Historic American Old West

This section of the PPT focuses on the historic Old West. It is broken into three major sections and a total of eight subsections. Each subsection includes between five to eight major events that defined the era. It covers nearly 50 total events.

My goal here is to just give a brief overview of the events, and how one thing led to another. For more details about each event, click the links within to explore Wikipedia or other resources.

The Historic American Old West can be broken down into three major sections:

1. Westward Expansion (1789-1849)
2. American Civil War (1849-1865)
3. Industrialization (1865-1918)

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Westward Expansion (1789-1849)

There are four major sections in the period of westward expansion:

1. Federalist Era (1788-1801)
2. Jeffersonian Era (1801-1817)
3. Era of “Good Feelings” (1817-1825)
4. Jacksonian Era (1825-1849)

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Federalist Era (1788-1801)

Six key events during the Federalist Era:

1. U.S. Constitution
2. Alien & Sedition Acts
3. Bill of Rights
4. Jay Treaty with Great Britain
5. The XYZ Affair
6. Quasi-War with France

U.S. Constitution (1788)

Hamilton wrote extensively in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution. He wrote 51 of 85 of The Federalist Papers that argued for ratification.

The U.S. constitution consisted of 7 articles and establishes a strong federal government (which Hamilton was in favor of).

• Articles 1-3: Detail the separation of powers of the U.S. government
• Articles 4-6: Lay out the rights of state governments
• Article 7: Gives the procedure for ratification

U.S. Bill of Rights (1791)

Consisting of 10 Amendments to the Constitution that were written to address objections raised by non-Federalists regarding the powers of the federal government laid out in the Constitution.

James Madison studied the deficiencies pointed out by non-Federalists and crafted articles of amendment that he wanted to be included within the Constitution itself. Congress approved twelve articles, and the States ratified 10 of these, but they were kept separate from the Constitution as the Bill of Rights.

1. Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion, Petition, & Assembly
2. Right to Bear Arms
3. Quartering of Soldiers
4. Search & Seizure
5. Rights of the Accused
6. Requirements for a Jury Trial
7. Rules of Common Law
8. Limits on Criminal Punishment
9. Rights Kept by the People
10. Powers of the States & People

Jay Treaty with Great Britain (1794)

The Jay Treaty resolved ongoing issues between the U.S. and Great Britain after the 1783 Treaty of Paris (which officially ended the Revolutionary War and established boundaries between the U.S. and Great Britain in North America).

The Jay Treaty is named for John Jay, who was the main negotiator, although is was designed by Hamilton and supported by Washington. It facilitated 10 years of peaceful trade between the two in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars that began in 1792.

The Treaty angered France and bitterly divided the U.S. into two parties: the pro-British, pro-Treaty Federalists (Hamilton) vs. the pro-France, anti-Treaty Jeffersonian Republicans (Jefferson).

The XYZ Affair (1797-1798)

France, angered by the Jay Treaty, and the U.S. declaration of neutrality from the war in Europe (1792), stepped up efforts to disrupt trade with Britain. In 1797, an American diplomatic commission was sent to France to try to negotiate a solution to these problems that might lead to war.

The diplomats were approached through informal channels by French diplomats Jean-Conrad Hottinguer, Pierre Bellamy, and Lucian Hauteval (later referred to as diplomats “X”, “Y”, and “Z” in documents released by the Adams administration) who demanded bribes and a loan for French foreign minister Talleyrand before negotiations would begin.

The affair outraged the U.S. and led directly to the undeclared Quasi-War. Federalists were in control of both houses of Congress and the presidency, and took advantage of the outrage to build up the nation’s military. They also attacked the Jeffersonian Republicans for their continued pro-French stance.

Jeffersonians are more Frenchman than American.

Hamilton

Jefferson would counter that Federalists are more British, and focused on building a monarchy, than a true democratic republic (i.e. they are more anti-American than we are).

Quasi-War with France (1798-1800)

In 1793, Congress had suspended repayments of French loans incurred during the Revolutionary War. This, along with the Jay Treaty that France viewed as contrary to their own treaties with the U.S. led France to begin capturing American ships at sea that were trading with Britain.

By October 1797, over 316 American ships had been captured. And when diplomatic negotiations failed due to the XYZ Affair, Federalists used it as an opportunity to build up the American navy for a war against France.

Alien & Sedition Acts (1798)

After ratifying the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist-dominated Congress (Hamilton’s party) passed a series of 4 Acts, known as the Alien & Sedition Acts. The Federalists argued these would strengthen national security during the Quasi-War with France. Critics argued they were an attempt to suppress non-Federalist votes and violated the freedom of speech in the First Amendment of the Constitution.

1. Naturalization Act: harder for an immigrant to become a citizen
2. Alien Friends Act: allowed the President to imprison and deport non-citizens who were considered dangerous
3. Alien Enemies Act: imprison and deport non-citizens from a hostile nation (such as France)
4. Sedition Act: criminalized making “false statements” critical to the national government

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Jeffersonian Era (1801-1817)

Seven key events during the Jeffersonian Era:

1. Election of 1800
2. Louisiana Purchase
3. Lewis & Clark Expedition
4. American Fur Company
5. Mexican Independence Declared
6. War of 1812
7. South Pass, WY discovered

Election of 1800

Actually, before the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, America faced a constitutional crisis and nearly a revolution (thus, this election is sometimes referred to as the “Revolution of 1800”). For a full explanation, this post on Vox contains some great detail.

Long story short, at that time, in presidential elections, the first place person would become President and the second place person would be Vice President. But no one had considered what would happen when one party put forth BOTH a Presidential choice and a Vice Presidential choice at the same time.

The Republicans had put forth Thomas Jefferson as Presidential candidate and Aaron Burr as Vice Presidential candidate. But, they both received 73 votes which meant “technically” there was a tie between them.

The opportunistic Burr realized that the Federalists feared Jefferson and might actually hand him the presidency in a tie-breaker. But Hamilton managed to eventually sway Federalist opinion away from Burr. So even though he had fiercely opposed Jefferson previously, now he helped him get elected to President (since his own Federalist party lost the election). But this is not the event that led to their duel.

In 1804, he was dropped from the Presidential ticket with Jefferson because of his behavior in 1800 (and actually, he was frozen out of any influence in the 1800 Jeffersonian administration as well). He then attempted to revive his political career by (unsuccessfully) becoming governor of New York. Burr heard reports that Hamilton had privately slandered him before the election, and that was the last straw. The duel was on. This whole story sure gives a new level of depth to their rivalry.

I feel it is a religious duty to oppose his career.

Hamilton

I would have shot him in the heart if my vision had not been impaired by the morning mist.

Burr

And yet, that is not the end of Burr’s story. He later attempted to treasonously claim and take over parts of America (as President of his own America) that he apparently thought the federal government had less control and power over.

He claimed to have been attempting to increase the size of Jefferson’s U.S. by taking the land from Spain. But Jefferson had him arrested and tried for treason. He was found not guilty by the judge in a controversial decision, but here now is another reason he’s considered a villain in U.S. history.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

The Louisiana Purchase was a long-term goal of Thomas Jefferson who was able to complete the deal with France in 1803. France had controlled the Louisiana Territory since 1699, ceded it to Spain in 1762, and then regained ownership of it in 1800 through Napoleon.

The U.S. purchased the territory for $15 million, and the acquisition nearly doubled the size of the existing U.S. territory by adding to it approximately 828,000 square miles (2.14 million sq. km) of new land.

However, boundaries were not determined exactly, until:

1. The Treaty of 1818 with Britain that firmly established the northern boundaries, and
2. The 1819 Florida Treaty with Spain that firmly established the western boundaries

Lewis & Clark Expedition (1804-6)

Shortly after the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, Army Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark formed the Corps of Discovery, a select group of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, to explore and map the new territory.

They set out from Camp Dubois in Illinois in May 1804 and spent the next two years in exploration. In the winter of 1804, they built Fort Mandan in North Dakota. In April, when they were about to set out again, tensions rose among the native Mandan people and nearly came to a conflict. It was then that the party met a French-Canadian fur trapper and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea.

From there, the two stayed with the expedition, serving as guides, cook, and interpreter until nearly the end (August 1806). Sacagawea proved invaluable to the expedition and is remembered widely as perhaps the most important key to its success. Her husband, the trapper, was not remembered so fondly, and Lewis has called him “a man of no particular merit” as well as “perhaps the most timid waterman in the world.”

By the time the expedition returned to St. Louis in September 1806, they had explored over 6,000 miles of new territory, produced 140 maps, encountered 70 Indian tribes, and discovered 200 new species.

American Fur Company (1808)

The AFC was founded in 1808 by German immigrant John Jacob Astor, and by 1830, his company (in multiple locations) had grown to monopolize the fur trade in the U.S., becoming one of the largest and wealthiest businesses at that time.

In 1811, his company established Fort Astoria in Oregon at the mouth of the Columbia River. It was the first American settlement on the Pacific coast. In June, most of the crew of the Tonquin, one of his trading ships , was massacred by the Tla-o-qui-aht Indians after the captain insulted a chief.

The following October, 1812, a group of his company discovered South Pass, WY (see below) as a viable passage across the Continental Divide, when they returned east to tell of the fate of the Tonquin.

Mexican Independence Declared (1810)

In September 1808, peninsular-born Spaniards in New Spain (Mexico) overthrew the Viceroy. In 1810, American-born Spaniards began plotting an uprising against Spanish rule, and on September 16, the Catholic priest of the village of Dolores rang his church bell, giving the call to arms for the beginning of the revolution.

By 1821, the war for independence concluded with the Treaty of Cordoba. Also in 1821, Spain’s Florida Treaty with America took effect – two years after its initial signing. Both events weakened Spain’s hold on lands in North America and paved the way for further American influence and expansion.

South Pass, WY discovered (1812)

South Pass was discovered in October 1812 by a group of 7 men from the Pacific Fur Company (a subsidiary of John Jacob Astor’s American Fur company (see above)). They were returning to tell of the massacre of the crew of one of their trading ships.

South Pass would later by used by more than half a million westward migrants as part of the main route of the Oregon Trail, among others. It was the key, primary passageway for wagons bound for the Pacific, and its discovery proved invaluable for America’s early westward expansion.

War of 1812 (1812-14)

The War of 1812 was the only war in U.S. history in which the U.S. Capitol was burned, and the only war fought between the U.S. and Canada.

In fact, at that time, northeastern Canada was under British rule. Canada did not become a truly independent nation until 1982, when it adopted its own constitution, although they are still a part of the British Commonwealth – which accepts the British monarch as its own.

The war, therefore, was another conflict between Britain and the U.S., this time stemming from different things:

1. Long-standing territorial disputes
2. Britain supported Native American tribes who opposed U.S. colonial settlement in the Northwest Territory (surrounding the Great Lakes)
3. In 1807, the Royal Navy began enforcing tighter restrictions on U.S. trade with France
4. Britain began impressment of men (forced conscription into their military) on captured U.S. ships – even if they had a document of U.S. citizenship

The conflict primarily arose at sea, and could have been fought primarily at sea (many battles were), but the Royal Navy was far larger and stronger. Therefore, the U.S. decided to invade Canada – to attack Britain on land, where they might have an advantage – and expand U.S. territory into northeastern Canada.

Until 1814, Britain was partially also involved in a war with Napoleon in Europe, so they were less able to put their full might behind defending Canada. But by 1814, the conflict with Napoleon was resolved, and they were able to reinforce their troops in Canada.

The Treaty of Ghent was signed between the two countries in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands on Christmas Eve, 1814, but would not take effect until 1815.

In fact, one of the biggest battles of the War of 1812 was fought in New Orleans after the Treaty was signed. The Battle of New Orleans was the climax of Britain’s five-month Gulf Campaign to capture New Orleans, and possibly the rest of the Louisiana Territory. But under the leadership of Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, the greatly outnumbered American forces defeated the British assault in just over 30 minutes. The Americans suffered 71 casualties, while the British suffered over 2,000, including the deaths of their first and second-in-command.

The victory was deemed the “Miracle at New Orleans” and made Andrew Jackson a household name and popular culture (pamphlets, songs, editorials, speeches, and plays) glorified his image to heroic and legendary. His popularity led to his election as the 7th President of the U.S. in 1828.

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Era of “Good Feelings” (1817-1825)

Five key events during the Era of Good Feelings:

1. Florida Treaty with Spain
2. 2nd Great Awakening
3. Missouri Compromise
4. Mexican Independence Achieved
5. “Monroe Doctrine”

The phrase “Era of Good Feelings” was first used by Benjamin Russell in the Columbian Centinel, a Federalist newspaper based in Boston, on July 12, 1817. It followed President James Monroe’s visit to Boston as a part of his good-will tour of the U.S.

The period is marked by downplayed partisan affiliations (particularly on the part of President Monroe), the collapse of the Federalist party, and a collective sense of national pride and purpose – with a desire for national unity – following the War of 1812.

Florida Treaty with Spain (1819, 1821)

2nd Great Awakening (1820)

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Mexican Independence Achieved (1821)

“Monroe Doctrine” (1823)

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Jacksonian Era (1825-1849)

Five key events during the Jacksonian Era:

1. Voting Rights increased
2. Indian Removal Act
3. “Manifest Destiny”
4. Annexation of Texas
5. Gold Rush!

Voting Rights increased

Indian Removal Act

“Manifest Destiny”

Annexation of Texas

Gold Rush!

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American Civil War (1849-1865)

The American Civil War was a major turning point in U.S. History. This period stands on its own in the timeline of the American Old West.

Five major events during the Civil War Era:

1. Compromise of 1850
2. “Go West, Young Man”
3. Pony Express
4. Confederacy Founded
5. Homestead Act

Compromise of 1850

“Go West, Young Man”

Pony Express

Confederacy Founded

Homestead Act

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Industrialization (1865-1918)

There are three major sections in the period of industrialization:

1. Reconstruction Era (1865-1877)
2. Gilded Age (1877-1895)
3. Progressive Era (1896-1916)

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Reconstruction Era (1865-1877)

Eight major events during the Reconstruction Era:

1. Lincoln Assassinated
2. 13th Amendment
3. Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
4. Alaska Purchase
5. 14th Amendment
6. First Transcontinental Railroad completed
7. 15th Amendment
8. Jim Crow Laws
9. Civil Rights Act

Lincoln Assassinated

13th Amendment

Rise of the Ku Klux Klan

Alaska Purchase

14th Amendment

First Transcontinental Railroad completed

15th Amendment

Jim Crow Laws

Civil Rights Act

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Gilded Age (1877-1895)

Six major events during the Gilded Age:

1. Shootout at the O.K. Corral
2. Chinese Exclusion Act
3. Northern Pacific & Southern Transcontinental Railroads completed
4. Indian Wars (ongoing, but now with gusto)
5. Oklahoma Land Rush
6. Wounded Knee Massacre

Shootout at the O.K. Corral

Chinese Exclusion Act

Northern Pacific & Southern Transcontinental Railroads completed

Indian Wars

Oklahoma Land Rush

Wounded Knee Massacre

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Progressive Era (1896-1916)

Seven major events during the Progressive Era:

1. Sherman Antitrust Act (enforced)
2. Panama Canal (completed by US)
3. “Square Deal” Policy
4. “The Jungle” & muckraking writing
5. Ford Model T
6. Increased Immigration to the US
7. The Great Migration (from the South)

Sherman Antitrust Act

Panama Canal

“Square Deal” Policy

“The Jungle” & muckraking

Ford Model T

Increased Immigration

The Great Migration