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Indian removal act
in 1830,congress passed the Indian removal act,a big government policy aimed at opening land for white settlers by relocating native american tribes.pushed by president Andrew Jackson,this law allowed the federal government to negotiate treaties forcing tribes in the southeast to move west of the Mississippi river. -
Indian removal act part 2
The policy led to the trail of tears,which that thousands of native Americans,especially the Cherokee died from disease exposure and starvation.this act set a a precedent for the US government prioritizing westward expansion over the rights and sovereignty of native peoples,fueling the drive for more territory in the coming decades -
Texas independence and annexation part 2
it was designed to expand across the continent set the stage for the Mexican american war and further land acquisitions in the west -
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Texas independence and Annexation(1836-1845)
in 1836 american settlers in Mexican controlled Texas declared independence forming the Republic of Texas.For nearly a decade Texas existed as its own country,but many Americans supported annexing it into the US mostly southerners eager to expand slavery.In 1885 the US officially annexed Texas leading to tensions with mexico over opposed borders.this expansion of territory fueled by ideas like manifest destiny which held that the US -
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Mexican american war and treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
the Mexican American war started in 1846 over the Texas boarder argument and Americas wish to gain more western land.after 2 years of fighting the war ended with the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 in which mexico got territory to the US including cali,nevada,utah,arizona,and parts of other states known as the mexican cession.this territorial acquistion expanded the US but also made debates worse over whether slavery would spread,making north and the south have tensions with eachother. -
the compromise of 1850 and popular sovereignty
to show the issue of slavery in new lands congress passed the compromise of 1850,alot of new laws pointed and the same interests.Cali was made a free state but Utah and new mexico decide the slavery issue but popular sovereignty allowed settlers to vote.The compromise made strict fugitive slave act making northerners mad.it kinda calmed tensions.popular sovereignty wouldn't be a nice solution to the slavery argument. -
garden purchase (1853)
The US got another territory known as garden purchase buying land from mexico now is southern transcontinental railroad route to solve boarder issues.but small compared to the others,this purchase finalized the continental boundaries of the US it also made debates over slavery in the territories and showed how the economic interests and infrastructure development motivated policies -
bleeding Kansas
it let settlers in those territories decide the slavery issue but popular sovereignty effectively repealing the Missouri compromise that had banned slavery north conflict known as bleeding Kansas as pro and anti slavery settlers flooded in Kansas to influence the votes.the failure of popular sovereignty to keep peace showed how deeply divided the country was and how with out clear rules of slavery would inflame tensions more.pushing nations closer to civil war. -
Dred Scott decision
in 1857 the supreme courts ruling in dred Scott Sanford said that African Americans were not citizens and that congress had no power to ban slavery.Since it meant that even if settlers voted against slavery they couldn't prohibit it.The ruling made northerners mad emboldend pro slavery forces and further broke the country.it showed how expansion and government policies were mixed with slavery turning western growth into a flash point for national crisis.