1. The Antebellum Era (Pre-war period)
Callaway Plantation
By: Colter

2. Manifest Destiny
1845 John O’Sullivan, a New York journalist, wrote that it was the manifest destiny of our country to expand or spread west.
Manifest Destiny- the divine right to expand the U.S. territory and democracy.
President James K. Polk was a strong believer in manifest destiny and wanted to acquire the Texas, Mexican(California), and Oregon territories.

3. Oregon Territory
America and Great Britain disputed the boundary between the U.S. and Canada.
In 1818 they agreed on the boundary which was the 49th parallel(49 ˚north latitude).

4. Texas Mexico wins independence from Spain in 1821.
About 20,000 white settlers had moved into the Texas territory.
Mexican president Santa Anna forbids any new settlement.
Texans declare independence and Santa Anna attacks the Alamo.

5. The Lone Star Republic
Sam Houston leads the Texan forces and defeats Santa Anna.
Texas eventually becomes the 28th state in 1845.

6. The Mexican-American War
Polk offers to buy California and New Mexico, Mexico invades Texas.
General Zachery Taylor takes troops to the border(Rio Grande) where a few men are killed, Congress declares war on Mexico.
Taylor easily defeats Mexican troops at Palo Alto.
General Winfield Scott leads 7,000 troops to Mexico City and finishes the war.

7. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Gives the U.S. more than 500,000 square miles of territory.(California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, parts of Wyoming and Colorado).
Polk pays Mexico $18.25 million.
*112,000 fought in the war including 2,100 Georgians.
*The United States now had territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

8. California Gold Rush 1829 Dahlonega gold discovery
1848 An even bigger gold discovery in California.
Gold was discovered on the American Fork River by John Marshall and John Sutter.
The stampede to find gold in California begins.

9. State’s Rights
State’s rights is the belief that the state’s interests are more important than the interests of the national government.
Northern States- believed that the United States could function better when political decisions made are best for the whole country.
Southern States- believed the states had the right to govern themselves and decide what is best for each state individually.
Southern states did not think northern states could possibly understand their needs.

10. The Doctrine of Nullification
Nullification-the belief that states could ignore federal laws.
10th Amendment-Any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government are reserved for the states.
Tariffs- taxes placed on imports such as iron, molasses, wool ect. (Some tariffs were as much as 50%)

11. The Doctrine of Nullification
Southern states felt the tariffs favored the northern businesses/industry.
South Carolina invokes the doctrine of null and threatens to secede( leave the union) over the issue of tariffs.
Andrew Jackson threatens to send troops to S. Carolina, eventually the tariffs are reduced some; other southern states do not really support S. Carolina.

12. Class Structure
Class structure in the North was based on wealth and wealth allowed northern people to move up in social class easier.
Class Structure in the South was more on what family a person was born into. In the South it was harder to move up in class.
Class structure had always been a part of America but during the antebellum era it was more rigid.
Refer to page 215

13. Class Structure in the South
Planters
Large plantation owners
Divided into smaller/larger land owners
Represented 1% of white families
Wealthiest people in the United States
Smaller group controlled most of the wealth and were the political leaders
Owned the majority of the slave population(20 or more)

14. Class Structure in the South
Farmers With Slaves
Farmers owned fewer than 20 slaves, most 5 or less
Represented the middle class
Smaller homes but comfortable
Head of the household ran day to day operation of the farm
Represented about 20% of the white population

15. Class Structure in the South
Merchants
Lived in towns/cities
Worked jobs such as cotton brokers, store managers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, minister
Most were wealthy and ran the daily operation of the towns
Artisans- skilled workers such as carpenters, brick layers, shoe maker, blacksmith

16. Class Structure in the South
Yeoman Farmer
Largest group of white southerners (75% of population)
Independent farmer that lived season to season
Most did not own slaves
Life as a yeoman farmer was hard, many relied on others for help and work
Worked from sun up to sun down
Only a few actually owned a slave

17. Class Structure in the South
Free Blacks
This class included farmers, artisans, or tenant farmers
Most were in the upper South (Maryland and Virginia)
A few actually owned slaves and had a small plantation or large farm
Denied citizenship rights: voting, education, travel
Segregated even in the North

18. The Missouri Compromise
Compromise (agreement or settlement) between the northern and southern states; approved in 1820
Maine entered the Union as a free state, and Missouri entered as a slave state
11 states allowed slavery and 11 states did not
Prohibited slavery north of the Mason-Dixon Line (36 degree latitude)
Temporarily solved slavery controversy between the states

19. The Compromise of 1850 and the Georgia Platform
Compromise between northern and southern states in 1850
California would enter Union as a free state
New Mexico territory would not become part of Texas or a guaranteed slave state
The District of Columbia would no longer trade slaves, but slave owners there could keep their slaves
Runaway slaves could be returned to their owners in slave states
Utah and New Mexico territories could decide if they wanted to allow slaves or not
The Georgia Platform – Statement from the Georgia Convention in response to the Compromise of Supported by Union states, the Georgia Platform stated that the Southern states would agree to follow the Compromise of 1850 (and not leave the Union) as long as northern states would no longer attempt to take away rights from southern states.

20. The Georgia Platform
The Georgia Platform – Statement from the Georgia Convention in response to the Compromise of Supported by Union states, the Georgia Platform stated that the Southern states would agree to follow the Compromise of 1850 (and not leave the Union) as long as Northern states would no longer attempt to take away rights from Southern states.

21. The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska in 1854; nullified the Missouri Compromise and broke the peace created by the Compromise of 1850.
Led to the creation of the Republican Party and further divided the northern and southern states.
Those territories had right of popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty: When a territory asked for statehood, the people could vote on slavery
Freesoilers in those territories fought against Abolitionists and proslavery supporters

22. The Dred Scott Supreme Court Case and Decision
Supreme Court ruling in 1857
A slave filed suit after he lived in free states with his owner but was returned to slave state
Court ruled that slaves were not citizens and could not file lawsuits
Court also ruled that Congress could not stop slavery in the territories
Decision further separated the North and South

23. Election of 1860
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a Republican from Illinois, won the Presidential election.
Northern states favored a Republican candidate that would help to abolish slavery. Southern states favored candidates that supported States’ Rights.
Northern States, California and Oregon supported Lincoln.
Most Southern states supported John C. Breckinridge
Most Border states supported either Stephen Douglas or John Bell

24. Debate Over Secession in GA
Georgians were, for the most part, for the Union; however, they were strongly for states’ rights
Despite lawmakers’ strong debates for and against secession (leaving the union/country), a Secession convention began in January 1861 in Milledgeville, the capital
A secession ordinance (bill) passed by a vote of
The Southern states who seceded met in Montgomery, Alabama in February, 1861; they formed the Confederate States of America

25. Georgians in Leadership
Alexander H. Stephens served as a Representative in Congress from Georgia from During this time he spoke against southern secession. However, after the southern states seceded from the Union Stephens was elected as Vice President of the Confederate States of America (CSA) in 1861.
Robert Toombs was named Secretary of State of the Confederate States of American
Governor Joseph E. Brown favored secession and used his terms as governor to prepare Georgia for war