Major Events Occuring During the 1786-1875 Period That Changed America

Life between 1786 and 1875 was filled with many hardships and accomplishments as told by my grandfather during his 100th birthday party. The most memorable moments between these time periods that affected him/his family and their actions performed is the writing of The Constitution of the United States of America, the expansion of slavery due to Eli Whitney’s cotton gin, Jacksonian Democracy, conflicts between the North and South over admittance of states into the Union, and the election of Abraham Lincoln leading to the secession of the South.

Although I realized later on that even though these events happened during different time periods, some longer than others, I knew from my grandfather’s story that they did not just have an impact on America during that time period but also carried legacies into the future.

The Constitution was a very important event in history. It defined the actions that the new nation can proceed with in relation to neighboring nations as a result of past events that individuals were unhappy about. The document was also important to citizens since it stated the individual rights that they had related to freedom. The set of rules proposed by the government set a basis on what the individuals could and could not do. The document was one of the memorable moments within my grandfather’s life even when he was only 11 because of the large impact it had on individuals including his parents.

One of the laws in The Constitution that impacted his family the most related to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. According to The American Yawp by Stanford University Press Edition, “Many northerners opposed it on moral grounds. But they also understood that letting southern states import more Africans would increase their political power” (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018). As my grandfather lived in the northern states, his parents believed that slavery was cruel. However, slavery was also a big part of the nation as cotton production fueled the economy. Over time, my grandfather adopted his parent’s point of view and also learned that the representation of slaves is changing the nation in the form of votes.

This was represented in The Constitution when slaves owned by slave owners were counted in regards to voting. As shown in The American Yawp, “The Constitution counted each black individual as three fifths of a person for purposes of representation, so in districts with many slaves, the white voters had extra influence” (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018). Therefore, people in states who owned a multitude of slaves were granted extra voting rights as a result of the Constitution.

Both the representation of slaves and the debate over the spread of slavery changed the structure of the nation. As slavery spread throughout the nation, many individuals debated over which states would be considered a free or slave state. As a result, the Northwest Ordinance created a limit as to how far slavery can expand. Slavery was not permitted “north and west of the Ohio River” as stated by the American Yawp. (Jeffrey Bain-Conkin et al., “The Sectional Crisis,” Jesse Gant, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018). Although slavery was limited in terms of how far it can be expanded throughout the nation, it was also regarded as something that would die out over time. However, slavery continued to expand.

A factor that contributed to the major expansion of slavery was Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. Since this invention allowed individuals to pick cotton at a faster pace due to the process being long and tedious, cotton production grew. This in turn led to the increase and spread of slavery since slaves were used to pick cotton in the fields. As more individuals across the nation used the cotton gin for cotton production, they purchased more slaves too. Individuals also began to increase the amount of land they owned in exchange for slaves due to the success of cotton production in the nation. Overall, both the amount of slaves/land purchased during the cotton boom increased, causing the Southern societies to grow as a result.

Expansion also occurred because of the Louisiana Purchase, the invention of railroads, and the beliefs regarding the Manifest Destiny. The Manifest Destiny encouraged individuals to move westward and according to the American Yawp, “The political and legal processes of expansion always hinged on the belief that white Americans could best use new lands and opportunities” (Ethan Bennett et al., “Manifest Destiny,” Joshua Beatty and Gregg Lightfoot, eds., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018).

This belief showed the idea of white supremacy where only white Americans could use the lands they acquire to their full potential. The invention of railroads also expanded the nation as it allowed individuals a faster way to move from one place to another. This transportation system also provided a fast way for me to move from my house in the North to the South where my grandfather lives for his 100th birthday party. Lastly, the Louisiana Purchase aided in expansion as purchasing Louisiana added a large part of territory to the nation. This increase in land led to future debates on how the newly acquired land would be represented when admitted into the Union.

These debates over the new lands were mainly between the South and the North. Slavery and the government also played a big part in this matter. Since the North and South had very different opinions regarding the system of slavery and lands, Congress decided on what lands were admitted to the Union as free or slave. The amount of slave and free states also had to be balanced out in order for the Union to be preserved. One of the major debates was the Missouri Compromise. The laws that Congress passed in regards to Missouri upset the South as the different opinions they had on slavery complicated the matter further. It was then decided that Maine would be admitted into the Union as a free state while Missouri would be represented as a slave state.

A limit to how far slavery could spread in the nation was also established along with the Missouri Compromise. The American Yawp states “Legislators sought to prevent future conflicts by making Missouri’s southern border at 36°30′ the new dividing line between slavery and freedom in the Louisiana Purchase lands” ( Jeffrey Bain-Conkin et al., “The Sectional Crisis,” Jesse Gant, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018). The expansion of slavery therefore was limited due to the border that was constructed in Missouri.

The third most memorable moment related to the secession of many southern states due to the election of Abraham Lincoln. This occurred because the relationship between the North and South was already strained due to the conflict of land. The election was another factor that contributed to the whole matter. This led to the secession of several Southern states from the Union. As stated from a primary source in the American Yawp “Those states…have denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the States and recognized by the Constitution…and that the State of South Carolina has resumed her position among the nations of the world, as a separate and independent state” (“Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union,” The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.) Southern states were upset that the right to property which they considered slaves to be was denied while South Carolina was as an independent state after secession occurred. Shortly after this, troops in the South attacked and this led to the Civil war.

The end of the Civil war led to both the South being destroyed and for reconstruction to begin. Reconstruction focused on admitting the South back into the union. Rights were also given to African Americans and Blacks although they faced discrimination too. The American Yawp states “Lincoln issued a proclamation allowing southerners to take an oath of allegiance. When just 10 percent of a state’s voting population had taken such an oath, loyal Unionists could then establish governments” (Christopher Abernathy et al., “Reconstruction,” Nicole Turner, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018). Lincoln wanted to gain support from southern states so that they can be readmitted into the Union.

Reconstruction also focused on providing rights since fundamental rights were denied for some groups. The most important amendment during this time period was the fourteenth amendment. As stated in the American Yawp, “Section One granted citizenship and repealed the Taney Court’s infamous Dredd Scott (1857) decision. Moreover, it ensured that state laws could not deny due process or discriminate against particular groups of people” (Christopher Abernathy et al., “Reconstruction,” Nicole Turner, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018). Under the fourteenth amendment, more rights in terms of freedom were given during the reconstruction period.

The last most memorable moment for my grandfather between these time periods was Jacksonian Democracy. This was an important factor in American history since it laid the foundation of American democracy. The American Yawp stated “Whites worried that free black men could also go to the polls in large numbers. In response, they adopted new laws that made racial discrimination the basis of American democracy” (Myles Beupre et al., “Democracy in America,” Jonathan Wilfred Wilson, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018). Therefore, the main focus of both American democracy and Jacksonian democracy was racism.

Overall, learning about the major events that occurred from 1786-1875 was enlightening as it had more of an impact on me hearing it from my grandfather. He ended the whole story by telling me about his move to Missouri and why he has settled here in South Carolina after all that has happened. My grandfather moved to Missouri in order to experience the debates regarding land firsthand. Since this particular debate was based on how Maine and Missouri would be represented in the Union, my grandfather wanted to see how the process would go. The debates in general were heated as they couldn’t decide on how the lands would be represented. Afterwards, he permanently settled in the South.

This was due to the freedoms that were granted. The American Yawp states “Freedpeople placed a great emphasis on education for their children and themselves. Free and freed black southerners…developed anti-racist politics and organizational skills through antislavery organizations turned church associations” (Christopher Abernathy et al., “Reconstruction,” Nicole Turner, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018). All of the movements that occurred in the South due to reconstruction prompted my grandfather to settle here permanently as he disliked slavery.