Fasttrack to America's Past
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Background for the discussion questions  

1. Explain what Manifest Destiny...

   Manifest Destiny was the term used in the 1800s to express the belief that America should expand westward to the Pacific Ocean.  "Manifest" means plainly visible or obviously apparent.  "Destiny" means fate.  Many Americans of that time believed that it was the obvious fate of the new nation to expand, spreading the benefits of democratic government to new areas.  Few were troubled much about the fact that in large parts of the West, Native Americans and Mexicans already had claims of their own.
   Most people who went West wanted land, which could be bought very cheaply in the early 1800s.  Sometimes land could be had for only the cost of registering a claim.  (See the reading on page 4 - 10.)
   Adventure lured others westward.  The Gold Rush of 1849 certainly drew many people seeking both adventure and wealth. 
   There were other factors as well.  Some of the earliest travelers to the West were involved in the fur trade with Indians.  Religion was a great factor in the settlement of Utah by the Mormons, and also for missionaries who were among the first to reach Oregon Country. 
   By 1860 Manifest Destiny had been fulfilled, although the movement of settlers into the West continued well into the 20th Century.

2.  How did improvements in...

   The settlement of the land west of the original 13 states got a big boost from improvements in transportation in the early 1800s.  These improvements included roads, canals, steamboats, and railroads. 
   The steamboat was developed in the early 1800s, and proved to be a key factor in the growth of areas along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.  It could go upstream in these rivers, making it possible for cities, trade, and industry to develop.
   The construction of the National Road was also important in this period, because it opened up a reliable overland route westward from Maryland.
   The Erie Canal is only the most famous of the many canals dug in the early 1800s.  By connecting Lake Erie to the Hudson River, this canal opened an easy water route from the East to the entire region around the Great Lakes. 
   Railroads began spreading after 1830, and offered some big advantages because they could go anywhere tracks could be laid.  By the time of the Civil War, a network of railroads effectively connected most of the area stretching from the original states out to the Mississippi River.

3.  Explain why the factory system...

   The factory system rapidly grew in America in the early 1800s because it proved to be an efficient and profitable way of producing goods people wanted.  The factory system was not invented in America, but spread here from England, which experienced its own Industrial Revolution several decades earlier. 
   The textile industry - cloth making - was the first to adopt factory and machine technology on a large scale.  In America, this industry developed mainly in the New England states.  That area had prosperous merchants with savings to invest in new businesses.  It had good, fast-flowing rivers to power water wheels.  It also had a growing population that provided both a supply of workers and people eager to buy the finished cloth. 
   The key to the success of the factory system is its incredible efficiency.  Cloth, for example, could be produced far more quickly and cheaply than by hand.  The price fell dramatically, allowing even ordinary people to dress far better than before.
   The impact on American life and on workers, however, was a mix of good and bad.  Factories created new jobs and opportunities, even for unskilled people.  They promoted the growth of towns, cities, and trade.  But early factories were often unsafe, and hours were long.  Workers had few legal rights on the job, and factories faced nothing like today's health and safety regulations.

4.  Explain briefly the concerns...

   Women's rights:  The early 1800s saw the rise of the first organized effort by women in America to improve their legal status.  Marriage, divorce, and inheritance laws treated the sexes unequally, mostly to the disadvantage of women.  Very few avenues of higher education were open to women.  Social expectations tended to restrict women to roles that won them great respect, such as homemaker, but gave few other opportunities. 
   Social reformers wanted these laws and attitudes changed, and also sought the right of women to vote.
   Slavery:  These years saw the rise of a well-organized abolition movement dedicated to ending all slavery in the U.S.  Although slavery existed in all the states in Colonial times, the American Revolution highlighted the moral arguments against holding people in bondage.  Some Northern states began ending slavery, and even some people in the Southern states called for an end to the practice.  Tensions over the issue of slavery set the stage for the Civil War, which began in 1861.
   Factory Conditions:  While factories were beneficial in many ways, working conditions were often scandalous in the early 1800s.  Workers had none of the health and safety regulations we take for granted today.  Hours on the job stretched from 10 to 14 hours a day.  (Keep in mind, however, that life on a farm in those years could be just as harsh.) 
   Reformers, including workers who organized labor unions, sought to limit work hours, improve health and safety conditions, and win higher pay.  
   The Mentally Ill:  Social reformers like Dorothea Dix exposed the shocking conditions endured by the mentally ill in the early 1800s.  In many places, such unfortunate people were confined in jails and even cages.  Medical science and knowledge at the time offered little in the way of effective therapy.  Dix, and others who joined the cause, persuaded state legislatures to pay for the construction of special hospitals for the mentally ill.

5.  What opportunities did immigrants...

   Immigrants found tremendous opportunities during the period from 1800 - 1860, but often also met with considerable obstacles. 
   The opportunities in these years were great because America was expanding rapidly.  Land was available at low prices for those eager to begin farming.  Businesses in the growing cities also offered jobs to skilled and unskilled workers.  Chicago's growth in these years offers a good example.
   America offered another priceless opportunity:  freedom from rigid social class lines.  Compared to Europe or any other society of that time, America had a very egalitarian spirit.  Immigrants could hope that they and their children would prosper and be respected as citizens. 
   But it was rarely an easy journey to success in America.  Immigrants who landed in cities were often desperate for work, and had to take whatever wages they could get.  Living conditions could be wretched, and illness claimed many lives.  Even on the western frontier, the work of building up a new farm was a challenge even in the best of times.

6.  Explain how the developments of...

    Many of the developments in these years tended to split the nation into two very different regions.  Different patterns of agriculture, industry, and social attitudes toward slavery were among the most divisive factors.
   Most states in the Northern part of the country eliminated slavery during the Revolution or in the decades that followed.  Slavery had never been a very big part of Northern agriculture.  In the South, the system of slavery grew larger, partly because the demand for cotton grew as factories developed in the North.  The cotton gin, of course, was the key invention that made the crop profitable for Southern farmers. 
   Northern states supported tariff laws and other help from the federal government to promote the growth of manufacturing.  Most of the benefit of these policies went to Northern states, and many Southerners thought this was unfair.  South Carolina even considered leaving the Union over the issue.
   As the debate over slavery grew after 1830, attitudes on both sides hardened.  Southerners resented the "holier than thou" attitude of abolitionists in the North.  Northerners resented the Southern attitude that business and factory owners were ill-mannered "money-grubbers" who treated workers almost like slaves. 
   As new territories joined the U.S. as new states, all of these issues became more intense political debates.  The Kansas-Nebraska Act led to bloodshed even before the Civil War began.   The election in 1860 of Abraham Lincoln caused many Southern leaders to conclude that the interests of their region could be better served by seceding from the Union.






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   Copyright 2018 by David Burns.  All rights reserved.  Illustrations and reading selections appearing in this work are taken from sources in the public domain and from private collections used by permission.  Sources include: the Dover Pictorial Archive, the Library of Congress, The National Archives, The Hart Publishing Co., Corel Corporation and its licensors, Nova Development Corporation and its licensors, and others.  Maps were created or adapted by the author using reference maps from the United States Geological Survey and Cartesia Software.  Please see the home page for this title for more information.