Territorial Expansion in the 19th Century
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with France for $15 million, purchasing vast territory west of the Mississippi River and roughly doubling the geographic footprint of the United States.
American Wars of the 1800s
During the 19th century, the United States fought four major military conflicts:
1. The War of 1812: Fought against Great Britain over maritime rights and territorial sovereignty.
2. The Mexican-American War (1846–1848): Resulted in the acquisition of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.
3. The American Civil War (1861–1865): The defining internal conflict over slavery and federal union.
4. The Spanish-American War (1898): Ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
The American Civil War (1861–1865)
The Civil War was fought between northern Union states and eleven southern Confederate states that attempted to secede. The war's root causes were:
- Slavery: The central moral, economic, and political conflict.
- Economic differences: Industrialized North versus agrarian plantation South.
- States' Rights: Disputes over state versus federal constitutional authority.
Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery
Abraham Lincoln served as 16th President throughout the Civil War:
- Preserved the Union against Confederate rebellion.
- Issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, freeing enslaved people in Confederate-controlled territories.
- Delivered the Gettysburg Address, dedicating the battlefield to government 'of the people, by the people, for the people'.
- Championed the 13th Amendment, which permanently banned slavery throughout the entire United States in 1865.
Susan B. Anthony and Women's Rights
Susan B. Anthony spent her lifetime advocating for women's suffrage, civil equality, and abolition, paving the way for the eventual ratification of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.