RichieNgo

Wolf16
HonorsEssay#4:WestwardExpansion

Andrew Jacksonwasthe seventh president oftheUnitedStates. HewasknownastheSavior

of NewOrleansbecausehewasconsideredaherofordefeatingtheBritishagainstalloddsduringthe
Battleof NewOrleans.Ironically theTreatyofGhenthadbeensignedpriortothebattle,wordhadnot
reached either armythatthe warwas over,and therefore hiseffortshadbeenpointless.Jacksongrew
up without his father, who passed away three weeks prior to his birth allegedly from an accident.
Jackson had a bitter resentment towards the British. He andhis brotherwerecaptured by theBritish
duringthe Revolutionary War.Subsequentlythey werestarvedwithin theBritish camp.Bothbrothers
even contractedsmallpox, hisbrother consequently died,andJackson was left traumatized afterbeing
slashed across his face by a British soldier (apparentlyfor refusing topolishthesoldiersshoes).He
alsoblamed theBritish forthe deathofhismother,whoshortly diedfromcontractingcholera.Jackson
was left an orphanattheyoungageof14,heultimatelyhatedtheBritishhiswholelifefortakingaway
hisfamily.
Jackson was the father of the New Democratic Party, which what became our modern
Democratic Party. There wasnt a Republican Party during this time period since it hadnt been
established, although there
had been the Whig Party, which was formed by Henry Clay. The Whig
Partyultimately dissipated overthe issue ofslavery.Jackson wasa strict constructivist,he was all for
state rights, andbelievedin localstategovernments. Heaimedtoreestablishrevolutionaryprinciples.
Jackson detested the Era of Good Feeling, which lead most antifederalists into becoming more
federalist. Jacksons ideology wasdubbedJacksonian Democracyandhis followerswereknownas
Jacksonian.Since Jacksonwasborn inthe West,anddrivenbyManifestDestiny,hispartysupported
Westward Expansion. He also stood for the common man, particularly farmers. Jackson believed in

suffrageforthecommon man,albeitnot forwomen.Consequently,hewasntinfavorofwealthymen.

He believed inpatronagebut not amongst thewealthy.Jackson didntsupportbankersortheNational
Bank, whichhe believedwaswealthypatronage.Hedid,however, believein laissezfaire,theideaof a
free market without government regulations. Jackson thought that the current system, with the
relationshipbetweenthegovernmentandbankers,wasunfaircapitalism,anddidnotallowforanequal
and inclusive enterprise for the common manandfarmers. Hisresentmenttowards bankershails,for
the most part,becausehegrewupina modestfarming family. Farmers hate bankers.Jacksonandhis
party did not want banks and the federal government to have a close relationship because farmers
werentadequatelysupportedbybankers. Theybelievedthat bankersshouldprovidemoneyandloans
toallpeoplefairly.MartinVanBuren,whowas JacksonsSecretaryofState,wasthebrainsofbehind
the new political party. Though Jacksonled theNewDemocraticParty, Van Burenwas theone who
organizedit.IfitwerentforVanBuren,Jacksonwouldnthavearguablybeenassuccessful.
Jacksons presidency wasfamously dubbedOldHickory.Jacksonsbirthplaceisasubjectof
debate, he claimed he was born in South Carolina but some people argue he was born in North
Carolina. Sincehewas bornwestoftheAppalachians,heendedtheVirginiaDynastybybecomingthe
firstpresidentoutside ofVirginia.Jacksonwas differentthanpreviousVirginianpresidentsbecauseof
cultural differences, Jackson frequently participated in duels, supported popular democracy, and
individuallibertyalthough hewasfor slave ownership. Hewas famouslyknownfor hisgruffpersona
described as rough, tough, and rootin tootin Wild West. On the night of his inauguration,Jackson
invited many of his friendsto theWhite House. Theordealturned completelyout ofhand,somehow
guests were able to get a hold on alcohol and everyone went wild. In order to stopthe commotion,
servants had to movealltheboozeoutinto thefrontof theWhite House, thereforekickingoutallof
Jackson and his friends. Amonghisother titles, Jacksonwasknownas theOldIndian Fighter.He
hated theIndiansbecause hebelieved thattheystood inthewayofWestward Expansion.Mostpeople

were shocked by his extreme distaste for the Natives, even though he later adopted an Indian son.
Jackson was responsible for the Trail of Tears,where CherokeeIndianswereforciblyremovedfrom
Georgia and relocatedtoOklahoma.ManyIndiansdiedonthis trail, beingforcedtomarcheven past
the pointofexhaustion. Althoughthe Cherokeeknew English,hadtheirownschools,businesses,and
post office, they were denied by Jackson and expelled by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The
Supreme Court allegedly granted the Indians request to become a state but Jackson ignored it
proclaiming,HowmanysoldiersdoestheSupremeCourthave?
Jackson and his party were against banking interests in general because of a previously
aforementioned cultural mantra: Farmers hate bankers. Jackson was previously a farmer himself.
Farmersinvestalltheir extra savingsinbuyingmoreland.Becauseofthis,theyalways haveto borrow
moneyfrombanks.Farmershatebigbanksbecause they charge too muchinterest,thereforetheylike
smaller banks since they typically charge lower interest rates.JacksondislikedNicholasBiddle,who
was theheadof theSecondNationalBank,ultimatelybecauseoftheirculturaldifferences.Biddlewas
anEasternerand abanker,a combination thatJackson naturallydetested. Jacksoncampaignedagainst
the NationalBankcitingthatitwasunconstitutional,he thoughtthatbankshadtoomuchinfluenceand
that they were onlygivingmoneytocertainpeople.Jacksonconsideredbankersascorporatecapitalists
whotook advantage oftheir powerto oppress farmers.Theconflictsthat were ensuedwere knownas
the BankWar, itwas Jacksons way ofmobilizingagainst wealthybanks.Jacksonthentookmeasures
that allocatedmoney towardspetbanks. Pet banks weresmallerlocalizedbanksthat didnt have as
many federal regulations they were more accessible to farmers and common men. During thistime
period paper money was introduced. The paper money represented actual gold and value. Without
casual checks and regulations however, the banks didnt keep track of howmuchpaper money they
werelending,causingthemtoloanmoneythat didnthaveactualvalue.Petbanksconsequentlycaused
the Panicof1837.EventuallytheproblemgotsobadthatJacksonhadtoformallyaddressthesituation

ina speech.Jackson hadtodeclarethatyouhadtopayyourloansbackingoldorsilver,thusrendering

allcurrencyuseless,andlaunchingAmericaintoarecessionthatlasteduntilthemid1840s.
The advancement ofagriculturaltechnologyencouragedcommercialagricultureandultimately
contributed towards Westward Expansion. John Deere invented the steel plow in 1837. Before the
inventionofsteelplows, most farmers wouldhavetoimprovisewiththeresourcestheyhadinorderto
till soil. The early plows were typicallyflimsyrodswithanironpoint.Attemptsofrevamping plows
wereoftenmerelyjust chunksof woodcrudelycutintoshape,andreinforcedwithclumsyironpoints.
The new steelplowsallowedfarmerstobreakuptoughsoiland turnover moreland,makingfarming
easierandprofitable.Thecombineharvester, whichwasinventedbyHiramMoorein1834,wasalsoa
dramatic agricultural game changer it combined three harvesting operations, reaping,threshing, and
winnowing, all into one. Similarly, the McCormick Reaper was invented in 1837 by Cyrus
McCormick. The McCormick reaper allowed farmers to quickly reap large quantities of crops. The
increasedspeedof agricultural production increasedthegrowthoftheagriculturalindustry.Thecotton
ginwas inventedbyEliWhitneyin1793itseparatedcottonfibersfromcottonseeds,whichwasfaster
and more efficient than manual cotton production. Although the advancement of agricultural
technology vastly benefited and spread agriculture, it begantotakea toll on theenvironment,which
latercontributedtotheDustBowlsof1930s(ortheDirtyThirties).
Industrial technologies allowed for everything to become more efficient, which was crucial
towards expansion. In1843, CharlesGoodyear inventedvulcanizedrubber.Goodyeardiscoveredthat
removing sulfur andheating rubber increasedits elasticity anddurability.Thenewinventionwasvital
towards Westward Expansion because it was so useful. Vulcanized rubber was used to waterproof
things, make shoes, cushion material, and most importantly as reinforcementfor wheels.Therubber
could be used to line wheels on carriages, which made travel easier since carriages wouldnt break
down aseasy, itmaderidessmoother.Icecutterswerealsoinventedduringthistime.Icecouldnowbe

harvested, whichmeant thatfarmersdidnthavetoworryaboutworkingaroundlargepiecesofice,and

ice couldbestoredto preserveandrefrigeratefood. Tin canswereinventedin1819,whichsealedand
stored food for people as they travelled. People could store food in tin cans to prevent them from
perishing, or to preserve food for long periods of time (especially during the wintertime). The first
sewing machine was also developed in 1814byamannamedJosef Madersperger. Sewing machines
meantthatpeopledidnthave toworryaboutlackofclothingto wear, oriftheir clothesneededtobe
mended. They also improved the quality ofclothing.Sewingmachinesalsoallowed women to make
andsellclothing.
Transportation wasanothervital elementof WestwardExpansion.Travel wasmadefasterand
efficientbecause ofthe steam engine,whichefficiently burnedcoalandboiledwatertoprovidesteam
which powered the engine. The first steam locomotive wasinvented by George Stephensonin 1814.
RailwayswereaHUGE gamechangerduringthistimeperiod.Theyallowedforquickertransportation
andexpeditedshipmentofcargo, whichmeantfastertrade!Thesteamboatwasalsoabigadvancement
atthetime.Before steamboatspeoplewould haveto rowboats downstreamin ordertodelivergoods,
andthen travelbackonfoot.Steamboatsallowedforroundtripsdownandbackuprivers.Additionally
waterways and canals were widened. Bridges were also being built and roads were beginning to be
paved.Theseaccomplishmentsimprovedthequalityoftravel,andcontributedtowardsexpandingwest.
Communication was another contributing factor to Westward Expansion. Samuel Morse
invented the telegraph and Morse code in 1837, and 1838. Before the telegraph, information and
communication hadtypically takendays tobe relayed horseback.Thetelegraphallowedforswiftlong
distance communication, which benefitted commerce. News could be relayed much faster with the
telegraph. Quickeraccesstocommunicationchangedthe societyas awholebecause peoplefeltmore
connected.

The Manifest Destiny was a widely held 19th century belief that America was
destined to
expandallthewaytotheWestCoast.Thebeliefhailedthatexpansionwas
inevitable,thatitwasbound
tohappen.ManifestDestinyhad three major themes:The
virtue
/
righteousness
oftheAmericanpeople
and their institutions, the
predispositionor
mission
forAmericans to spread theirinstitutions, andthe
destiny underGod todotheirwork. MostAmericansbelievedthatManifestDestinywasobvious,that
it was apparent that we were and
going
to move west. Since Americans had won andasserted their
independence from Britain,the RevolutionandtheWarof 1812,theyfeltlike theyachieveanything.
The Era of Good Feeling also supported this attitude, and the Monroe Doctrine safeguarded from
outside European intervention. Manifest Destiny also gave many Americans justification to drive
awaytheIndians.In addition, itmotivatedtheMexicanAmerican Warbecausewefeltlikewehadthe
righttotakeoverAmerica.AlthoughmostpeoplebelievedinManifestDestiny,therewereafractionof
peoplewhocondemnedit.The Whigparty particularlydidnotfavorManifestDestiny.Notablefigures
thatdisapprovedofManifestDestinywereAbrahamLincolnandUlyssesS.Grant.
As a result of Westward Expansion, Americans moved into land previously governed by
Mexico.Originally,MexicansinvitedAmericansintotheirstate(solongastheyobeyedMexicanlaws)
because they recently won their independence from Spain, and they thought that having Americans
aroundwasbetterthanthe Indians.Thishowever became problematicbecauseAmericaswereinfused
withManifestDestiny, whichcausedthemto take Texasforthemselves.AsmoreandmoreAmericans
beganto settleinto Mexicanterritory,theratiobetweenthenumbersofMexicanstoAmericansshifted
sothattherewereultimatelymoreAmericans.TheareathattheAnglos, whichwaswhattheAmericans
living in Texas called themselves, claimed operated as their own independent state called the Lone
StarRepublicofTexas.
After ten years of being an independent state, Texas wanted to become part of the United
States.MexicostillconsideredTexas astheir territoryand sworethat any actionof thesortwouldbe

consideredanactofwar.PresidentJamesK.Polk,who wasawarhawk,respondedbyannexingTexas
anyway, whichsparkedtheMexicanAmericanWar.TexasbecameanofficialstateonDecember29th,
1845.Conflictensuedbecauseof bordertensionanddispute.Polk initiallyoffered Mexico25million
dollars for CaliforniaandNewMexicoterritory,buttheyrefused.Texas claimedRioGrandeas their
southern border while Mexico claimed the Nueces River as its northern border. War consequently
broke out after a battle over Rio Grande, which was known as the Thornton Affair of 1846. The
Mexican forcesatRioGrandeweregreater thanAmericanforcessotheyweredefeatedPolkusedthis
battle as his main justification to call Congress to declare war. Americans were able towinthewar
largelyin partbecauseMexicohaddifficultyrallyingpeopletofightfor them.Mexicanterritorieswere
immensely populated by
American
immigrants therefore they didnt have much societal support.
Internal conflict also contributed as a factor because of the aforementioned. Winfield Scott, the
American General, was also able to charge into the capital of Mexico, which subsequently was
victorious.
The MexicanAmericanWarendedin 1848,two yearsafterithadbeendeclaredin1846.The
war ended due to Scott taking over Mexico City, andthecolonizationofAmericansin Mexico.The
Mexicans andthe Americans endedthewarwithsigningtheTreatyofGuadalupeHidalgo,whichgave
the U.S. modern day Colorado, California, most of Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah and
Nevada.Thetwo nationsestablished theirbordersattheRioGrandeRiver.In ordertomaintaingood
relationswith theirneighbors,AmericaagreedtopaywarreparationstoMexico.EventuallytheU.S.
built the Transcontinental Railroad and in that process, sealed theGadsdenPurchase withMexicoin
1853.Inexchangefor10milliondollars,MexicogavetheU.S29,640squaremiles.Thenewterritory,
however, would later become one of the catalysts of the Civil War. There would subsequently bea
disproportionate amount of slave and Freestates.Somepeople,particularlyAbolitionists, viewedthe
conversionofTexastoaslavestatefromafreestateasanactofspreadingslavery.