At last both nations, weary of war, decided to make peace. 1 The treaty of peace settled none of the questions for which the two nations had gone to war. They had settled themselves before the war ended. And the manner in which the American navy had defended itself had settled for all time the question of America's rights on sea. With the end of warfare our country was free to turn away from European affairs. Attention was directed to the development of industries and the settlement of our vast interior lands. Questions and Topics for Discussion How did France and England disregard our rights while they were at war with each other? What right did England claim? What did she do? Were these offenses serious ones? When was war declared? Why was this war fought? What is it sometimes called? What success did America have in her land battles? In her sea fights? What did the war of 1812 prove to the world? LESSON XXI WESTWARD DEVELOPMENT AND INDUSTRIAL The period following the War of 1812 was important in many ways. There was development and progress along many lines. Vast areas of land were purchased or acquired from foreign nations, until in time our possessions stretched to the Pacific Coast. The explorations of Lewis and Clark had furnished a knowledge of the vast wealth and resources of the new West. There were opportunities for fur trading and farming. Land could be bought cheaply, sometimes it could be procured free. Good wagon roads and canals into the interior of the country were built. These opened up new routes of trade and travel. ་ The war had almost destroyed our commerce. This caused hard times in all the eastern states. Many were out of work. These and others pushed westward into the country. They were joined by European immigrants who came to America in great numbers. The new West promised prosperity to all. Families traveled as best they could. Some followed the streams. Others went in stage coaches, or in their own covered wagons. Still others, who were very poor, started out on foot, carrying on their backs the few articles they would need on the way. During the war much of our supply of cotton, woolens, and articles of iron and steel were cut off. So America set about manufacturing these things, and thus laid the foundation of our great industrial system of to-day. The invention of new machines, such as the spinning jenny and the power loom, increased the output of the mills greatly. In 1815 we used nine times as many bales of cotton as in 1810. The number of spindles increased from 80,000 to 500,000. In the same year there were more than one hun dred cotton mills within thirty miles of Providence, Rhode Island. Home work, such as spinning and weaving, was transferred to the mills. In 1829 the first railroad was built. Other railroads were built soon after, and settlements were made along their lines. The railroads made traveling easier. They also carried coal, iron, and other supplies to the cities which needed them for manufacturing. In 1848 gold was discovered in California. Thousands went in the rush to the gold fields. The movement westward was so great that at times it looked as if the eastern cities might be abandoned. As the settlers found places where they would like to live, they cleared the land, tilled the soil, and built their homes. All of these facts resulted in rapid westward development and expansion. The courage and the bravery of the people and their love of liberty helped them to overcome the difficulties they met. Many cities sprang up. New and important industries were begun. Our population increased steadily. State after state was admitted to the Union. In 1860 there were more than thirty-one million people in the United States, or almost ten times as many as at the close of the Revolutionary War. Questions and Topics for Discussion Name three ways in which the period following the War of 1812 was important. How did the explorations of Lewis and Clark furnish a knowledge of the wealth and resources of the new West? What were some of the opportunities that the West offered? How was the country opened up for trade and travel? Why did so many Americans and immigrants go West? How did they make the journey? How did the War of 1812 affect our commerce? What articles were cut off? What did this lead to? What new machines were invented? Describe the growth in manufacturing. How was home work, such as spinning and weaving, affected? What influence did this have on manufacturing? In what year was gold discovered in California? What effect did this discovery have on the westward movement? What was the life of the settlers? How did this life make them independent? What enabled them to overcome the difficulties they met? What further expansion was there? What was our population in 1860? How does this compare with our population at the close of the Revolutionary War? LESSON XXII THE CIVIL WAR In 1619 twenty negroes were imported and sold to Virginia planters. They worked in the tobacco and rice. fields. This was the beginning of slavery in the United States. The slaves were well fitted for labor on the plantations of the South. The invention of the cotton gin made cotton growing very profitable. For these reasons slave-holding flourished there. But in the North the work was mostly indoors, in factories, and slaves were not fitted for it. Everyone in the North, from the day laborer to the rich business man, was a workingman of some sort. There was no sharp dividing of classes, as there was in the South. Therefore the spirit of the North had become more democratic than that of the South. Many people in the North thought that slave-holding was wrong. They thought it was opposed to liberty. Even in the South there were some who did not believe in it. |