Economy and Politics in the 1820s
New political parties formed: the Democrats (from the DemocraticRepublicans) and the Whigs. The latter favored the growth of industry. Banking was an object of great debate: there was no federal bank or currency, and the previous federal bank’s charter had expired.

Preface: the 1790s

The country had built up $74,000,000 of debt from the war, and had to pass taxes to pay this debt, and then enforce the taxes.
Preface: The 1790s

The War Begins
On 12 April 1861, Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Lincoln responded by summoning a volunteer army to recapture government property. The North quickly built up a strong border defense and blockaded the Southern states.

Economic Growth in America
The Second Great Awakening

There was a great religious revival that changed the face of American Christianity.
“Manifest Destiny” and the American Dream
Though people were optimistic about American society, most farmers had little time or money, and though there were more wealthy people in the United States than Europe by 1850, most of them were born into wealthy families. Western expansion dispersed this wealth, as Americans asserted a right to spread out to places like Oregon, California, and Texas, an idea called “Manifest Destiny”.
The War of 1812
The Americans declared war against Britain because of interferences with American trade in Europe, mistreatment of American sailors, and Britain’s encouragement of hostilities with the Native Americans. Washington D.C. was burned, but the Americans eventually won. Native Americans were later forced to move west (to Oklahoma) in the Trail of Tears (1830).



Objectives of the Federal Government of the United States of America
President Lincoln had to keep a tenuous balance between the extremes of the remaining Union States for their loyalty. His priority was maintaining the unity of the nation, because regarding any issue, if the country was not whole, his actions would be of limited effectiveness.
American History
From 1800 to 1945
Preface: the 1790s
The United States gradually expanded, territorially and experientially. The Bill of Rights is added in 1791. The cotton gin is invented in 1793.

The Nature of the Conflict
The American Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in American history, and soon both sides were running out of soldiers and supplies, but the North had a more diverse and stable economy to draw from. To the credit of the South, General Robert E. Lee was loyal to his state of Virginia, and was certainly the most talented commander of either side, and had the soldiers and opportunity to win the war, if it could be won quickly.

Slavery

There were also many disputes in the law about the slaves:
The Constitution defined slaves as 3/5 of a person for the purposes of Congressional representation. The trans-Atlantic slave trade was banned in 1807 by the British Parliament. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required Northern police to help in catching slaves. In the Dred Scott Case, the Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property and could not sue in court nor be protected by acts of the Federal government.

Objectives of the Confederate States of America
President Jefferson Davis of the CSA effectively turned control of the army over to General Lee, who had rapidly proved his brilliance in command, to the wide respect of his men. The strategy was to strike hard and fast at Washington D.C., to disable the army, capture Lincoln, and demoralize the Union. The British were considering allying themselves with the South.

The first political parties were Jefferson and Madison’s Democratic-Republican party and Hamilton’s Federalist party.
Preface: The 1790s
The Federalists wanted to create a strong and efficient federal government, but sometimes alienated the people, for example by passing high taxes on houses, land, and slaves, and in turn causing several rebellions. The Democratic-Republicans favored the middle class, and encouraged expansion of American settlements.

The Louisiana Purchase

The purchase of a huge expanse of land from France in 1803 radically increased the size of the United States and allowed for a greater number of farmers.