APUSH P4 11/30/15 SRQS Chapter 13 – IMPENDING CRISIS How were the boundary disputes in Oregon and Texas resolved? • • Britain and the United States both claimed sovereignty in the Northwest, a dispute initially resolved by an 1818 treaty allowing “joint occupation” by settlers from either nation. • • Considerable numbers of Americans migrated to the Northwest in the 1840s. Despite conflicts with Indians, these migrants were able to establish permanent settlements and urged the U.S. government to solidify American claims in the region.
The wealthy were in need of cheap labor, and with the amount of blacks being sentenced, most jails still functioning were overflowing with them. Leasing was designed for black convicts, and laws passed allowed towns and independent men to lease them for a price. They black convicts were put to work building railroads, levees or doing work for private owners. The convicts did work that free labor could not. Conditions were horrible and they were forced to work knee deep in muck, in malaria-ridden swamps, and to dynamite tunnels.
They also had the privilege to get married, to create separate houses of worship, and to get an education. Blacks would now have the capacity to have a vital effect on molding the general public. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was then introduced by Congress to ensure that blacks could never be slaves again and to free slaves in areas that were not secured by the Emancipation Proclamation. There was an abundance of white northerners that went to the South after the war to help in the development of Reconstruction, or to benefit from it.
The Compromise of 1877 led to a lack of control of the south that allowed the KKK to start their stream of terror Lynching was often well publicized and profitable. Living in fear was common for blacks at the time. This lead to the Great Migration, blacks started to move North moving into cities About 6 million blacks moved to the north hoping for jobs and a better life however in doing so they were treated with segregation. Segregation lead to black communities. These communities started to build churches and schools.
After the Civil War ended many people were in hope of finding land since population was increasing. Since the West was underdeveloped and uncivilized, many decided to expand the land. First the Louisiana Purchase increased the opportunity of expansion. Then industrialization and the Homestead Act also caused many companies encouraged to move West due to the low cost of land and that the transportation was provided through the railroads. In order to complete such goals, something had to be done with the Natives since it conflicted with their home area.
Pertaining to the rights of African Americans a new south did not appear after the reconstruction. While they were “free” they were often treated harshly and kept in a version of economic slavery by either their former masters or other white people in power. Sharecropping and the crop-lien system often had a negative impact on both the black and white tenants keeping them in debt with the owner. Jim Crow laws, vigilantes and various means of disfranchisement became the normal way of life in the South. It was believed that white people were superior to black people and when they moved up in politics or socially they were harassed and threatened.
In the Jacksonian age people were steadily pouring westward for various reasons. The panic of 1837 brought financial unrest, and created many poor who sought a new chance out on the frontier. Others moved west from the Great Awakening that stirred a race to convert the Indians to Protestantism before the Catholics got to them first (Allen and Schweikart).
During this time period, blacks had many different statuses. Some were slaves forever, some were like indentured servants. They were allowed to actually own property, get married and after they served their time they were freed. Slaves were at the bottom of the social order but the individuals above them were not much better. The white people that were poor did not have as many hardships because they always thought at least they were not slaves, even though they were towards the bottom of the social structure.
The people who settled the west were greatly dependent on the US government and the policies they adopted. The settling of the west in the late 19th century was similar to the settlement of the south in the 1830’s. Andrew Jackson drove out the indians so that the valuable land of the south could be secured by white settlers. Once again, the federal government made it possible to settle the west by forcing indians off of their lands. A recurring theme in American history is manifest destiny and the attempt to develop unsettled lands by the federal government.
Americans were looking for new land, so they traveled West. The land of the United States was only to the Mississippi River. On the west side of the Mississippi was the Louisiana Territory. This area belonged to spain. The Louisiana Territory went from the Mississippi River all the way to New Orleans.
Their schools and buildings were severely underfunded and not properly maintained. Blacks could not socialize with white people in public or they risked being arrested. “A black male could not offer his hand (to shake hands) with a white male because it
People were drawn to the West because it was scene as the last resort to make a living when all else failed in the East. Communication with friends and family who had moved west led these pioneers to believe the journey would be easy and the reward for getting west would be best. And the greatly available land was the strongest pulling factor to people interested in adventuring west. Migration was a personal choice that depended on several key factors, “Age of the head of household; economic status; personal attitudes; and projected costs and benefits of the resettlement.” Most historians agree that the majority of the people who migrated west were middle class and mostly immigrants to the US.
They freed themselves by 1865. They founded institutions, for example, black colleges, churches, banks, insurance companies, fraternities and sororities to uplift their race. “The process of enslavement was almost unbelievably painful and bewildering for the Africans. Completely cut off from their native land,
That is just one of many reasons there was Westward Expansion. Overpopulation, new inventions of transportation methods, and new opportunities. These are three of many reasons why Americans in the 1800’s felt urged to move west. Some may claim that Westward expansion was not right for America to do because of the conflicts that were aroused afterward.
The new arrivals had reinforcements from the US, hence the ability to own the best quality of resources. Because of their connection to the US, the African-Americans would sell lands and resources to the US at a cheap price. Ironically, Liberia has now turned into a land of exploitation and racism by the very people who left America because of it. Incidentally, between the periods of 1848-1860, approximately 2,000 settlers were intrigued by the idea of emigrating to Liberia but they lost interest when the American Civil War was occurring. At that time, they had faith that there was a possibility to receive justice, which they did.
