Unit 5: Expansion, Regionalism, and the Road to Secession (1844–1860)

Manifest Destiny

19th-century belief that the U.S. was destined by God to expand across North America.

Motivation for Expansion

Access to natural resources, economic opportunities, and religious refuge.

Election of 1844

James K. Polk won on an expansionist platform, promising to annex Texas and acquire Oregon.

Mexican-American War

Conflict (1846-1848) following U.S. annexation of Texas, leading to war over border disputes.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended the Mexican-American War, Mexico recognized Rio Grande as Texas' southern border.

Mexican Cession

Mexico ceded California and New Mexico to the U.S. for $15 million.

Wilmot Proviso

1846 amendment proposing to ban slavery in all territory acquired from the Mexican War.

Significance of the Wilmot Proviso

Reignited the slavery debate, transforming a political dispute into a moral and sectional crisis.

Industrialization of the North

Economic shift focused on manufacturing and free labor in the 1850s.

Free Labor

Labor system in the North based on wage workers.

Mass Immigration

Rapid demographic changes in the North due to Irish and German immigrants.

Know-Nothing Party

Anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic nativist movement in the North.

Abolitionists vs. Free Soilers

Abolitionists wanted immediate end to slavery; Free Soilers opposed its expansion.

Agrarian Economy

The South's economy dominated by plantation system and export agriculture.

King Cotton

Phrase referring to the dominance of cotton in the Southern economy.

Sectional Conflict

Tensions between North and South due to economic and cultural differences.

Religious Refuge

Mormon migration to Utah seeking a community away from persecution.

Diplomatic Relations

The status of communications between the U.S. and Mexico concerning border disputes.

Rio Grande vs. Nueces River

Two conflicting border claims between the U.S. and Mexico.

Political Dispute

Conflict over slavery's expansion that became a national moral issue.

Political Unrest in Germany

Contributing factor to German immigration to the U.S. during the 19th century.

Economic Opportunities

Reasons for expansion that included access to land and resources.

Cultural Values

Differences in beliefs and practices between Northern and Southern societies.

Land for White Laborers

Free Soilers' goal to reserve Western land for non-slaveholding whites.

Conflicting Economic Systems

Divergence between North's manufacturing and South's agriculture.

Slavery Debate

The contentious discussions in Congress regarding the future of slavery in new territories.