The American West Topic Summaries
Slavery and states’ rights
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GCSE History: The American West (1835-1895)
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Civil War (1861–1865)
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Slavery and states’ rights
Early settlement (1835–1861)
- - History of the Plains Indians and Native American tribes
- - The Lakota Sioux
- - Political tensions and the foundations of the United States
- - Factors encouraging westward expansion
- - The problems of migration
- - Profile: Brigham Young
- - Problems with White Settlement farming
- - Conflicts and tension in US government policy
- - The First Fort Laramie Treaty (1851)
- - The Underground Railroad
- - Lawlessness in the West
Civil War (1861–1865)
Reconstruction era (1865–1877)
- - Aftermath of the Civil War
- - Profile: Andrew Johnson
- - White American development and exploitation of the Plains
- - Law and order problems in the West
- - Readmission of states to the Union
- - Ranching and the cattle industry
- - Changes in the Plains Indians’ way of life
- - Conflict with the Plains Indians
Later developments in the West (1877–1895)
Early settlement (1835–1861)
- - History of the Plains Indians and Native American tribes
- - The Lakota Sioux
- - Political tensions and the foundations of the United States
- - Factors encouraging westward expansion
- - The problems of migration
- - Profile: Brigham Young
- - Problems with White Settlement farming
- - Conflicts and tension in US government policy
- - The First Fort Laramie Treaty (1851)
- - The Underground Railroad
- - Lawlessness in the West
Civil War (1861–1865)
Reconstruction era (1865–1877)
- - Aftermath of the Civil War
- - Profile: Andrew Johnson
- - White American development and exploitation of the Plains
- - Law and order problems in the West
- - Readmission of states to the Union
- - Ranching and the cattle industry
- - Changes in the Plains Indians’ way of life
- - Conflict with the Plains Indians
Later developments in the West (1877–1895)
- Slavery was the most divisive political issue in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century.
- Southern states viewed slavery as essential to their economic survival and social order, while Northern states increasingly opposed its expansion.
- States’ rights arguments were frequently used by Southern politicians to defend slavery against perceived federal interference.
- The Constitution’s ambiguity regarding slavery allowed political conflict to intensify as the nation expanded westward.
- Each new territory ignited debates about whether it would permit slavery.
- The Compromise of 1850 was a series of laws designed to settle disputes arising from territories acquired after the Mexican–American War. Since it didn’t resolve the fundamental conflict over slavery, it ultimately intensified both the North’s resistance to slavery and the South’s demands for protection of it.
- The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 repealed the Missouri Compromise line of 36°30’, which had previously restricted slavery’s expansion. This led to violent competition between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas, leading to a period known as ‘Bleeding Kansas’ (1854–1859) that involved violent massacres, and political intimidation. This proved that compromise was unlikely to be effective as trust between the North and South had broken down.
- The Dred Scott Case (1857): Dred Scott was an enslaved man who sued for his freedom after living in free territories. The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and therefore had no right to sue in federal court. Thus, the Court declared that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in the territories, so the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. This strengthened the South’s confidence while outraging and radicalising Northern opposition.
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