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CHAPTER 13
Western Expansion and Southern
Secession
1830–1861
This chapter traces the link between the nation’s expansion westward with the South’s eventual secession.
It begins by discussing the motives and routes for westward movement, specifically focusing on the
movements into Oregon, California, and Texas. The chapter then recounts the events that led the United
States to war with Mexico. The acquisition of so much new territory in the war’s aftermath affected the
CORE OBJECTIVES
1. Explain how, why, and where Americans moved west of the Mississippi River during the 1830s and
1840s.
2. Examine the impact of the Mexican-American War on national politics.
3. Describe how the federal government tried to resolve the issue of slavery in the western territories
during the 1850s.
4. Analyze the appeal of the Republican party to northern voters and how it led to Abraham Lincoln’s
victory in the 1860 presidential contest.
5. Explain why seven southern states seceded from the Union shortly after Lincoln’s election in 1860.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1. Moving West
A. The Western Frontier
B. Plains Indians
C. Mexico and the Spanish West
D. The Rocky Mountains and Oregon Country
E. The Settlement of California
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F. American Settlements in Texas
G. The Texas War for Independence
H. The Alamo and Goliad
I. The Battle of San Jacinto
J. The Lone Star Republic
K. The Tyler Presidency and Texas
L. Efforts to Annex Texas
M. The Election of 1844
N. The State of Texas
O. Polk’s Goals
P. Oregon
2. The Mexican-American War
A. The Outbreak of War
B. Opposition to the War
C. Preparing for Battle
D. The Annexation of California
E. War in Northern Mexico
F. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
G. The War’s Legacies
3. Slavery in the Territories
A. The Wilmot Proviso
B. Popular Sovereignty
C. The Free-Soil Coalition
D. The California Gold Rush
E. Mining Life
F. California Statehood
G. The Compromise of 1850
H. The Great Debate
I. Compromise Efforts
J. The Fugitive Slave Act
K. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
L. The Election of 1852
M. The Kansas-Nebraska Crisis
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4. The Emergence of the Republican Party
A. “Bleeding Kansas”
B. Violence in the Senate
C. Sectional Squabbles
D. President Buchanan
E. The Dred Scott Case
F. The Lecompton Constitution
G. Douglas versus Lincoln
H. An Outnumbered South
I. John Brown’s Raid
J. The Democrats Divide
K. Lincoln’s Election
5. The Response in the South
A. Buchanan’s Waiting Game
B. Secession of the Lower South
C. Final Efforts at Compromise
D. Lincoln’s Inauguration
E. The End of the Waiting Game
LECTURE IDEAS
1. A good overview of Manifest Destiny is a must for this period in American history. See the following:
2. Create a lecture on westward migrations and the conditions that settlers faced. See Ray A. Billington’s
The Far Western Frontier, 1830–1860 (1956) and Frederick Merk’s History of the Westward
Movement (1978).
3. The contention and discord in regards to slavery spilled into Congress. Design a lecture that examines
the Great Battle in Congress between Preston S. Brooks and Charles Sumner. Discuss the Gag Rule
which was implemented. Relevant sources include:
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4. During the Mexican War, a group of Irish soldiers deserted the U.S. Army and joined the Mexicans. A
lecture on the so–called San Patricios or St. Patrick’s Battalion would be an excellent vehicle for
5. War has profound and widely varying effects on the soldiers who fight it. A lecture that explores these
effects and how they intersected with attitudes about race, nationalism, and American expansion can
shed light on how average Americans experienced the Mexican–American War. Paul Foos’s A Short
6. A lecture on the Compromise of 1850 is a must. Detail the origins, issues, personalities, sectionalism,
and outcome to this epic event in American history. Tie the lecture into the general crisis of the 1850s
and speculate on what might have happened without such a compromise. See Holman Hamilton and
7. John Brown continues to be one of the most enigmatic and controversial figures from the crisis of the
1850s. Give a lecture that examines his background, his motivations, and the consequences of his raid
on Harpers Ferry. Examine the continuing debate as to whether he was basically a bloody terrorist or a
heroic soldier in a war of liberation. For an excellent overview, see David Potter’s The Impending
8. A lecture on the election of 1860 and how it brought the Republican party to power, with Abraham
Lincoln not being on the southern ballot, would be helpful. See David Potter’s The Impending Crisis,
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES / FLIPPED CLASSROOM SUGGESTIONS
1. Divide the class into groups and after a general lecture on the various causes that led up to the Civil
War, let each group research and report on their findings. See the following:
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2. Divide the class into two groups and research the origins, details and results of the Mexican War. One
group should take the Mexican perspective and the other group the American. See Joseph Wheelan’s
3. Many paintings from the nineteenth century are reflective of the manifest destiny ideal. Two of
the most memorable are John Gast’s American Progress (1872) and France Flora Palmer’s Across
the Continent (1868). Put together a collection of these images to present to your class (one possible
website to look at is www.csub.edu/~gsantos/cat16.html; a web search for “manifest destiny paintings”
will also yield many results). Put together a presentation of several of these paintings. Ask your
4. To many, James K. Polk, “The Dark Horse Candidate,” could be considered one of America’s most
successful presidents, as he followed the mantra “What would Jackson do?” However, many others are
quick to point out his inability to win a second term and the legacies of the Mexican War. To prepare
for a class debate, ask students to research Polk. One group will take the position of his supporters, and
5. Ask your class to read the “Texas Declaration of Independence” (1836) and James Polk’s war message
to Congress requesting a declaration of war on Mexico (1846). Both documents can be accessed at
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/two/. Ask the class to consider how accurately
6. Just as the thirteen colonies wrote the Declaration of Independence to explain why they were leaving
the British Empire, the states that seceded shortly after the November 1860 election wrote their own
Declaration of the Causes of Secession. Those documents can be found at http://www.civilwar.org/
education/history/primarysources/declarationofcauses.html. Divide the class into groups and give each
7. Have your students read a few short articles on slavery and/or secession published on the eve of the
Civil War. From the North, one might read The Brooklyn Daily Eagle or the Boston Evening
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Was American manifest destiny a religious ideology? Is it a racist ideology? Both? Neither? Why or
why not?
2. What was the most significant long-term factor that contributed to the origins of the Mexican War?
Does Mexico deserve any of the blame for the Mexican War?
3. It is said that the Civil War ended slavery, but were the freed African Americans truly free? Why or
why not? Explain and justify your answer.
4. The California gold rush was the greatest mass migration in American history. “Striking gold” proved
to be both positive and negative. Elaborate on the impacts.
5. At what point did the Civil War become inevitable? Can you identify any points where a different
decision or course of action might have changed the historical trajectory?
6. How important were individuals and individual decisions in causing the Civil War, and to what extent
were systemic forces beyond the control of any single individual to blame? What was more important,
individual choices or systemic forces?
7. Should President Buchanan have done more to avert the Civil War after Lincoln was elected but before
Lincoln took office?
8. Could Lincoln have done more to avert the Civil War in the period between his election and taking
office?
PRACTICING CITIZENSHIP
Abraham Lincoln’s election as president in 1860 immediately triggered southern secession efforts that
culminated in the Civil War. One would assume that the war’s outcome forever settled questions about
the permanency of our own federal union. Do some research to find out which major countries (look at