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On May 28, 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, beginning the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans in what became known as the Trail of Tears.

Subjects

Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, U.S. History

On March 28, 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, beginning the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans in what became known as the Trail of Tears. Not all members of Congress supported the Indian Removal Act. Tennessee Rep. Davey Crockett was a vocal opponent, for instance. Native Americans opposed removal from their ancestral lands, resulting in a long series of battles with local white settlers. But the forced relocation proved popular with voters. It freed more than 25 million acres of fertile, lucrative farmland to mostly white settlement in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. More than 46,000 Native Americans were forced-sometimes by the U.S. military-to abandon their homes and relocate to "Indian Territory" that eventually became the state of Oklahoma. More than 4,000 died on the journey-of disease, starvation, and exposure to extreme weather. Today, the Trail of Tears is a National Historic Trail stretching from Tennessee to Oklahoma. It specifically chronicles the removal of the Cherokee in 1838-1839, the largest contingent on the Trail of Tears.

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National Geographic Society

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National Geographic Society

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On May 28, 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, beginning the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans in what became known as the Trail of Tears.

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Growing a Nation: The Homestead Act of 1862 | HUD USER

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Growing a Nation: The Homestead Act of 1862

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The Missouri Compromise-also referred to as the Compromise of 1820-was an agreement between the pro and anti-slavery factions regulating slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in new states north of the border of the Arkansas territory, excluding Missouri. Constitutionally, the Compromise of 1820 established a precedent for the exclusion of slavery from public territory acquired after the Constitution, and also recognized that Congress had no right to impose upon states seeking admission to the Union conditions that did not apply to those states already in the Union. After Missouri's admission t the Union in 1821, no other states were admitted until 1836 when Arkansas became a slave state, followed by Michigan in 1837 as a free state. Indeed, the debate over slave and free states remained relatively calm for almost 30 years. However by the late 1840s, several events occurred that upset the balance: the U.S. added new territory as a result of the Mexican war, and the question of whether that territory would be slave or free arose again. California, beneficiary of an increased population because of the gold rush-petitioned Congress to enter the Union as a free state. At the same a time, Texas laid claim to territory extending all the way to Santa Fe. Of course Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, not only allowed slavery but was home to the largest slave market in North America.

In January 1850, Henry Clay presented a bill that would become known as the Compromise of 1850. The terms of the bill included a provision that Texas relinquish its disputed land in exchange for $10 million to be paid to Mexico. The territories of New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah were defined while leaving the question of slavery off the table, on the understanding that the issue would be decided when the territories applied for statehood. In addition, the slave trade would be abolished in the District of Columbia, although slavery would still be permitted in the nation's capitol. It was agreed that California would be admitted as a free state, but the Fugitive Slave Act was passed to mollify pro-slavery states. This bill was the most controversial of all the bills that made up the Compromise of 1850. According its tenets, citizens were required to aid in the recovery of fugitive slaves. Fugitives had no right to a jury trial. The cases were handled by special commissioners, who were paid $5 if a fugitive was released and $10 if the captive was returned to slavery. In addition, the act called for changes that made the process for filing a claim against a fugitive easier for slave owners. The new law was devastating. Many former slaves who had been attempting to build lives in the North left their homes and fled to Canada, which added approximately 20,000 blacks to its population over the following decade. Harriet Jacobs, a fugitive living in New York, described this period as "the beginning of a reign of terror to the colored population." She was one of the runaways who remained in New York, despite learning that slave catchers had been hired to track her down. Many were captured and returned to slavery, however, including Anthony Burns, a fugitive living in Boston. Even free blacks, too, were captured and sent to the South, completely defenseless with no legal rights. The compromise lasted until the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, when Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas proposed legislation allowing the issue of slavery to be decided in the new territories.

In 1801, Congress extended Virginia and Maryland slavery laws to the District of Columbia, establishing a federally sanctioned slave code.

In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase added Creoles and French settlers to the U.S. population. Congress approved the Louisiana Purchase from France for $15 million, which virtually doubled the country's land size. It also re-ignited controversy over the spread of slavery in the territory.

In 1807, Congress banned the importation of slaves into the U.S., although smuggling continued in some parts of the South. Once the transatlantic slave trade was prohibited, domestic slave trading throughout the South increased.

The 1820 An official count of a population and collection of demographic data. The United States Census... added free colored persons to its racial categories.

In 1820, the Missouri Compromise brought Missouri and Maine into the Union. By this time more than 20,000 Indians lived in virtual slavery on California missions. The same year, Congress made trade in foreign slaves an act of piracy.

In 1821, Missouri entered the Union as the 24th state and a slave-holding state, maintaining the balance of slave and free states.

The Office of Indian Affairs was created in 1824.

In 1825, a ship operated by the U.S. Revenue seized a slave ship, the Antelope, sailing under a Venezuelan flag with a cargo of 281 Africans. The case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a unanimous opinion declaring the slave trade to be a violation of natural law. Only some of the Africans were set free, however, since the ruling also held that the U.S. could not prescribe law for other nations, and the slave trade was legal in Spain, Portugal and Venezuela. The 39 Africans designated by the court as property of Spain and the Antelope itself were restored to their owners.

The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state; voters in New Mexico and Utah territories would decide whether they would be slave or free upon applying for statehood.

The new Fugitive Slave Act, also passed in 1850, made the federal government responsible for apprehending fugitive slaves in the North, and sending them back to the South. This extended slavery and its enforcement beyond the South. The South, however, felt that even this law was not strong enough, and the demand for more effective legislation resulted in enactment of a second Fugitive Slave Act that same year. However, the law was so severe that its implementation was open to abuses that defeated its purpose. Even during the Civil War, the Fugitive Slave Acts were used to prosecute blacks fleeing their masters in border states that were loyal to the Union. The acts were eventually repealed, but not until June of 1864.

In 1851 Shadrach Minkins, an African American working as a waiter in Boston, was abducted by slave catchers. Before he could be freed by legal means in a challenge to the Fugitive Slave law, Minkins was rescued by a group of African
Americans.

In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed, dividing the region along the 40th parallel, with Kansas to the south and Nebraska to the north, and providing both territories the right to vote on whether to be slave or free. For all practical purposes the act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, which had attempted to regulate the spread of slavery. As a result of the new law, both proand anti-slavery supporters tried to convince settlers to move to Kansas in order to sway the vote. The New England Emigrant Aid Company, an anti-slavery group, was very successful, and a group of anti-slavery activists was established around the town of Lawrence, Kansas. At the same ti pro-slavery settlers from Missouri began moving across the border to Kansas, some establishing themselves as residents of the territory, others simply coming across to vote. They were called "border ruffians" by their opponents. Lecompton, Kansas, the territorial capital, boiled with tension over the issue, and so-called "free-soilers" felt so threatened there that they set up their own unofficial legislature at Topeka. The enmity between the sides verged on civil war, and the period became known as "Bleeding Kansas."

The Dred Scott decision was handed down in 1857, which denied citizenship to free and enslaved blacks.

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Expansion of Slavery in the U.S. (1800-1850)

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Credit: Library of Congress, American Memories Collection; by William C. Reynolds, 1856, New York. "ReynoldsPolitical Map of the United States" This 1854 map shows slave states (grey), free states (red), and U.S. territories (green) with Kansas at the center. The map represents the territorial

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Group Assignent Directions

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Expansion of slavery

Roles: Amari: enslaved African American, Government official

Freddie: Settler, Family Member.

The event affected the Enslaved African Americans by making more places for more slaves to work. While it kept slavery in some places keep slavery, other states were slavery free. It wasn't until "slavery catchers" became a thing that it was all disrupted, leaving more spots open for slaves to be sent to. With the Louisiana Purchase, the question of slavery became both geographical and political, and ushered in a period of national debate between pro-slavery and anti-slavery states to gain political and economic advantage. In our opinion, we think that it's a really bad thing because the slaves are given the opportunity to be sent to new places to be enslaved and to work more.

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The Homestead Act “ Stakeholder perspectives “

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The Homestead Act “ Stakeholder perspectives “

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The Homestead Act of 1862 spurred westward expansion by offering free land. It provided opportunities for settlers but also led to the displacement of Native Americans. The Act spurred agricultural development , yet it also caused environmental damage. Speculation ruined implementation, resulting in unequal land distribution. Despite’s its shortcomings, the Homestead Act shaped the American West.

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Roles: Politician/ Family member of the group assigned to you(Jukhayla)

Settler/landowner/ Native American ( Indian Removal Act)

1. How does this event affect you or your group? It forces your people off ancestral lands, breaking treaties and destroying homes and communities.

2. Does it expand your freedom, wealth, or power? Or restrict it? It severely restricts all three you lose land, sovereignty, and security.

3. How do you feel about the government’s actions? Support or oppose? Strongly oppose the government's ignoring Native rights and acting unjustly.

4. What would you do in response? Advocate, resist, or adapt? Many would resist through protests or appeals others might adapt to survive relocation.

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Okay, here's a breakdown of the Mexican-American War in bullet points, covering potential gains, losses, and possible actions for both sides:

United States

*   Potential Gains:

*   Acquisition of vast territories (California, New Mexico, Arizona, etc.).

*   Expansion of U.S. influence and power in North America.

*   Access to valuable resources (gold, land for agriculture, etc.).

*   Fulfillment of Manifest Destiny ideals.

*   Potential Losses:

*   Financial cost of war.

*   Potential for increased sectional tensions over the expansion of slavery.

*   Loss of American lives.

*   Damage to international reputation.

*   Possible Actions:

*   Military invasion and occupation of Mexican territory.

*   Negotiation with Mexico for land purchase.

*   Exploitation of internal divisions within Mexico.

*   Justification of war through claims of self-defense and Manifest Destiny.

Mexico

*   Potential Gains:

*   Preservation of territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

*   Potential for foreign support against U.S. aggression.

*   Maintenance of cultural and historical ties to lost territories.

*   Potential Losses:

*   Loss of significant territory to the United States.

*   Economic devastation and instability.

*   Loss of Mexican lives.

*   Damage to national pride and prestige.

*   Possible Actions:

*   Defensive military strategy to repel U.S. invasion.

*   Guerilla warfare tactics.

*   Seeking diplomatic intervention from European powers.

*   Negotiation with the U.S. to minimize territorial losses.

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This event forced slaves to move westward with their owners to work on new farms and plantations. Slaves didn't benefit; they were still treated unfairly and poorly . they faced harsh working conditions, and the loss of families due to them being split up. enslaved people showed their resistance by escaping or working slower or by makining plans to become free. The slaves' actions show how the Westward Expansion was unfair and unbeneficial.

makayla williams