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Westward Expansion

Jennifer Yang & Joodi Son

Borderlands of the 1830s

By the 1830s, the western boundary of the United States had reached the Mississippi River, and the original thirteen states had expanded to seventeen with the admission of Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio.

Louisiana Purchase

Florida was acquired from Spain in 1819.

Nagging questions over the border with Canada were worked out through the Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842)

The long-standing dispute with Great Britain over the Oregon Country was resolved by establishing the forty-ninth parallel as the boundary (1846).

+Why suddenly westward expansion?

Mexico encouraged American settlement in its northern provinces from Texas to California.

After gaining independence from Spain, Mexico changed economic laws from Spain’s mercantilist policies to open trade policy that stimulated a commercial prosperity and expansionist appetites of Americans in Oregon County.

American visitors and traders were captured by the Californian Rancheros’ flamboyant lifestyle and devotion to the pursuit of pleasure.

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Texas Revolution

+Causes

Spain had accepted a proposal from several American entrepreneurs to bring American settlers into Texas.

Friction soon developed between the Mexican government and the Anglo-American colonists over the status of slavery and the authority of the Catholic Church.

The Mexican Congress banned slavery in Texas and prohibited further immigration by American citizens, but settlers, both white and slave, continued to cross the border from the United States. Tensions rose as Americans demanded a greater say in their own affairs.

+Events

In 1834, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna seized power in Mexico, determined to exercise greater control over Texas, but failed.

The American Texans responded with a declaration of independence (March 2, 1836), but the first confrontation of the Texas Revolution was a disaster for them.

Sam Houston captured Santa Anna, and forced the general to sign a treaty that recognized Texas's independence in return for his freedom

+Results

Mexico refused to acknowledge Texas's independence.

Independent Texans claimed the two-thousand-mile-long Rio Grande as their southern and western border.

The Republic of Texas chose Sam Houston as its first president, created a legislature and court system, and received diplomatic recognition from the United States, Great Britain, and France.

Most Texans, however, expected and wanted their independence to be short-lived. But the Republic's petition for annexation to the United States was refused in 1837, and Texas did not become a state until 1845.

Mormon Trek

Origin of the Mormons

Who are the Mormons?

Smith and his followers faced persecution wherever they went because of their radical teachings, particularly their endorsement of polygamy.

Ohio and Missouri -> Nauvoo, Illinois -> Great Salt Lake -> Utah

Because of its communitarian form of social organization, its centralized government, and the religious dedication of its inhabitants, this frontier society prospered.

Although Mormons were initially encroaching illegally into Mexican territory, they soon seceded to America.

+Election of 1844

Polk was an expansionist: annexation of Texas and claims of Oregon

Had a narrow win: due to the Liberty party candidate, Birney, taking away enough votes from Whig party candidate, Clay

This narrow win meant that Democrats would have a harder time with their expansionist policies

Congress reconsidered the annexation of Texas: approved before Polk took office

+Election of 1844

Candidate Party Popular Vote Electoral Vote

Polk Democratic 1,338,464 170

Clay Whig 1,300,097 105

Birney Liberty 62,300 -

+Polk Administration

Polk was able to avoid a war with Great Britain by making the 49th Parallel

During the Polk administration America got bigger: the addition of 500,000 square miles of territory However the price

being high with $100 million and 13,000 lives

The political dissent after Polk’s administration

+Manifest Destiny

The phrase “Manifest Destiny” was coined by O’Sullivan

Three main ideas God was on the side of

American expansionism Free Development, idea

was that the spread of American rule meant what other propagandists for expansion described as “extending the area of freedom.”

Population growth required the outlet that territorial acquisitions would provide

Primary Source: John O’Sullivan, “The Great Nation of Futurity”

+Activity 1

We will divide the class into two groups and have a game. The group that finds the most symbols will win.

Look at the following picture and identify the symbols that encourage Americans to move westward and support Manifest Destiny?

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Mexican American War

+Causes

Mexico rejected that Texas’ claims to the unsettled territory between Nieces River and the Rio Grande

When US annexed Texas, Mexico broke off diplomatic relations and prepared armed forces

Polk placed troops in Louisiana on alert

Dispatched John Slidell to Mexico City to resolve the boundary dispute Goal: persuade the

Mexicans to sell New Mexico and California

+Events

April 24: 1600 Mexican soldiers crossed the river and attacked a small American detachment, killing 11 and capturing rest

Congress declares war May 13

Mexicans refused to make peace despite a succession of military defeats

Taylor was national hero and possible candidate for president: won many battles that were big for US

Kearny expedition captured Santa Fe and proclaimed the annexation of New Mexico

California is founded- declared independence from Mexico as the Bear Flag

April 17,18: Scott met forces under General Santa Anna at Cerro Golfed

September 15 Mexico City is captured

+Settlement

Nicholas P. Trist, diplomat February 2, 1848 Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo

Added New Mexico and California for $15 million Rio Grande- southwest border of Texas Substantial claims of American Citizens against

Mexico Gained 500,000 square miles of territory

California, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, parts of Colorado and Wyoming

Gadsden Purchase- small piece of land for $10 million: contained a pass through the mountains suitable for a railroad

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+Effects of Mexican American War

Expansionism started to die out Racism and anti-colonialism

People who were of mixed Spanish and Indian origins wouldn’t have been able to fit in as citizens of the United States

Ruled in the way British governed India, however the possession of colonial dependencies was contrary to American ideals and traditions

Racism arose against the Hispanic American: became second class citizens of the United States

+Activity 2

Now that you have learned about the Manifest Destiny and the Mexican American war, time to analyze some documents!

Using APPARTS, analyze The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. For the sake of time, this treaty is cut to Article 3.

On your own time, if you are interested check out the rest of the treaty here.

+Assessment

On the page provided color and label the territories that we have covered so far. Use different color for each incident.

+Bibliography

http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/faculty/hodgson/Courses/City/Turner/maps2/US_Terr_1840.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_O%27Sullivan.jpg

http://www.historycentral.com/mexican/cerra.html

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/smithson/polk.html

APP Text Book