1. Westward Expansion
USHC 2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how economic developments and the westward movement impacted regional differences and democracy in the early nineteenth century.
USHC 2.3: Compare the economic development in different regions (the South, the North and the West) of the United States during the early nineteenth century, including ways that economic policy contributed to political controversies.

2. MAIN IDEA: As the result of growing economic differences between the North, South and the West, the regions developed different social values and political interests which led to political conflict and ultimately to war.

3. Geographic Factors:
North: safe harbors and flowing rivers
South: fertile land for cash crops
West: abundant new resources such as fertile farm land and mineral deposits

4. How did these geographic factors affect the economy of each region?
North:
South:
West:

5. Economic Factors:
North: developed industry and finance in part because capital earned through the shipping industry was available for investment in factories
South: invested in slavery and agriculture
West: remained largely agricultural

6. Social Factors:
North:
• attracted immigrants, especially German and Irish, to work in the factories in growing towns and cities
• Northern reformers called for public education in order to assimilate immigrants
South:
• continued to rely on slave labor
• the South outlawed teaching African Americans to read and did not provide education even for white children

7. How did economic and social differences affect the regions?
Economic differences affected and were affected by social differences between the regions, including differences in social reform movements such as education

8. How did economic differences contribute to political controversies?
Economic differences contributed to political controversies including controversies over the creation and continuation of the National Bank.

9. The National Bank: • The South and West opposed the National Bank because they viewed it as giving too much economic power to weather Northeasterners • The South and West favored state banks that would offer cheap loans

10. The Protective Tariff:
The protective tariff was supported by Northeasterners in order to protect their infant industries from foreign competition
The protective tariff was accepted by the West in exchange for support for their own interests such as internal improvements (roads and canals) and cheap land
The South opposed the protective tariff in the nullification crisis and also opposed internal improvements but supported cheap land as they moved west to plant cotton

11. The North and West vs. the South:
The completion of the Erie Canal strengthened economic and thus political ties between the Northeast and Northwest
Henry Clay’s American System threatened the economic and political interests of the South and added to the animosity between the regions
American System: a political alliance that traded western support for the tariff for northern support of internal improvements and cheap land

12. Slavery:
Different economic interests contributed to political differences over the extension of slavery into the west
Economic differences also contributed to disagreements over the admission of the new states of Missouri, Texas, California and Kansas which laid the groundwork for the controversies of the 1850s that culminated in secession and war