Martin van Buren

Hand Selected by Jackson as his successor

Administration was dominated by the Panic of 1837 – mostly caused by Jackson’sPolicies – for example:Specie Circular caused banks to call in loans,Over speculation

Tried to be the “next” American Idol Following Jackson

Featured on Seinfeld as the namesake of a Street Gang

• WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON

• Tippecanoe and Tyler Too! – Log cabin and hard Cider Campaign

• Wins in a landslide• Dies one month into Presidency• First “Whig” President• Tried to be like Jackson – military hero,• Man of the peeps

• JOHN TYLER• “His Accidency”• More vetoes than any preceding President (Other

than Jackson)• All his Cabinet members resigned except for

Daniel Webster• Daniel Webster negotiates a Treaty with England

settling the Maine boundary• Loses next election

• Manifest Destiny - Painting by John Gast 1872

http://www.historyonthenet.com/American_West/manifest_destiny.htm

President James K. Polk

• President James K. Polk was the 11th President of the United States from 1845 to 1849. • Polk was a Jacksonian Democrat who ran against Henry Clay, a Whig. The two opposing political parties were split over several issues, including the Annexation of Texas who had declared her independence from Mexico in 1836.

First “Dark Horse” candidate• The annexation of Texas and the wrestling of Oregon from the British were two of James Polk’s initiatives from his campaign. • The Democratic slogan became "54-40 or fight!" • Polk won the 1844 Presidential Election with a majority of 170 electoral votes to Clay's 105 votes, and served only one term. While in office the Northwest Boundary dispute was settled by the Oregon Treaty of 1846.

Texas War for Independence: Wins independence in 1836Not admitted as a state until 1845. Why the delay?Also – Only state admitted by a Joint Resolution of Congress rather than Treaty (a treaty requires2/3 of Senate) – JR is a simple majority – Why?

BRIEF history:

•Stephen Austin (yup, name of capital city in Texas) brings settlers to Texas•Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna – wary of new American settlers•Differences in customs: - religion and slavery•Last straw – tax and conscriptionTexan appeal to US government for help – US Gov denies•Declaration of Independence, create a provisional government•Army organized under Sam Houston (yup, named a city for him, too) –Eventually elected the first President of Texas•Independence won in 1836.

Alamo. Cool, huh? The Alamo has no basement

Don’t Mess With Texas

•United States refuses to admit Texas as a state in 1836. •Polk makes it a campaign issue – Annexation of Texas•YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAW!•Previous administrations were cautious –

Mexico was the angry, jealous ex-boyfriendDo we want to be the new interest? Hmmmm…

•Annexation of Texas will lead to …..The War with Mexico! – SEE the next slide!

War with Mexico or Mr. Polk’s War

• Nueces v. Rio Grande River – what’s the boundary?

• Polk, sends troops, under the leadership of Zachary Taylor – to the disputed area

• Polk sends James Buchanan to California and encourages a rebellion in the northern areas – promises California immediate statehood if they defeat Mexico.

• Polk also sends John Slidell to Mexico and offers to settle the boundary issue – secretly he has $30 million and offers to buy the rest of the land (Arizona, New Mexico, etc..) The Mexican government is insulted by this offer and refuses

• Mexican troops cross the Rio Grande and engage US troops. Who fired first? See Lincoln’s “Spot” Letter.

Results of Mexican War

• Treaty of Guadalupe – Hidalgo• Its provisions called for Mexico to cede 55% of its territory (present-day

Arizona, California, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah) in exchange for fifteen million dollars in compensation for war-related damage to Mexican property. Rio Grande boundary settled

• New National Heroes like Zachary Taylor

• Mo’ Land = Mo’ Problems• Wilmont Proviso : proposal for

No slavery in

new territory

Punch cartoon, "The Land of Liberty," prototype of America bemused by the political issues of the day. Circa 1848. Citation: American Heritage, Making of the Nation, 1783-1860, p. 256.

http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/imageapplication/MarchandMinor.cfm?Major=NP

1848 Election

• Polk declines to run again – dies soon after he leaves office. He worked himself to death.

• Zachary Taylor (62 years old, never voted before in his life) Whig Candidate.

• Martin van Buren – Runs as a “Free Soiler” – uses Wilmont Proviso as a Platform

• Lewis Cass – Pro annexation Democrat

• And the winner is……..

Zachary Taylor!!!!• California – Gold discovered – The “bling” rush begins 1848• That Makes Mr. T happy – I pity the fool who doesn’t go to California• In less than 1 year, California had over 100,000 people according to the NW

Ordinance - you only needed 60,000 to apply for statehood (’49 ers)• Problem: 15 free states, 15 slave states California would upset the balance

• Compromise needed – Compromise of 1850:– Henry Clay introduces a compromise Bill to Congress

• Provisions:– Admit California as a free state– Institute a TOUGHER Fugitive Slave Law– No Slave trade in DC– Utah and New Mexico Territories would be allowed to develop as either

free or slave.– Texas should yield in the boundary dispute between N. Mex and Texas

Results:

• Taylor dies during this process

• Texas threatened to take, by force, the disputed lands – Taylor threatened to “hang those traitors” – many southern states threatened to secede and aid Texas

• Fillmore does support Compromise

• Bill is broken up into parts and each part passes on its own. Why?

Franklin Pierce – yeah, he was President. I know….you’ve

never heard of him either… • Here’s what he looks like

• Election of 1852 winner• Tries to refocus American Nationalism (as

opposed to the “Sectionalism” that dominated) by implementing his “Young America” plan

• Annexation of Cuba – The Ostend Manifesto killed that

Oh I’ve been workin’ on the Railroad…..

• The Transcontinental Railroad:

• Where do we put it? Benefits of a northern v. southern route

• Stephen Douglas – Illinois Senator

• Gadsen Purchase – makes a more attractive southern route

• Douglas’ BIG Idea. Need to please the south

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn2FzuPyFlY

The Kansas – Nebraska Act

• Here’s the deal….• Popular Sovereignty….let the people decide• What does this do to the Missouri Compromise?• That’s right….it kills it. Think about state

locations – Missouri influence, Iowa influence

The new “Republican” Party

• Form out of Northern Democrats who opposed Popular sov.,

• old Whigs (not those wigs!)• – high tariffs, immig for cheap labor, trans con RR,• and “Know Nothings” – anti-immig, anti-

Catholic, anti-alcohol, anti-slavery, nativists• John Fremont is the first candidate in 1856

– loses to James Buchanan

Violence, Debate, and Secession

• Bleeding Kansas – John Brown (wait for that story! It’s a good one)

• Martyr Senator - Charles Sumner / Andrew Butler / Preston Brooks

• Lincoln – Douglas Debates

• The Supreme Court –

Dred Scott

Harper’s Ferry

Election of 1860

• Democrats split– Stephen Douglas (northern democrats), John

Breckinridge (southern democrats) Split the vote

• Lincoln wins! First Minority President (Less than 50% of pop vote)

• South secedes!• It’s go time!

With a classmate, compare the policies of Andrew Jackson and the Antebellum Presidents (Van Buren through Buchanan).

They are similar in that they...

They are different in that they….

If the Civil War could be avoided by erasing one event / presidency / individual from this historical period, which event or what individual should be erased…

Answer with evidence from your notes.