proviso
In 1848, Zachary Taylor’s popularity won him the presidency
“popular sovereignty”
Free-soil party

3. ©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.
War with Mexico,

4. ©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 1848

5. Americans on the Move
Steamships, railroads, and clippers contributed to movement of Americans throughout continent
Gold discovered in California in 1849
John Sumner
Over “’49ers” immigrated to California
Brigham Young leads Mormons to Utah
Deseret and polygamy
Irish potato famine brought 1.8 million Irish to America
Revolution in Germany brought one million Germans to the United States

6. The Gold Rush California

7. The Quest for Perfection
Utopian communities such as Oneida Association become American experiments
Woman's Suffrage movement begin in the 1840s
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Lucretia Mott
Sojourner Truth
Seneca Falls Convention (1847)
Declaration of Rights and Sentiments

8. Popular Culture and High Culture
Mass printing appeals to wide audience as Americans demand diverse entertainment
A few great American writers emerge from this period
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Herman Melville
Walt Whitman

9. Slavery and a New Crisis in Politics
Compromise of 1850
Statehood for California in 1850 precipitates a crisis
Stephen Douglas
Fugitive Slave Act
In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin built support for abolition
Sold over 6.5 million copies

10. ©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.
Compromise of 1850

11. Politics in Chaos Know-Nothing party emerged as anti-immigration party
Order of the Star Spangled Banner
Commerce and transportation enhanced United States expansion fever
U.S. expanded into Hawaii, Baja, and Cuba
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Anthony Burns
Ignited controversy over slavery and states’ rights
led to formation of new Republican party

12. Kansas-Nebraska and Slavery
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
Kansas-Nebraska and Slavery
Web

13. Discussion Questions
Examine the presidency of James K. Polk. Was he a successful or unsuccessful president?
Describe the events that led to the Mexican War? Was this war justifiable? Was it beneficial?
How did the expansion of slavery into the territories further divide the nation?
What was the Compromise of 1850? Did it delay or accelerate the nation to war?