Conquest and expansion

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This is a written assignment that requires you to write a 1-pg. (double-spaced) summary and analysis of the week’s material. Explain what you found most interesting and why. Tie any videos/podcasts/websites/readings to the lectures for the week. And answer 2-3 of the guiding questions I provide in the module

Part 1

As the previous weeks’ modules have demonstrated, land was central to the ambitions of most people in the colonial and early Republic periods. Land, in fact, was at the heart of what the new nation promised. To be free was to possess land. It was to be liberated from dependence on wage labor (working for a wage, like most of us today). To be one’s own boss was understood as not just desirable for one’s own happiness and livelihood; it was also a necessity for republicanism to thrive. Expansion westward, then, was essential for the survival of the Republic. Of course, we know that North America was not a wide open, empty wilderness. It was full of people with complex societies, vast trade networks, and histories that spanned thousands of years.

This week’s module explores how early Americans conceptualized westward expansion, the conflicts expansion spawned, and the consequences of the new nation’s thirst for land. Whereas Americans understood their westward march as divine destiny, their conquest of North America reveals a much more complicated, violent, and contested history than the narrative of manifest destiny allows (click here for a description of manifest destiny and see below
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).

*You do not need to read the linked Wikipedia page for “Manifest Destiny” above, if you already know what it is. I just wanted a description in case some people were unfamiliar with the term.

This painting is from a later period, the 1870s, but the ideas conveyed were relevant in the early part of the century as well. Here we see “progress” represented by a beautiful white woman (America), who literally brings light to the darkness. As Americans bring modernity to the west, the old is pushed out.

To get us started, let’s take a look at how Thomas Jefferson thought about the importance of land for the survival of the nation. In Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson discussed his thoughts on a number of issues, including the role of religion in state governance, constitutional government, and republicanism. He also wrote extensively about slavery and the importance of the separation of the races. In this excerpt, he argues for the primacy of agrarianism over a manufacturing economy. Favoring small, independent farms, Jefferson maintained that farmers should be the backbone of the new nation. As you read, think about the following questions:

How does Jefferson describe farmers and agrarian culture?
How does he describe manufacturing, trades other than farming, and cities?
In what ways does his agrarian ideology conform to republican ideology? (I discussed republican ideology or republicanism in last week’s lecture, “How Revolutionary was the Revolutionary War?”)

Excerpt, Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Click here: Thomas Jefferson Articulates the Agrarian Ideology 1781.pdf

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Part 2

My lecture, “Jeffersonian Agrarianism,” further unpacks agrarian ideology in the the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Here I explain the consequences of westward expansion for the institution of slavery, which expanded greatly during this period and I briefly discuss the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, which further emboldened the new nation’s leaders in their quest for land and resources.

Lecture, “Jeffersonian Agrarianism” ( 25 mins.)

Jeffersonian Agrarianism.pptx

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Part 3

The United States’ westward march was always contested. It was not a foregone conclusion that the new nation would expand all the way to the Pacific ocean. In fact, the early Republic was quite vulnerable, a reality that Great Britain, France, Spain, and multiple indigenous groups tried to work to their advantage. After the Revolution, American settlers began pushing further and further into the Ohio River Valley. As they did, they ran up against the Shawnee, who called the region home. Under the leadership of Tecumseh, a young Shawnee warrior, the Shawnee and their Indian allies challenged the United States for control of not just the Ohio River Valley, but the entire Midwest and beyond. Watch “Tecumseh’s Vision,” and make sure to consider the following questions:

What led to Tecumseh’s rise as a leader?
How did Tecumseh organize? What was his philosophy and how did he build a pan-Indian coalition to challenge the U.S.?
We have a narrative of westward expansion that makes it seem inevitable and natural that Americans would migrate west and settle those lands. It’s often even depicted as destiny. Does this history of Tecumseh’s Indian Confederacy challenge that narrative? How so?

We Shall Remain, Episode 2, “Tecumseh’s Vision” (83 mins.)

Part 4

The forced migration of black men, women, and children from Virginia and Maryland to the deep south was not only an arduous journey that spanned over a thousand miles; it also separated families and other kin networks. As the heart of slavery moved from the Chesapeake to the lower South of the Cotton Kingdom, slave traders played an important role in ensuring the cotton South thrived. What was one of these journeys like? What motivated these migrations? How did enslaved people experience being sold down south? In “Retracing Slavery’s Trail of Tears,” the author uses historical records to trace one of these journeys and, in doing so, explores the long-term consequences of forced migration and its legacies today. As you read, please think about the following questions:

What role did a firm like Franklin & Armfield play within the vast networks that kept the institution of slavery going?
Put yourself in the shoes of one of the enslaved. What is the journey to the cotton kingdom like? How do you experience it?
How does the history of this forced migration reshape our understanding of slavery in the United States?
Examine the various primary sources available throughout the article.

Warning: this article quotes a descendant of Isaac Franklin’s brother, whose comments are racist. These comments help tell a story about the continued denial of slavery’s brutality and its significance for modern American life. The article also contains references to sexual harassment and rape, which were central to the operation of slavery.

Edward Ball, “Retracing Slavery’s Trail of Tears,” Smithsonian Magazine, Click here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/slavery-trail-of-tears-180956968/
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Part 5

By the late 1820s American political life was shifting significantly. As we discussed last week, the right to vote in the new nation was dependent upon one’s state regulations. Almost all states had some kind of property or tax-paying requirement in order to vote, which left out many men (all women were prohibited from voting).

This began to change in the 1820s and 1830s until, by 1840, more than 90% of white men could vote. At the same time, American political culture changed to reflect a dynamic two-party system that centered on widely celebrated national political leaders and a focus on presidential elections. Historians refer to the political culture these changes created as Jacksonian democracy. These new political norms had both pros and cons, and benefited some people more than others. It actively harmed still others. As you consume these materials, think about the following:

How did national politics operate in the Early Republic?
Why do you think the expansion of voting rights to more and more white men occurred when it did?
What are the limitations of a two-party political system?
What did Jacksonian democracy represent?

First, read “The Ugly Election that Birthed Modern American Politics,” a short piece that talks about the 1824 presidential election.

James Traub, “The Ugly Election that Birthed Modern American Politics,” National Geographic History Magazine, Click here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2016/11-12/america-presidential-elections-1824-corrupt-bargain/
(Links to an external site.)

Now Listen to my lecture, “Jacksonian Democracy” ( 27 mins.)

Jacksonian Democracy.pptx

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Part 6

The main reason white settlers were able to push into the deep south and force the migration of a million black women, men, and children was dispossession. For years federal and state leaders struggled with the so-called “Indian problem” that forestalled westward expansion. In 1830 Congress passed the “Indian Removal Act,” giving the federal government authority to remove Native Americans from their homelands east of the Mississippi River to reservation lands west of the river (this “Indian territory” later became the Oklahoma territory). Over the course of the next decade Native peoples were violently pushed out of the southeast, though there was much resistance. In this section we are going to examine this process through a reading of two primary sources and a lecture.

First, read two primary sources that are closely connected. One is a speech President Andrew Jackson gave to Congress in 1830, celebrating the policy of Indian removal. The other is the Indian Removal Act of 1830. As you read, think about the following questions:

What do these documents tell us about how Americans conceptualized Native Americans?
How was removal justified?

President Andrew Jackson, “On Indian Removal” Speech, 1830, Click here: Pres. Andrew Jackson–On Indian Removal Speech.pdf

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Indian Removal Act, 1830, Click here: Indian Removal Act.pdf

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Second, listen to my lecture, “Indian Removal” ( 27 mins.)

Indian Removal.pptx

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Part 7

The indigenous peoples of the southeast resisted their removal in multiple ways. These Native nations persisted, despite their removal from their homelands. As they adapted to new environments, many of their cultural practices remained the same. Cultural persistence does, in and of itself, constitute resistance. Take some time time to explore “How Did Six Different Native Nations Try to Avoid Removal?” an interactive website created by Native Knowledge 360° (a project of the National Museum of the American Indian).

Your goal is to familiarize yourself with the various ways indigenous peoples resisted American settler colonialism, and to gain more experience examining primary sources. Remember, one of your assignments this semester will be to conduct your own primary source analysis. Follow the instructions below.

Ignore “Student Instructions.” You do not need to complete this worksheet.
Click on each of the six Native nations to get a very simple version of their removal story. This is an animated section. If you are on a device with touch capabilities, you can use your finger to move the story line to the left until the end. If you are on a non-touch enabled device, click and drag the little arrow icon to the left until you get to the end.
To get back to the homepage, click “Return to Removal Stories.”
You should now be familiar with the removal stories of all six nations. Next, choose one you are interested in and investigate the case study. After you click on the nation from the homepage, click “View Case Study.” There you will see several primary sources, one each under “Treaty,” “Map,” “Image,” “Document,” “Quote,” and “Object.” Try to answer the questions asked about each of these sources.

“How Did Six Different Native Nations Try to Avoid Removal?” Native Knowledge 360°, Click here: https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/removal-six-nations/index.cshtml
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Part 8

Concluding Thoughts

This week’s module has focused on the importance of westward expansion for understanding how the Early Republic transformed into a burgeoning, modern nation. It was only through conquest that this could happen. That is, just like settler colonialism structured the development of the British colonies, it also structured the United States’ growth and transformation in the 19th century. Recall the piece by Walter L. Hixon we read in Week 2, “Introduction: Settler Colonialism, History, and Theory.” In it, Hixon cites the work of scholar Patrick Wolfe, who has famously argued that “invasion is a structure not an event” (p. 5). The British colonies may have shifted into a new nation, but the underlying structure of settler colonialism remained the same. By violently pushing indigenous peoples from their homelands, engaging in genocide, and building new settlements, Americans participated in a conquest of their own. Native Americans resisted American settlement, sometimes forcing the United States to the brink of elimination. They engaged in complex military and diplomatic missions, and organized pan-Indian coalitions in their quest to stave off dispossession. But in the end American settlers were able to harness the resources and power of the United States to win what they most wanted and needed: land.

This land was then essential for the expansion and transformation of slavery. As Native Americans were pushed out, American settlers moved in and brought their enslaved men, women, and children with them. With the development of the Cotton Kingdom, the number of enslaved people in the United States grew dramatically. Even without the constant influx of new bondspeople from Africa (the United States ended its participation in the slave trade in 1808), slavery expanded due to natural growth, an internal slave trade that often sold off captured free black women and men, and illicit participation in international slave trading. These enslaved people no longer worked primarily in tobacco production in the Chesapeake, but in cotton production in the deep south. Here then, is the story of slavery you are probably most familiar with, and that is a story we will get to next week