Existing comment:
Expansion and Reform: 1801-1870:
Westward migration, technological advances, and rapid economic development pushed the country onward even as they threatened to break it apart. The nation expanded its borders into territory held by American Indians, France, and Mexico, claiming millions of acres and thousands of people as part of the United States. Urbanization and industrialization led to new social challenges while slavery and sectional politics drove the country to civil war.
The objects in this section of the exhibition convey stories about the War of 1812, the growth of the nation, innovation, and the Civil War. |