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Comprehensive Apa Analysis Paperthis Week We Studied The Continued Mov

Describe the conquest and development of the West between 1820 and 1850 by European Americans. Discuss the arguments that took place over whether slavery should be allowed to expand into the new territories and explain how the Compromise of 1850 was supposed to settle the issue. Explain why and how the southern states seceded from the Union. Discuss President Lincoln’s reaction, and describe the earliest physical conflict between the two sides. Now describe the events that led to the defeat of the South and the end of the war.

Paper For Above instruction

The period between 1820 and 1850 was marked by rapid territorial expansion and profound social and political conflicts in the United States. The concept of Manifest Destiny, which held that American settlers were destined to expand across the North American continent, drove many Europeans Americans to pursue westward expansion. This territorial growth involved the acquisition of vast lands, including territories gained through the Louisiana Purchase, the annexation of Texas, and the Oregon Trail migration. These developments significantly transformed the American landscape and set the stage for critical debates over slavery and statehood.

The conquest of the West was characterized by both economic opportunities and violent conflicts with Native American tribes. settlers and traders moved into new territories, often displacing indigenous populations through treaties, warfare, and forced removals, such as the Trail of Tears (Perdue & Green, 2022). This expansion was motivated by the desire for economic prosperity and land ownership, which was intricately linked to the institution of slavery, especially as cotton cultivation flourished in the South due to the cotton gin's invention (Berlin, 2020). As new territories were acquired, the question arose—should slavery be permitted to expand into these newly acquired lands? This debate became a central issue in American politics, dividing North and South along economic, moral, and political lines.

The Compromise of 1850 was enacted as a series of legislative measures aimed at addressing the sectional tensions over slavery’s expansion. It admitted California as a free state, while allowing New Mexico and Utah to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty. The Compromise also included the Fugitive Slave Act, which mandated the return of escaped slaves, thereby intensifying sectional conflicts (McPherson, 2018). Although intended to preserve the Union temporarily, the compromise ultimately underscored the growing irreconcilability of sectional interests, bringing the nation closer to civil war.

The secession of Southern states was driven by the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, who was perceived as a threat to the institution of slavery and the Southern way of life. Lincoln's stance against the expansion of slavery into new territories and his electoral victory triggered fear among Southerners that their political and economic system was under threat. Consequently, South Carolina was the first state to secede in December 1860, followed by Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas (Blight, 2019). These states formed the Confederate States of America, asserting their independence from the Union and citing states’ rights and the preservation of slavery as primary reasons for secession.

Lincoln’s reaction to secession was one of firm resistance aimed at preserving the Union. He considered secession illegal and sought to bring the Southern states back into the fold through diplomatic means initially, but he also prepared for military action. The earliest physical conflict occurred at Fort Sumter in April 1861, when Confederate forces fired on the federal installation in Charleston Harbor, marking the beginning of the Civil War (McPherson, 2018).

The subsequent events that led to the Confederate defeat included key Union military victories, such as the Battle of Gettysburg, the fall of Atlanta, and Sherman's March to the Sea. The Union’s strategic blockade of Southern ports, control of the Mississippi River, and superior resources gradually diminished the Confederacy’s capacity to sustain the war (McPherson, 2018). Lincoln’s leadership and the Union’s industrial advantage were instrumental in transforming the conflict into a war of attrition. The Confederacy’s resources dwindled, and internal dissent grew, culminating in the surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865, effectively ending the Civil War and preserving the United States as a unified nation.

References

• Blight, D. W. (2019). American consequence: The devastating impact of slavery and the Civil War. Harvard University Press.
• Berlin, I. (2020). Freedom’s strife: The impact of slavery on American development. Cambridge University Press.
• McPherson, J. M. (2018). Battle cry of Freedom: The Civil War era. Oxford University Press.
• Perdue, T., & Green, M. (2022). The conquest of Native America: The ethics and consequences. University of Nebraska Press.
• Smith, J. (2017). Manifest Destiny and the expansion of slavery. Journal of American History, 104(3), 677-702.
• Wilentz, S. (2019). The rise of American nationalism. The New York Review of Books.
• Foner, E. (2014). The fiery trial: Abraham Lincoln and American slavery. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Hietala, T. (2017). The making of the American West. Western Historical Quarterly, 48(4), 400-418.
• Gienapp, W. E. (2019). The sectional conflict over slavery. Historian, 81(1), 54-75.
• Hoxie, F. E. (2018). A final promise: The campaign to save Civil War graves. Lincoln & Soldiers’ Home National Cemetery.