Territorial Expansion Dbq

The period of 1783-1800 was shaped by the debate between those who supported a strong central government and those who wanted more power given to the states. This period dealt with issues surrounding the formations of factions that threatened to split the young nation, the inclusion of a Bill of Rights, and the constitutionality of a national bank. Factions divided the people into those who supported a strong central government and those who wanted more power given to the states. These two groups had differing viewpoints, which influenced decisions regarding the addition of a Bill of Rights and the formation of a national bank.

The main reasons why it was chartered was because the United States was experiencing price increases and difficulty financing military operations during the War of 1812. It was created as part of the American system of economics, to issue currency and encourage commerce. It provided a mean for the government to regulate financial affairs. The second back had many functions just like the first, but as the first many people thought that it was mismanaged and felt that it helped bring on the panic of 1819. The Second party are two parties Republic and Democratic, and anyone else not bound by a contract is called a third party. After the Napoleonic wars and the war of 1812 a period called the era of god feelings was marked. It reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire of unity for Americans. Monroe’s term was known for as the era of good feeling; he was the first known representative of the one-party system under the republics. Both parties were either for or against the bank of the United states. Jackson believed that the bank had too much economic power, and the others did not they favored government action to improve American

During the early years of establishing the United States, the role of the national government was a major controversial issue. Highly differing views of the Constitution, economic policies, and foreign affairs caused two major political parties to emerge--the Federalists in 1789 and the Democratic-Republicans following three years after. The two political parties caused a great divide among America. Alexander Hamilton was the founder of the Federalist Party, while Thomas

Most importantly, Thomas Jefferson deeply contradicted his views on land expansion and violated his policy on following the constitution completely. A prime example of this was the Louisiana Purchase, in which Napoleon offered Jefferson the opportunity to purchase all of France's American territory for only $15 million, doubling the physical size of the nation. The French needed the money to fight a war with the British, and Jefferson wanted the mouth of the Mississippi River for America. So, Jefferson "gave the Constitution a close reading" to seek authorization for such a move. Failing to find any, he decided to unconstitutionally take the offer anyway (Doc C). This clearly violated his previous views on such an issue. However, it is obvious that Jefferson made the right decision in the matter, and the American people should be very grateful for Jefferson's

Prior to the War of 1812 the first parties to exist were the Federalists with conservative views favoring National Banks, tariffs and supported supplied power and the Democratic–Republican Party. These parties existed 1792-1824 and include the Federalist Party which was dominant in New England in 1800—business community. The Democratic-Republicans became dominant after 1800—mostly farmers and planters. After the War of 1812, the nation returned to a period of one-party government in national politics. “The Federalist Party decline brought about an illusion of National Political Unity. Congress was setup by President George Washington to be protector of the people—public policy. Rivalry followed and discourse grew over political differences. A divided occurred over the Financial Panic of 1819, the Depression—debt relief, banking, monetary policy, tariffs—and slavery and created a second party system that lasted from 1828-1854 (Ashworth, 1986).

The United States began as a weak, newborn nation that grew into a large, self-supporting country with a governing body unique to this time period. As the government grew and the nation prospered, the rise of leaders and political figures came about and with this, conflicting principles and ideology spawned, thus creating the first of the political parties; the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. Although the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans ideology and stances on the power of the federal government, domestic economic policies and the group of constituents they represented differed vastly, members of both parties often compromised their own beliefs for the nation’s best interest as a whole.

As the United States began to establish itself, its people started to split into factions due to their differing opinions on various topics. The Federalists and Democratic-Republicans disagreed on important issues that would decide the fate of the still-young nation. The opposing views led to two distinct political parties that debated over politics in the U.S., national economic policy, and foreign policy.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the most influential expansionist in American history. He firmly believed that in order for America’s republic to succeed, democracy must expand its region and obtain new land. The United States began to idolize the Mississippi River as Americans spread west towards the Appalachians. Jefferson had many decisions to make regarding the Louisiana Purchase, and was careful to please citizens. The Louisiana Purchase is crucial to our nation’s history, and it impacts Americans today.

With many areas and conflicts to start with, Polk settled on resolving the land debate in the Oregon Territory to begin with. While many Americans yearned to fully control this land, many other nations were as determined, mainly Great Britain. They aimed to obtain control over the entire territory, up to the 54th parallel. Then, the famous quote “Fifty-four forty or fight!” At first, Polk was on board with the general idea that they should acquire all the land. Polk states during this event, ”Our title to the country of Oregon is ‘clear and unquestionable,’ and already are our people preparing to perfect that title with their wives and children”(Genovese 1). Eventually after a while Polk deterred to a straightforward compromise of splitting the land could end the feud. The British declined their offer and continued to settle there (Wilson 3). Noting the challenge Polk retold the Monroe Doctrine as a reminder to the British (Genovese 6). Polk indicated that the European nations were forbidden from any further colonization. The British soon obeyed and resurfaced the compromise the offer Polk had given them. After the new compromise was passed in Congress in 1846, both countries agreed to divide Oregon (Wilson 3). James K. Polk has fulfilled on of his campaign

James K. Polk was elected as president of the United States in 1848 and with him he brought a determination to expand territory more than any other president had before. In his one term administration he expanded the country by two-thirds. Polks hunger for more land resulted in a war with Mexico over Texas which evoked lots of opposition from the Whig party. The idea of Manifest Destiny was germinating throughout Democrats everywhere, countering the Whig ideology of “true republicanism”. They believed “A nation cannot simultaneously devote its energies to the absorption of others’ territories and the improvement of its own,” (pg, 49). Polk ignored this belief and soon John C. Fremont was declaring California independent and Stephen Watts Kearny was leading his army to several victories south of the Rio Grande. Nicholas Trist was able to get Mexico to sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, recognizing the Rio Grande boundary of Texas and ceding New Mexico and upper Californian to the US.

Territorial expansion impacted national unity socially, economically and politically. As new settlers and immigrants came to America, the need for land grew, forcing people westward. People of different backgrounds migrated and settled among each other, creating new and diverse communities. As the west became more inhabited, the government became involved and decided which states would become slave states and which states would become free states. The new states and territories created more room for political differences among citizens. Economically, it made sense to move westward, where there was more land for farming. Farmers that had more land could grow more cotton and own more slaves which benefited the country greatly.

The new nation of the United States of America had many matters to manage, both domestic and foreign. Two political parties emerged to tackle these issues, the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans. Domestic affairs of the United States divided the two emerging political parties more at the time, and had a larger impact on American politics during the 1790’s than foreign affairs.

Polk was strongly in favor of expanding the United States to the Pacific. This opinion won him the election of 1844. That year Henry Clay, a well known and loved figure in American politics, ran and was expected to blow, little known, Polk of the charts. The only problem was Clay was nervous about territorial expansion. He did not want was with Mexico and was unsure of the constitutionality of expanding. Polk won because the majority of the public believed in Manifest Destiny.

Their parties preferences and notions of slavery are what led to the diverging positions of Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln on the issue of southward expansion. May states, “Douglass and Lincoln arrived at their starkly different positions on Americans expansion southward after the United States and Mexico became embroiled in war, less than a half year after congress finalized Texas’s annexation” (38). Lincoln did not approve of America expansion or America’s idea of Manifest Destiny, whether that be Texas and down south or the West. Lincoln was more focused on improving internal problems within the United States than engaging in a foreign war with the British and the properties in the Caribbean and Oregon, the Mexicans and their claims to most of west coast, and the French or Spanish controlled territories in the south. Lincoln was said to

When the treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, the Americans had thought that they had enough land between the Atlantic coast and the Mississippi river. Yet in 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase, the area of the United States doubled and not long after, it was augmented by the half-purchase-half-conquest of Florida. By the end of 1820, as many as 6 states were created, east of Mississippi-Indiana (1816), Mississippi (1817), Alabama (1819), Maine (1820) and Missouri (1821). By the 1830s, the frontier line had been carried to Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas-about one-third of the way across the continent. By the 1840s, the expansionist policy, typified by the Manifest Destiny doctrine, became very strong with many sections willing to go to war to acquire more land. Slavery became a bone of contention between the Northern and southern states with the control of the senate in question. The South wanted expansion to increase slave states, the North to keep the balance with free states and the West wanting expansion to increase their land. The antagonism between the North and the South sees the beginnings of sectionalism leading to the civil war later. The spirit of equality becomes a banner with which the expansionist policy was proclaimed. Phases Of Development Before the 1830s, most sections of the west passed through the same phases of development in a regular order. The first white men to usually enter a new area were the