Economic and Territorial Expansion

    Prepare: In Chapter 8, you will read how the decades following the War of 1812 are often depicted as an age of nationalism, democratization, egalitarianism, individualism, industrialization, and economic and territorial expansion. The same period, however, could also be depicted as an age of racial oppression, ethnic cleansing, the entrenchment of slavery, the subjugation of women (see Rexford, 2008 for a discussion of how women’s shoes enhanced their domesticity and dependence), the spread of poverty, the militant conquest of foreign lands and foreign peoples, and the emergence of divisive sectionalism which would tear the country apart. In conjunction with the textbook, watch one of the following videos below: Division (https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? Token=43277&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=) The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: Revolution (https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? Token=40998&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=) Origins (https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? Token=2988&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=) Westward: America – The Story of Us (https://fod.infobase.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? token=43276&wID=100753&plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&fWidth=660&fHeight=530) [Segments] Cherokee Assimilation as Survival (https://fod.infobase.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? token=49735&wID=100753&loid=159004&plt=FOD&w=640&h=360&fWidth=660&fHeight=410), Government Distribution of Indian Land (https://fod.infobase.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? token=49735&wID=100753&loid=159005&plt=FOD&w=640&h=360&fWidth=660&fHeight=410), Indian Removal Act (https://fod.infobase.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? token=49735&wID=100753&loid=159007&plt=FOD&w=640&h=360&fWidth=660&fHeight=410), Cherokee Defense & Trail of Tears (https://fod.infobase.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? token=49735&wID=100753&loid=159008&plt=FOD&w=640&h=360&fWidth=660&fHeight=410) Reflect: As you read and watch the assigned sources, consider why the United States expanded economically and territorially during this period, and assess the impact of that expansion on the nation both as a unified whole and specifically on one of the following groups of people: Native Americans Slaves Small farmers Urban workers Write: Once you choose the group, please answer the following questions: How did the United States’ economic and territorial expansion during this period influence or shape the group you chose? Did the economic and territorial expansion of the United States in the first half of the 19th century serve to tie the country together or to drive it apart?