Expansion and Reform (Early 1800s-1861) PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES By Daniel Casciato
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES Published by Weigl Publishers Inc. 350 5th Avenue, Suite 3304 PMB 6G New York, NY 10118-0069 Website: www.weigl.com Copyright 2008 WEIGL PUBLISHERS INC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Casciato, Daniel. Expansion and reform / Daniel Casciato. p. cm. -- (Presidents of the United States) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-59036-741-4 (hard cover : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-59036-742-1 (soft cover : alk. paper) 1. Presidents--United States--History--19th century--juvenile literature. 2. United States--History--1815-1861-- Juvenile literature. 3. United States--Territorial expansion--history--19th century--juvenile literature. 4. United States--Politics and government--1815-1861--juvenile literature. I. Title. E176.1.C262 2008 973.5092'2--dc22 [B] 2007012644 Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 11 10 09 08 07 Project Coordinator Heather C. Hudak Design Terry Paulhus Photo Credits Every reasonable effort has been made to trace ownership and to obtain permission to reprint copyright material. The publishers would be pleased to have any errors or omissions brought to their attention so that they may be corrected in subsequent printings. All of the Internet URLs given in the book were valid at the time of publication. However, due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, some addresses may have changed, or sites may have ceased to exist since publication. While the author and publisher regret any inconvenience this may cause readers, no responsibility for any such changes can be accepted by either the author or the publisher. 2
EXPANSION AND REFORM Contents United States Presidents.............4 Expansion and Reform..............6 John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams Early Years.....8 Adams Political Career and Legacy..10 The Monroe Doctrine............12 Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson s Early Years.......14 Jackson s Presidency.............16 Jackson s Achievements and Legacy..18 Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren s Early Years.....20 Martin Van Buren s Presidency......22 William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison..........24 John Tyler John Tyler.....................26 James Polk James Polk.....................28 The Acquisitions of Oregon, Texas, California, and New Mexico.......30 Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor..................32 Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore................34 Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce.................36 Kansas-Nebraska Act.............38 James Buchanan James Buchanan................40 On the Brink of War.............42 Timeline........................44 Activity.........................46 Quiz...........................47 Further Research.................47 Glossary........................48 Index..........................48 3
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES United States Presidents REVOLUTION AND THE NEW NATION (1750 EARLY 1800s) George Washington (1789 1797) John Adams (1797 1801) Thomas Jefferson (1801 1809) James Madison (1809 1817) James Monroe (1817 1825) EXPANSION AND REFORM (EARLY 1800s 1861) John Quincy Adams (1825 1829) Andrew Jackson (1829 1837) Martin Van Buren (1837 1841) William Henry Harrison (1841) John Tyler (1841 1845) James Polk (1845 1849) Zachary Taylor (1849 1850) Millard Fillmore (1850 1853) Franklin Pierce (1853 1857) James Buchanan (1857 1861) CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION (1850 1877) Abraham Lincoln (1861 1865) Andrew Johnson (1865 1869) Ulysses S. Grant (1869 1877) DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL UNITED STATES (1870 1900) Rutherford B. Hayes (1877 1881) James Garfield (1881) Chester Arthur (1881 1885) Grover Cleveland (1885 1889) (1893 1897) Benjamin Harrison (1889 1893) William McKinley (1897 1901) 4
EXPANSION AND REFORM THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN AMERICA (1890 1930) Theodore Roosevelt (1901 1909) William H. Taft (1909 1913) Woodrow Wilson (1913 1921) Warren Harding (1921 1923) Calvin Coolidge (1923 1929) THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND WORLD WAR II (1929 1945) Herbert Hoover (1929 1933) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933 1945) POST-WAR UNITED STATES (1945 EARLY 1970s) Harry S. Truman (1945 1953) Dwight Eisenhower (1953 1961) John F. Kennedy (1961 1963) Lyndon Johnson (1963 1969) CONTEMPORARY UNITED STATES (1968 TO THE PRESENT) Richard Nixon (1969 1974) Gerald Ford (1974 1977) Jimmy Carter (1977 1981) Ronald Reagan (1981 1989) George H. W. Bush (1989 1993) William J. Clinton (1993 2001) George W. Bush (2001 ) 5
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES Expansion and Reform Throughout the 1800s, the United States would expand its territory either by buying land or acquiring it through war. Who, then, can doubt that our country is destined to be the great nation of futurity? John L. O Sullivan, magazine editor 6
EXPANSION AND REFORM The years from 1801 to 1860 were a period of expansion and reform in the United States. This era began with the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. In 1803, Jefferson bought a large piece of land from France that stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Known as the Louisiana Purchase, it doubled the size of the United States. By the mid-1800s, the United States borders would reach as far west as the Pacific Ocean. During this period of U.S. history, the United States needed to prove itself as an independent nation. Even though it had gained freedom from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, there were many struggles ahead. The British still had a strong influence in the region. European countries, such as Spain and France, owned land in the Americas. Other countries, such as Russia and Mexico, wished to colonize parts of North America. One of the United States first tests of independence was the War of 1812. The British prevented U.S. trade overseas and helped American Indians defend land that the United States wished to settle. Americans went to war with the British once again. Fighting for its rights against a powerful nation like Great Britain proved to the world that the United States was a strong, independent nation. Yet, this would not be the only time that the United States would stand up to a world power. As the nation grew, so did the issues of states rights and slavery. Some people saw an increasing need for slaves as the United States gained territory. They thought slaves were needed to farm the land. Abolitionists wanted to end slavery. They viewed the enslavement of other people as wrong and unjust. People often argued whether it was up to state governments or the federal government to decide if slavery should be allowed in new territories. Politics divided many people. The beginning of the expansion and reform era was known as the Virginia dynasty. Three presidents, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, were elected between 1800 and 1820. They were all from Virginia and belonged to the Democratic-Republican Party. Members of this party ran against each other in the 1824 presidential election. John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson were among the most popular candidates, and neither was from Virginia. The election was highly contested. As a result, the election caused a split in the Democratic-Republican Party. Followers of Adams and Jackson would eventually form separate political parties. Following the Virginia dynasty, the formation of new political parties would be just one of many struggles faced by U.S. presidents. The Expansion and Reform Era would be filled with wars and economic troubles. Two presidents would die in office, and several issues would threaten to divide the country in two. 7