HIST111

The main ideas from this information are: - Slavery was a significant moment in Colonial America, with laws against non-European individuals and Virginia having the largest slave population. - The Declaration of Independence was drafted in 1776, expressing grievances towards King George III and leading to the Revolutionary War. - Western Expansion through the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's expedition brought new difficulties, including conflicts with Native Americans. - The Civil War began with South Carolina seceding from the Union, and the turning point was the Battle of Gettysburg. - Americans in colonial America and beyond did not see other races as equal, leading to division and segregation. Manifest Destiny fueled the belief that white men deserved land and respect from Native Americans. Hi, this is Samantha Bach and this is my History 111 final project. The four most important moments in history from Colonial America until Reconstruction, I believe, are slavery, the Declaration of Independence, Western Expansion, and the Civil War. Starting off with slavery, the perception of non-Anglo races was savage and uncivilized. Laws against non-European peoples' individual rights were created. 10 to 20 percent of African slaves died in transport between Africa and North America. Virginia had the largest slave population in 1776, and though it was not the first to legalize slavery, Virginia developed most of the initial laws relating to slavery. Thomas Jefferson, on Race and Slavery, 1781, from our textbook, Jefferson believes that there is no inherent slave race, but they cannot coexist with white Americans simply because of their race. They need to live somewhere other than America. The Letter by a Fugitive Slave, from our textbook as well, written on November 11, 1840, by Joseph Taper, explains how Great Britain is treating escaped slaves. They are giving them 50 acres each, an ox, and a plow for each two slaves. Racial specifications were written into the Constitution in Article IV, Section 2, stating that the state could create its own laws regarding land ownership, militia, and suffrage, allowing for more segregation. My next topic is the Declaration of Independence. The first Continental Congress was created in 1774. The leaders of this Congress were non-crown-appointed men, but they were wealthy. They created the Olive Branch Letter, stating that if harassment from Britain did not cease, that they would end trade. Following the Olive Branch Letter was the Battle of Lexington and Concord, where 273 British soldiers died and 95 colonists, even ones who were not fighting because only 70 were in that battle. The second Continental Congress was created in 1775. They created the Continental Army, later the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Articles of Confederation. The Declaration of Independence was drafted on July 2nd, 1776, and the main author was Thomas Jefferson. In it, it expresses the colonists' grievances towards King George III, including taxation without representation and indirect rule from England. 20 to 25% of colonists remained loyal to the throne, and approximately 20,000 fought for England in the Revolutionary War. Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine, and it became very popular. It was read aloud on the streets and loved because of its plain language that was easy to understand. Many of the Americans loved this because it expressed feelings that they all understood. In 1778, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed. France recognized America as independent and helped supply and gave military assistance. But after France, Spain also began backing America. They had two allies already. The Treaty of Paris negotiations began in April of 1782 and was signed in September of 1783. America gained sovereignty from Britain, and England relinquished its claims to America's land. My third topic is Western Expansion, Manifest Destiny. The Senate approved the Louisiana Purchase from France on October 20, 1803. The Louisiana Purchase bought land west of colonial America. The land costed $15 million and doubled the size of America. Westward expansion came with new difficulties, including the need for additional treaties with American Indians since they were encroaching on their lands, and it began the search for the unknown. Lewis and Clark launched their expedition from St. Louis in 1804. Their crew was a total of 31 people. It included Jean-Baptiste Lepage, Toussaint Charbonneau, and Sacagawea. The largest population in the area west of colonial America was still Native Americans, even though colonists had already begun to encroach on those lands. My last topic is the Civil War. The first state to secede from the Union was South Carolina on December 20, 1860. The reason that they said that they were seceding was because they were upholding their sovereign power as a state, and they were not in rebellion. After South Carolina seceded, many other states followed, all the way from January through February of 1861. These states included Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. The first battle of the Civil War was on April 12 through the 14th of 1861 at Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor. During the Civil War, the Union had 2 million soldiers, and the Confederacy had 750,000. Free Black Americans were allowed to fight with the Union only after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. During the war, 140,500 free slaves and 38,500 free African Americans served, making up a total of 10% of the Union troops. The turning point of the war was the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1 through the 3rd of 1863. Following that was Sherman's March to the Sea, which pushed Confederate troops through cities, costing lives and devastating all involved, both physically and mentally. Apatomyx was the final battle on April 11, 1865. The Confederates faced desertion, lack of supplies, and they were completely outnumbered by the Union. The Confederacy surrendered at the Apatomyx Courthouse in Virginia, the home of Wilmer McLean. Confederate soldiers, including Robert E. Lee, were paroled and allowed to return home with their arms and horses. Their only punishment was being a promise to never take up arms again against their nation. In conclusion, Americans in colonial America, all the way past Reconstruction, did not see other races as equal. Many white men, such as Thomas Jefferson, did not agree with the institution of slavery, but they also didn't agree with Black and white people living together. They didn't believe that they should be able to live together. This deep-seated hatred from one human to another created divide and segregation, allowing for slavery to begin, which is the whole reason for the Civil War and the killing of hundreds of thousands of Americans, pitting brother against brother, mom against son, family against family. The MFF destiny allowed for America to expand, taking over indigenous lands and again showing how white men believed that they deserved the land and respect from American Indians purely because they are different. The Declaration of Independence allowed for America to separate from Britain, but Anglo ideals continued in the colonies, even after England abolished slavery.