In our class today, we looked at more immediate reasons contributing to the Civil War--particularly the crises in the 1850s. For tonight, we go back a bit further, and examine events that show the divide between the North and South was already well underway in the early 19th century.
Choose one of the topics we read--either the Louisiana Purchase, the Hartford Convention, or Jackson's veto of the Maysville Road Bill. Explain how this event demonstrates a sectional divide (a divide by region), and why.
Jefferson Stretches the Constitution to Buy Louisiana:
ReplyDeleteJefferson did whatever he wanted to do to purchase Louisiana, even stretched the constitution, but buying Louisiana actually stimulated the sectional divide in the United States and added tension between the North and South. The Federal (North) rejected the buying of Louisiana because buying Louisiana broke the constitution and it was also bad for the relationship between the United States and Britain and they afraid that it would also cause conflicts between Northern merchants and Southern planters. At the same time, Southern slaveholders wanted to spread slavery into Louisiana in order to open markets and develop economy based on slavery, which was totally opposed to Northern abolition supporters. Buying Louisiana increased the tension between slavery supporters and abolition supporters so it caused conflicts and divisions between North and South.
After reading all three articles I presume that the Hartford Convention demonstrates a sectional divide. The Hartford Convention Fulminates stated that, “no new state shall be admitted into the Union by Congress, in virtue of the power granted by the Constitution.” This could cause tension between Congress and the state because if a state wanted to be part of the Union and Congress rejected them, a division between the two ensues. If one state has a bad experience trying to join the Union, then it is less likely for other states to join, further separating the country.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Hartford Convention, the seventh clause stating that one president can not be re-elected after his term demonstrates a divide by region. This demonstrates a divide because some people or states did not want one person to continually be elected president and become to powerful almost like a king. Others felt that if one is a good leader and boosting the economy significantly that person should be able to be re-elected. Although today there is a law stating that one president can be elected only two times, this represents a compromise between the divide.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all three articles, I understood that the Hartford Convention represents a sectional divide/a divide by region. They did this so their would not be one president per several states. Now they have a person in charge of each area. Also people don't want the same person to get elected over and over again. This could have caused many problems for the country or several areas at this time. No one really knew who was in charge.
ReplyDeleteI think the Louisiana purchase set the biggest divide in the country because it was such a big piece of land that that we didn't know weather to make it all slave state or all free states or half and half. Also in legal perspective, the constitution did not technically allow Jefferson to by it. Many Northerns disagreed with the buying of it mainly because it broke constitutional law and Southerners obviously wanted to purchase it because it ad the possibility to expand slave states.
ReplyDeleteThe Hartford Convention represented a clear divide between the North and South, the Convention being championed by Massachusetts and Connecticut with 26 delegates to secure the slipping power of New England. They fought for majority control in the House and Senate so they would be more influential if not vital to legislative decision making in Washington. It even shows more divide that it was done in secret and even showed some divide among the New England states themselves. The resolution they made up sounded good but ended up being useless after the victory in New Orleans, signing of the Treaty of Ghent, and no threat of union dissolution.
ReplyDeleteThe Louisiana Purchase literally and figuratively set the biggest divide in the US. "Literally" because it was a big chunk of land that separated the east from the west. More importantly because there was a dispute about if it should be a slave state, free territory, or half and half. It was technically an illegal purchase but essentially had to be done for the manifest destiny of America. The northerners disagreed, but the south agreed because of the possibility to expand slavery.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading The Louisiana Purchase, it was obvious that there was a clear division between the North and the South. The south wanted to buy Louisiana because they wanted to expand their slave land but the North did not want it to be bought by the south because the North was trying to get rid of slavery so this caused a clear drift between the two regions because they could not come to a compromise.
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