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History of the United States I: Unit 5
Westward Expansion and Regional Differences

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Updated August, 2006

Video
Westward Expansion
At the dawn of the 19th Century, the size of the United States doubles with the Louisiana Purchase. The Appalachians are no longer the barrier to American migration west; the Mississippi River becomes the country’s central artery; and Jefferson’s vision of an Empire of Liberty begins to take shape. American historian Stephen Ambrose joins Professors Maier and Miller in examining the consequences of the Louisiana Purchase--for the North, the South, and the history of the country
Program 6:Westward Expansion (Transcript) (Broadband Video on Demand) 

The Rise of Capitalism
Individual enterprise merges with technological innovation to launch the Commercial Revolution--the seedbed of American industry. The program features the ideas of Adam Smith, the efforts of entrepreneurs in New England and Chicago, the Lowell Mills Experiment, and the engineering feats involved in Chicago’s early transformation from marsh to metropolis
Program 7:The Rise of Capitalism (Transcript) (Broadband Video on Demand) 

The Reform Impulse
The Industrial Revolution has its dark side, and the tumultuous events of the period touch off intense and often thrilling reform movements. Professor Masur presents the ideas and characters behind the Great Awakening, the abolitionist movement, the women’s movement, and a powerful wave of religious fervor.
Program 8:The Reform Impulse (Transcript) (Broadband Video on Demand) 

Text

CHAPTER 5: WESTWARD EXPANSION AND REGIONAL DIFFERENCES (OUTLINE)
  • Building Unity
  • Extension of Slavery
  • Latin America and the Monroe Doctrine
  • Factionalism and Political Parties
  • Nullification Crisis
  • Battle of the Bank
  • Whigs, Democrats and "Know-Nothings"
  • Stirrings of Reform
  • Women's Rights
  • Westward
    Sidebar: Seneca Falls

    Search for War of 1812 in The Columbia Encyclopedia

    Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (1835) (Basic Readings)
    Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance (1841) (Basic Readings)
    Dorothea Dix, Memorial to the Massachusetts Legislature (1843) (Basic Readings)
    Horace Mann, Report No. 12 of the Massachusetts School Board (1848) (Basic Readings)
    Seneca Falls Declaration (1848) (Basic Readings)

    PART IV: THE CRISIS OF THE UNION (Basic Readings)
    American Anti-Slavery Society, Declaration of Sentiments (1833) (Basic Readings)
    Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience (1846) (Basic Readings)
    Massachusetts Personal Liberty Act (1855) (Basic Readings)
    Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) (Basic Readings)
    Abraham Lincoln, "A House Divided" (1858) (Basic Readings)

    • Lectures

    Sparknotes American History (scroll down to section on American History)
  • Pre-Civil War (1820-1860)

    History 101: Week 10 The Ferment of Antebellum Reform Workers and Utopians / Immigrants and Know-Nothings (Messer-Kruse)
    History 101: Week 11 Industrial Slavery in the Old South North of Slavery (Messer-Kruse)
    History 101: Week 12 Women in Antebellum Society Thought and Society in Antebellum America / Manifest Destiny and the Question of the Territories (Messer-Kruse)
    History 101: Week 13 Politics, Free Soil and Slavery in the 1850s Lincoln and Secession (Messer-Kruse)

    Sectionalism (Rankin)

    Slide to War (Rankin)

    • Quiz

    The American People (Nash) Click on student resources and select a chapter. You can choose from several exams in the left hand column

    Library

    Bibliography from Biography of America click on webography for additional links
    A look at American History by examining the life and times of each President Start here and click on Presidential Biographies.
  • John Quincy Adams
  • Andrew Jackson
  • Martin Van Buren
  • William Henry Harrison
  • John Tyler, 1841-1845
  • James Knox Polk
  • Zachary Taylor
  • Millard Fillmore
  • Franklin Pierce

    The following provide a brief biography and many links:

  • John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829 (POTUS)
  • Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837 (POTUS)
  • Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841 (POTUS)
  • William Henry Harrison, 1841 (POTUS)
  • John Tyler, 1841-1845 (POTUS)
  • James Knox Polk, 1845-1849 (POTUS)
  • Zachary Taylor, 1849-1850 (POTUS)
  • Millard Fillmore, 1850-1853 (POTUS)
  • Franklin Pierce, 1853-1857 (POTUS)

    Resources

    From American Memory by the Library of Congress. Follow the links.
    National Expansion and Reform

    Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

    Search for Compromise of 1850 in The Columbia Encyclopedia

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    Good Luck!

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