Westward Expansion
Which event doubled the size of the United States in 1803?
The Louisiana Purchase.
How did Sacagawea help the Lewis & Clark expedition?
Sacagawea served as a guide and interpreter and helped the expedition communicate with and gain assistance from Native American tribes; her presence also signaled peaceful intentions.
The Tariff of 1828 mainly benefited which region or group?
The Tariff of 1828 (the “Tariff of Abominations”) mainly benefited Northern manufacturers/industrial interests.
What is sectionalism?
Sectionalism is strong loyalty to the interests of one’s own region or section of the country rather than to the nation as a whole.
President Thomas Jefferson originally wanted to purchase which territory before the actual deal expanded?
Jefferson originally wanted to purchase New Orleans (and access to the Mississippi River/trade rights).
Name one major cause of the Mexican–American War.
Causes include U.S. expansionist desires (Manifest Destiny), border disputes (Texas annexation and the Texas–Mexico boundary), and diplomatic tensions after Texas independence.
What was John C. Calhoun’s core belief about states and federal authority?
John C. Calhoun supported states’ rights and the idea that states could nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional (nullification), and he defended Southern institutions like slavery.
A major economic difference between the North and South was ________.
The North’s economy was more industrial and based on manufacturing and wage labor, while the South’s economy relied on agriculture (cash crops) and slave labor.
From whom was the Louisiana Territory purchased?
France (Napoleon).
How did President James K. Polk increase tensions with Mexico?
Polk provoked tensions by annexing Texas and asserting the Rio Grande as the border, sending troops to disputed territory, and pushing for territorial expansion (including attempts to buy Mexican lands).
President Andrew Jackson responded to South Carolina’s nullification how?
Andrew Jackson threatened the use of federal force (the Force Bill) while simultaneously supporting a compromise tariff; he asserted federal authority to preserve the Union.
Westward expansion increased tensions because it raised questions about what?
It raised questions about whether new western territories would permit slavery or be free states and how political power would be balanced between regions.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was mainly sent to do what?
To explore the newly acquired territory, find a water route to the Pacific (Northwest Passage hopes), map the land, and establish relations with Native peoples.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican–American War and resulted in what major territorial outcome?
The U.S. gained a large amount of territory (the Mexican Cession: present-day California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming) and the U.S.–Mexico border was set at the Rio Grande.
The Supremacy Clause states ________.
The Supremacy Clause states that federal law is the supreme law of the land and takes precedence over state laws (that federal laws and the Constitution override conflicting state laws).
The Dred Scott decision declared that ________.
The Dred Scott decision declared that African Americans (enslaved or free) were not citizens and that Congress lacked authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories (thus invalidating restrictions on slavery in territories).
The idea that America was destined to expand westward was known as ________.
Manifest Destiny.
John Brown’s raid increased tensions because it ________.
It heightened sectional tensions by increasing Northern fears of violent slaveholder actions and made Southerners more militant — it accelerated the pathway to greater conflict over slavery.
Describe the long-term impact of the Nullification Crisis.
The long-term impact: it tested the balance between state and federal power, strengthened the idea that the federal government could enforce national laws, and left unresolved sectional tensions that contributed to the coming crisis over slavery.
The Compromise Tariff of 1833 was created to do what?
The Compromise Tariff of 1833 was created to gradually reduce the tariff rates that had angered South Carolina and to defuse the Nullification Crisis by providing a face-saving solution that avoided immediate conflict.