Section I. Describe the importance of the water to the North American through 1800s to 1865
Since the beginning of the nineteenth century the role of the water in the American society still was significant. The countries were seeking for the measures and instruments allowing to expand the existing territory in order to gain more access to the rivers and oceans. In this regard, in 1803 the United States of America entered the agreement with Napoleon Bonaparte to purchase Louisiana Territory so that to gain the access to Mississippi (Davis, 318). This decision created the ground for the further exploration of the region in this dimension by the Americans. Moreover, the shipping was a inevitable feature of the American society in the first half of the nineteenth century. Ships provided the society with the link and connection between the producers and the customers, immigrants and their places of origin. Moreover, the overwhelming amount of the people from European region moved to the United States of America in order to improve the financial condition and obtain the political freedom. At the same time in 1848 the Gold Rush in the America took place (Davis, 320). This event was caused upon the construction of the water-powered sawmill in California by John Sutter. During the exploration of the facilities, the man found the piece of the gold. He intended to keep this thing in secrecy however the news spread so that the people found out about the gold resources in the venue of the construction of the water mill. This situation led to the fact that the numerous people went to California with the purpose to seek the gold mines. At the same time, the majority of the immigrants moving to the USA with the intention to find the gold resources and become reach and wealthy. With spread of the Gold Rush in the society the swift between the responsibilities among the family took place. With that, the women were obliged to run the farms, businesses and take care over the children. Moreover, the population of California significantly increased. In gerenal, the explorers gained up to $80 million out of the ground what improved the welfare of the population (Foner, 340).
Beyond the abovementioned facts, the Civil War started in the United States in 1861. The main cause of the was was based on the desire of the several states to gain the independence form the United States of the America in order to create the Confederate States of America. Moreover, the South was not satisfied with the economical development of the region so that the economy should have been imroved by any available measures. Therefore, the Confederacy of the Southern states referred to the acquisition of the ships coming from Britain and made them as the part of the military forces (Foner, 342). By virtue of these ships, the representatives of the South gained the opportunity to raide the commercial vessels coming through the Atlantic ocean. Moreover, the right to control the rivers in the region became one of the reason of the conflict between the parties to the Civil war. Therefore, the main concerns of the parties to the conflict were surrounded about the control over such rivers as the Red, Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, etc. Thus, with gaining the control over the particular rivers, the Confederacy obtained the access to the expansion of the trade relations with the other states. Moreover, the trade via the rivers and oceans was regarded as the primary source of the revenue so that the parties can not ignore the opportunity to fight for the rights to control the valuable spheres of the activity of the population (Foner, 345).
Accordingly, it is necessary to dwell on the importance of the water in the social life of the population of the United States in this period. Up to 1800 the entire amount of the people living within the United States reached 5 million, while the culture was quite diversed. Despite the fact that majority of the Americans were living in the rural conditions, some of people moved to the urban places, cities in order to participate in the development of the country. Moreover, the main source of the revenue still was focused over the agriculture as the maintenance of the crops was seen as the main source of the welfare of the nation. Furthemore, the huge gap between the classes existed due to the difference in the financial resources and the treatment between the different races. At the same time the rights of the women were not given in the proper volume in order to treat them on the equal positions with the males. In addition, the attention was focused at the construction of the railroads that provided the citizens with the opportunity to travel within the country and connect the cities. Despite the fact that this type of the travel was quite slow, the improvement of the infrastructure within the country was regarded as the notable achievement for the population (Foner, 349).
At the same time, the relevance of the water for the life of the society within the period of 1800 to 1865 is seen in the reasons of the Civil War between the North and the South. Given the economical diversity between the regions, the different parts of the United States of America were struggling for the access to the water in order to improve the transportation ways and directions. Given the fact that the speed of the development of the transporation with the construction of the railroards was quite long-lasting, the trade within the water was easier for the countries. At the same time, the water transportation was improved what resulted in the diminishing of the expenses for the transfer of the goods between the consumers and producers. Moreover, in 1807 the first steamboat was launched via the Hudson River in New York what facilitated the elaboration of the upstream navigation through the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean (Foner, 353). In general, the development of the new ways of the transporation the goods via the territory of the United States influenced directly the increase in the volume of the trade operations. Moreover, the transportation favored the settlement of new cities in the country as New York and the Old Northwest. Consequently, the technological development took place when in 1830s the first telegraph was invented by Samuel F.B. Morse. Therefore, the market evolution looked like the increase of the comemrcial farming within the country in addition to the construction of the cities. Moreover, the population was focused at the improvement of the industries which were not strong enough. Finally, the market revolution facilitated the economic freedom of the United States of America for the receipt of the economic independence from the rest of the countries (Foner, 355). In fact, the access to the rivers by the North and the South was linked to the trade relations of the goods produced in this region. Consequently, through the westward expansion the leadership of the United States of America decided to extend the territory of the country to the rivers and other places which are close to the water (Foner, 356).
Therefore, it is possible to stay that the importance of the water in the nineteenth century was increased what is confirmed by the extension of the Westward expansion in addition to the event under the title «Gold Rush». Finally, the construction of the railroads was linked to the access to the water as it provided the population of the country with the opportunity to realize these plans due to the fact that the water is a valuable resource. Finally, via the water the migration of the people has been increased what turned to the increase of the population of the United States of America (Foner, 357).
Section II. Description of the periods.
Upon the adoption of the U.S. Constitution the society faced numerous challenges so that the ground for the establishment of the new form of the society was necessary. In thie regard, the leaders launched the republic where George Washington took the role of the President. Since the early beginning he divided the functions between the Cabinet, while the Congress was responsible for the adoption of the pivotal legal instruments such as the Bill of the Rights. At the same time, in 1790 the representative of Quakers submitted the request to the Congress for the termination of the foreign trade of the slaves in order to introduce the equality between different individuals in the society (Davis, 355). However, the consideration of this issue was delayed to the first decade of the nineteenth centurty. Despite the fact that Gerge Washington had the aim to improve the economic life of the population the majority of the actions adopted by Hamilton had the aim to create the stable and strong financial system within the country. In this regard, Hamilton created first national bank what raised a lot of concerns among the people due to its legality. At the same time, the plan of Washington had the purpose to improve the performance of the infant industries. Despite this fact the new whiskey tax was imposed what resulted in the «Whiskey Reballion» within the state so that the physical force for the mitigation of the crisis was used. The political life also became the subject of numerous transformations due to the fact that the American society was divided into two groups as Federalists and the Democratic – Republicans (Davis, 358). Accordingly, the majority of the people of the society supported the spread of the French Revolution why the leadership of the state ignored this process. Meanwhile, in 1812 the America participated in the War of 1812 what explored the limits of the application of the force by Americans. With the interference in this conflict, the country showed its ability to protect the nation and defend the interests. In fact, the development of the Early Republic was featured with the political instability and the oppositions among the population with regard to the measures adopted by Hamilton. For example, the population could not accept silently the protective tariff which purpose was to increase the budget revenue. In terms of the international relations, the United States decided to stand for the neutrality before the War of 1812. The Americans did not see any benefits in the participation in the completely European confict, while France paid to the Americans for the usage of the military ships (Foner, 344).
The Market Evolution, 1800-1840
After the War of 1813, the Market Revolution as the new stage in the development of the Americas took place. Through this period in the nineteenth century, the spread of the market relations increased in addition to the spread of the political democracy. Within this period in the historical evolution, the population improved the tools for the transportation of the individuals and the vessels. These achievements were noticed in the construction of the railroads, canals and several steamboats (Foner, 350). For example, the first significant railroad was finished in 1811 under the title the National Road in Cumberland.
Westward Migration, 1800 through the war with Mexico in 1846
The Westward expansion of the United States of America was started in 1803 with the purchase of Louisiana from France. This transaction provided the country with the opportunity to double the territory. From the perspective of the president of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson the expansion of the territory leads to the improvement of the entire welfare of the nation. Moreover, the President saw in the expansion of the territory the source of the freedom and the complete independence from the other countries in the world as these territories provide the country with new resources and access to the waters, new lands. Accordingly, the westward expansion was featured with the ambigous attitude to the slavery (Foner, 365). The Congress faced the challenge to find the consensus between the slave state as Missouri and Maine as the free state. Besides, the Congress proclaimed that in some some the slavery may be abolished in order to find the balance between the classes of the society. Despite the expansion by virtue of Louisiana purchase, the people living in Texas submitted the request to the leadership of the United States to adhere to the territory of the country in form of the slave state (Foner, 367). In this regard, the war arised between the Mexico and the Polk as Mexico could not stand to the fact that the slavery would exist within its territory. Besides, the war was finished in 1848 by the adoption of the Treaty of Guadelupe while the new territory was joined to the United States of America (Foner, 369). Besides, the issue of the spread of the slavery was remained open while the newcomers had the desire to receive the answer from the leaderhsip of the United States of America as to whether the population should expect the prohibition of the trade of the slaves or not. However, the westward expansion influenced the economical development of the United States in the positive manner as the coutry gained new resources and working population (Foner, 377).
The Antebellum Period, 1820-1860
This period in the history of the United States of America is called as the period of the pre-civil war time. The country was passing through numerous transformations and changes. For example, one of the main achievements in these years may be seen in the fact that the United States of America transformed from the urban country having the millions of the farmers to the urbanized state. Therefore, this period in the historical development of the United States of America was linked to the following features and events:
The spread of the Market Evolution;
Urbanization of the American society;
Development of the political rights of the states within the USA;
The change of the attitude to the existence of the slavery within the country as the society reconsidered the consequences of the spread of the slavery. Therefore, the leadership of the country received several petitions with request to cease the slavery as the detrimental feature of the contemporary society so that the equality between the classes should be pursued (Davis, 320).
The development of the idea of the manifest destiny influenced the mind of the millions of the Americans so that the movement from one region of the country to the North and South took place (Davis, 321).
The Civil War Period 1850s-1865
The Civil War in the second half of the nineteenth century is regarded as the most disastrous event for the American society. Up to 1 million people died through the all years of the Civil War. Despite the evident consequences in form of the numerous killings, the gap between the North and the South was narrowed. At the same time the occurrence of the Civil War put the end to the permanent conflict with regard to the status of the slavery which was started in the end of the eighteenth century with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. In this regard, the proclamation of the Emancipation on behalf of Lincoln in 1863 resulted in the finalization of the conflict between the regions as it was for the better for two regions to copperate with each other for the improvement of the economical welfare of the United States of America (Foner, 389). Moreover, the ending of the Civil War with the victory of the North showed to the world that the democracy played the important role in the guiding the society. At the same time, the United States of America showed to the world its ability to overcome the internal and external factors that put the threat to the integrity of the country (Foner, 390). Despite the fact that the North had all the instruments to gain the victory equally with the South, the flaws in the political system of the country led to the fact that the North had more resources to perform better in the wartime (Schultz, 279). Moreover, the society was tired of the continuous war time as it lead to the launch and spread of the hunger within the country, while the economical performance diminished. Therefore, the compromise was requested by the population of the both regions in order to maintain the welfare of the people. At the same time, the Election of 1864 resulted in the victory of Lincoln that received the power to find the compromise for the both sides (Harvey, 277).
Works Cited
Davis, David Brion. Inhuman Bondage. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2014. Print.
Harvey, A. D. "Was The American Civil War The First Modern War?". History 97.326 (2012): 272-280. Web.
Schultz, J. E. "Civil War Time: Temporality And Identity In America, 1861-1865". Journal of American History 94.1 (2007): 279-280. Web.
