America Transformed 1

America Transformed: 1780-1850

History 111
Professor Shrout
College of the Canyons
Darby Leahy

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1780: American Revolutionary war continues
1781: Articles of Confederation are ratified
1783: Treaty of Paris
1788: U.S. Constitution ratified
1800: Thomas Jefferson becomes first elected Democrat-Republican
1803: U.S. purchases Louisiana territory from France: Beginning of America Expansionism
1819-1820: Missouri Compromise- Missouri enters Union as a slave state, Maine as a free state.
1828: Andrew Jackson become first elected Democrat
1838-1839: Trail of Tears
1846-1848: Mexican War
1850: Compromise of 1850- California enters Union as a free state.
The above timeline indicates some of the most important things going on in America
during the years 1780-1850. The building of our American democracy was taking place during
the ratification of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Also, politics were
changing as men that had more than just Federalists views were finally holding power and later
being elected as our nations Presidents. Capitalism, agriculture, and industrialization contributed
to economics and the development of the American economy as well as American expansionism.
By the late eighteenth century the American culture was based on individualism and destroyed
the ideas of communities that work together. Instead, this new America was forced to turn to
wage labor.
After the end of the American revolutionary war in 1783, Americas freedom of Britain
led to some massive changes in the promise land. Agriculture was being expanded on as well
as the introduction of capitalism and industrialization. These three systems helped majorly
contribute to the development of the American economy. American expansionism is said to have
began in 1803 when American purchased the Louisiana territory from France for fifteen million
dollars. The Louisiana purchase from the French doubled the size of America at the time,
stretching from the Mississippi river in the east to the Rocky mountains in the west, from the
Gulf of Mexico all the way to the Canadian border (Anonymous, n.d.). This purchase is one of

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the most significant achievements about Thomas Jeffersons presidency and helped jump start
the westward expansionism of the United States.
Later, in the nineteenth century, the spread of railroads and steamboats lead to the
beginning of the market revolution. Railroads were great for eliminating the burden of space and
time and the post office made it possible for fast communication and the transportation of
information. Steamboats could carry loads of heavy materials that were being delivered to farms
and towns all around the country. These newer means of transportation increased the speed of
production pulling America deeper into market activity (Bremer, 2010). Instead, of individuals
focusing on their personal obligations they began to push those aside as they turned to the new
system of wage labor.
During this market revolution in America supply began exceeding demand and the U.S.
started looking at foreign countries as potential markets. America started to make territories out
of weak nations through political and economic power. This was the perfect was for America to
infiltrate the natives of the new colonies and create the perfect opportunity for trade as well as
gaining cheap raw materials and cheap labor. As America gained power over the natives America
industrialized these new colonies and worked the natives for extremely long hours for very low
wages, taking away all of their independence. However, this was all to benefit the U.S. economy;
does that make it all okay? Many ethical arguments were brought on due to the way the new
colonies were being treated. Similar to the arguments over slavery, people who thought of
themselves as supreme felt they needed to stand up for the rights of the citizens in the new
territories. Although, there were many social debates for the rights of the laborers in the new
colonies, the Treaty of Paris was put in favor after winning the vote fifty-seven to twenty-seven.

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The Treaty of Paris gave the U.S. rights to the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. This gave the
U.S. the opportunity to be the leaders in all foreign markets (Manner, 1998).
When Andrew Jackson was elected president in 1828, American politics changed, most
would say for the better. Under Jacksons presidency the common man became able to cast a
vote; of course, the common man had to be a white man but during this time this was still a
major advancement in the spread of democracy. Also, under Jacksons presidency Conventions
of elected delegates replaced legislative and congressional caucuses. During Andrew Jacksons
reign, Americas politics started its long journey towards equality. What was still just a goal
written in the Declaration of Independence was becoming a realistic movement and proved the
growth of democracy was not just a coincidence (Wulf, 2006). The lack of a true American labor
party at the time bound middle-class workers together to protect their independent economic
status for all the industrialization taking place. The banding together of American citizens to
reaffirm the original American values and traditions opened up for a spread of democracy that
was by no means a coincidence, it was in fact majorly contributed to American expansionism.

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References
Anonymous. (n.d.). History.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from
http://www.history.com/topics/louisiana-purchase
Bremer, J. (2010). The market revolution in america: Liberty, ambition and the eclipse of
the common good. Canadian Journal of History, 45(3), 651-653. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/8
60778386?accountid=38295
Manner, M. (1998). Student response: Divisive attitudes towards expansionism and the
treaty of paris. Magazine of History, 12(3), 56. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/2
13731963?accountid=38295
Wulf, N. (2006). The politics of past and progress in jacksonian democracy. American
Transcendental Quarterly, 20(4), 647-659. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/2
22380859?accountid=38295