Civil War and Reconstruction, 1848–1877

Newspaper articles commenting on economic benefits and perceived superiority of European-derived civilization.

Photographs depicting the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

Novels romanticizing the yeoman farmer ideal.

Census data showing population growth in urban areas.

Limiting immigration to sustain resources for existing settlers

Continued westward expansion and territorial acquisition

Equalizing power between North and South through new state admissions

Upholding treaties with Native American tribes

Both acquisitions were directly related to increasing American agricultural production.

Both were primarily motivated by a need for economic competition with European powers.

Each event was driven by a desire to expand slavery.

Both acts represented an extension of U.S power in keeping with their period’s understanding of America’s destined role on the continent/world stage.

The annexation of Texas leading up to its admission into the Union after secession from Mexico

The establishment of utopian communities emphasizing social reform over territorial gain

The Emancipation Proclamation emphasizing civil rights over nationalistic expansionism

The development of Transcendentalist thought prioritizing individual spiritual awakening over physical territory control

Cultural exchanges among different Native American tribes before European contact.

Military strategies employed during conflicts between European powers in early America.

Economic theories influencing trade policies between northern and southern states pre-Civil War.

Personal challenges faced and optimism about opportunities linked with westward movement.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Helen Hunt Jackson

Frederick Douglas

Harriet Beecher Stowe

It catered to enslaved peoples' desires for liberation through westward movement into free territories.

It aligned with Native American interests in preserving ancestral homelands amid encroaching settlers.

It prioritized urban industrialists' focus on domestic manufacturing over agricultural settlement.

It appealed to white settlers desiring expansionist policies for economic gains and land acquisition.

It could have created more formidable resistance that delayed or altered territorial acquisitions by the U.S.

A shift towards isolationism in foreign policy due to less emphasis on territorial expansion might occur.

This alliance may lead to earlier cultural assimilation policies toward Native Americans by the government.

The focus of westward settlers on internal improvements rather than further territorial gains increases significantly.

Legislative records showing the Cherokee adoption of a constitution.

Historical documents on Cherokees adopting European dress codes and lifestyles.

Accounts detailing Cherokees' participation in English language education.

Correspondence emphasizing Cherokee engagement in European-style agriculture.

Expansion was necessary to accommodate the rapidly growing immigrant population seeking land.

The primary goal of expansion was to exploit new resources to advance industrialization.

America had a divine obligation to expand its democratic institutions across the continent.

Manifest Destiny was primarily a defensive strategy against European colonial powers.