A Blog Exploring American History and Politics
Economic Development
The Obstinacy of the North and South
By 1859, the northern and southern sections of America had developed different economic systems, cultural norms, and approaches to permitting slavery. Congress and the political parties had been able to overlook those differences for the sake of self-preservation and advancement of the collective agenda. As 1859 concluded and 1860 sprang, Americans understood that the status quo […]
MoreThe Evolving Political Parties of the 1850s
The Democratic Party and Whig Party were the dominant political parties from the early 1830s up until the mid-1850s. Both were institutions in national politics despite not having a coherent national organization by cobbling together a diverse group of states to win elections. While the Democrats had a more populist agenda, the Whigs were more […]
MoreThe Work Divide
The North and the South had come to develop two distinct cultures by the mid-1800s. One of those fundamental differences was the nature of work.
MoreThe Country of the Future
By 1848, America had undergone a significant transformation from the America that the Founding Fathers left just a few decades before.
MoreElection of 1848: Whig Victory
On November 7, 1848, Americans went to the polls to choose between Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, and Lewis Cass.
MoreThe Whigs’ Manifest Destiny
The Whigs had their own approach to interpreting manifest destiny, and that approach mainly applied to shaping America’s foreign policy.
MoreThe Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842
Daniel Webster, the Secretary of State under President John Tyler, brought a breadth of experience and dignity to the office, but he also brought “a different perspective on Anglo-American relations.” Daniel Walker Howe, What Hath God Wrought: Transformation of America, 1815-1848, 672.
MoreThe Emergence of Bankruptcy
In the wake of the Panics of 1837 and 1839, Congress sent the White House a new bill to be signed into law: The Bankruptcy Act of 1841. See Daniel Walker Howe, What Hath God Wrought: Transformation of America, 1815-1848, 593. From then on, bankruptcy would be part of American life, providing an option for when debts become […]
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