1
A-Level
OCR History A
Non-British Period Study
Y216 The USA in the 19th Century: Westward Expansion
and Civil War 1903 – c.1890
(This document has been put together from my A-Level notes
taken between 2016-2018)
To understand U.S. History, it helps to have an understanding of how
the U.S. political system works:
The U.S. Government divides its political power between Central Government and
State Government. Every individual state has its own State Government.
Central Government has control over:
-Immigration
-Currency
-Foreign affairs
-Tax
-Declaration of war
State Government has control over:
-Law & order
-Policing
-Tax
-Education
Central Government = Congress (basically parliament)
Congress is split
1. House of Representatives States are represented according to their
population
2. The Senate States are represented equally, 2 senators per state
3. Supreme Court
4. President (in charge of military)
©Samantha Gwilliam 2020
,2
Both the Senate and House of Representatives have to agree when a new law is
passed
The constitution:
A written document that lists the powers of the president, congress and the
supreme court and is very short (4,000 words)
Problems with the constitution:
-Not all powers that exist are listed – who the powers belong to? Central or state
government? What happens if North and South disagree? Can a state secede? Can
the country force a state not to secede?
Southern States: Northern States:
North Carolina New York
South Carolina Ohio
Georgia California
Alabama Michigan
Louisiana New Jersey
Florida Connecticut
Texas Washington
Mississippi Indiana
Virginia Pennsylvania
New Hampshire
North Dakota
It is also important to understand the sectional differences that
existed within the U.S.:
A section is a group of states with similar characteristics
In the U.S. there was two main sections: North and South
Differences:
The North: Had begun to industrialize, social mobility, more built up than the
South, slavery was illegal in the North
The South: Agricultural, rural, grew cotton, coffee and tobacco etc., Slavery was
legal, slaves did most of the work
©Samantha Gwilliam 2020
, 3
Westward Expansion:
Acquisition of Territory:
Louisiana Purchase:
-Purchased in 1803
-Purchased from France
-America purchased because of attraction to New Orleans and also for national
security purposes
-Purchased for $15 million
-Middle 1/3 of the U.S. – Eventually becomes 15 states
Florida:
-Controlled by Spain before it was part of the U.S.
-Causing problems for the U.S. Escaped slaves running away to Florida for
freedom
- Seminole Indians (Native Americans) jump over boarder to steal from the U.S.
and attack
-President Andrew Jackson Invades Florida, highlights Spain’s military
weakness, re-captures escaped slaves and dealt with Seminole Indians
-Seminole War, U.S. win war
-1819 Adams – Onis Treaty Florida is sold to the U.S. for $5 Million
Texas and Oregon:
-President Polk Pro-expansion, believer in Manifest Destiny (the belief that the
U.S. expansion across the continent was both justified and inevitable)
-Texas: Became independent from Mexico in the 1830’s, became part of the U.S. in
1845
-Oregon: Belonged to Britain, divided between Canada (British Empire) and U.S.,
U.S. part joins in 1846
The Mexican Cession:
-1846, President Polk wants Northern Mexico (California, Utah, New Mexico etc.)
-Mexico refuses to sell the land
-Polk deliberately provokes a war with Mexico to gain the land (U.S. – Mexican
War)
©Samantha Gwilliam 2020
A-Level
OCR History A
Non-British Period Study
Y216 The USA in the 19th Century: Westward Expansion
and Civil War 1903 – c.1890
(This document has been put together from my A-Level notes
taken between 2016-2018)
To understand U.S. History, it helps to have an understanding of how
the U.S. political system works:
The U.S. Government divides its political power between Central Government and
State Government. Every individual state has its own State Government.
Central Government has control over:
-Immigration
-Currency
-Foreign affairs
-Tax
-Declaration of war
State Government has control over:
-Law & order
-Policing
-Tax
-Education
Central Government = Congress (basically parliament)
Congress is split
1. House of Representatives States are represented according to their
population
2. The Senate States are represented equally, 2 senators per state
3. Supreme Court
4. President (in charge of military)
©Samantha Gwilliam 2020
,2
Both the Senate and House of Representatives have to agree when a new law is
passed
The constitution:
A written document that lists the powers of the president, congress and the
supreme court and is very short (4,000 words)
Problems with the constitution:
-Not all powers that exist are listed – who the powers belong to? Central or state
government? What happens if North and South disagree? Can a state secede? Can
the country force a state not to secede?
Southern States: Northern States:
North Carolina New York
South Carolina Ohio
Georgia California
Alabama Michigan
Louisiana New Jersey
Florida Connecticut
Texas Washington
Mississippi Indiana
Virginia Pennsylvania
New Hampshire
North Dakota
It is also important to understand the sectional differences that
existed within the U.S.:
A section is a group of states with similar characteristics
In the U.S. there was two main sections: North and South
Differences:
The North: Had begun to industrialize, social mobility, more built up than the
South, slavery was illegal in the North
The South: Agricultural, rural, grew cotton, coffee and tobacco etc., Slavery was
legal, slaves did most of the work
©Samantha Gwilliam 2020
, 3
Westward Expansion:
Acquisition of Territory:
Louisiana Purchase:
-Purchased in 1803
-Purchased from France
-America purchased because of attraction to New Orleans and also for national
security purposes
-Purchased for $15 million
-Middle 1/3 of the U.S. – Eventually becomes 15 states
Florida:
-Controlled by Spain before it was part of the U.S.
-Causing problems for the U.S. Escaped slaves running away to Florida for
freedom
- Seminole Indians (Native Americans) jump over boarder to steal from the U.S.
and attack
-President Andrew Jackson Invades Florida, highlights Spain’s military
weakness, re-captures escaped slaves and dealt with Seminole Indians
-Seminole War, U.S. win war
-1819 Adams – Onis Treaty Florida is sold to the U.S. for $5 Million
Texas and Oregon:
-President Polk Pro-expansion, believer in Manifest Destiny (the belief that the
U.S. expansion across the continent was both justified and inevitable)
-Texas: Became independent from Mexico in the 1830’s, became part of the U.S. in
1845
-Oregon: Belonged to Britain, divided between Canada (British Empire) and U.S.,
U.S. part joins in 1846
The Mexican Cession:
-1846, President Polk wants Northern Mexico (California, Utah, New Mexico etc.)
-Mexico refuses to sell the land
-Polk deliberately provokes a war with Mexico to gain the land (U.S. – Mexican
War)
©Samantha Gwilliam 2020
