Chapter 7 Notes
Manifest Destiny
I. The Western Pioneers
A. Settling New Lands
*Manifest Destiny—God wanted us to own the
whole continent and spread liberty/democracy
1. Farming the New Lands
a. squatters and the Preemption Act of 1830
2. Plows and Reapers
a. John Deere’s steel plow
b. Cyrus McCormick’s mechanical reaper
3. Settling the Pacific
a. Oregon Territory shared by Brits & Americans
b. missionaries spread the word of great land
B. Westward Migration
1. Kit Carson and other trailblazers
a. Oregon, California, Santa Fe Trails
b. overlanders, wagon trains, the Donner Party
2. Native Americans
a. more helpful than hurtful
b. Treaty of Fort Laramie 1851
3. The Mormon Migration
a. looking for religious freedom not land
II. The Hispanic Southwest
A. Mexican Independence and the Borderlands
1. Mexico gains independence from Spain 1821
a. left much of TX, NM, CA in chaos
b. Spanish missions and presidios in disarray
2. California- sparsely populated
a. rancheros, mestizos, Indians
3. New Mexico
a. like CA, little control by Mexican gov’t
b. leads to chaos / conflict / rebellion
B. Americans Arrive in the Borderlands
1. American trade w/ CA increased after independence
2. John “Sutter’s Fort”
3. Becknell opens trade and settlement in NM
4. Spain allowed settlement in TX, Mexico does too
III. Independence for Texas
A. Opening Texas to Americans
*Stephan F. Austin, Mexican gov’t encourage
American immigration
1. Empresarios and Settlers
a. National Colonization Act gave “agents” land they
could govern in return for bringing settlers
b. Austin– founds Washington-on-the-Brazos
2. Americanizing Texas
a. settlers refuse to assimilate & want control
b. Mex. fear leads to new taxes & assertion of control
B. Texas Goes to War
1. Austin tries to negotiate with Santa Anna and gain
more freedom for TX
a. Santa Anna becomes dictator
b. TX organizes an army
2. The Early Battles
a. rebels win at Gonzales, “come and take it”
b. TX declares independence 1836
3. The Alamo
a. Sam Houston takes command of rebel army
b. Santa Anna send 6,000 troops
c. Travis and 179 others try to delay SA at a mission
d. SA wins at The Alamo
4. Goliad
a. 300 Texans executed
b. unites Texan support
5. The Battle of San Jacinto
a. Houston’s surprise attack wins the war
b. treaty gives TX independence 1836
6. The Republic of Texas
a. Jackson afraid to annex
b. slave state and war with Mex. too risky
IV. The War With Mexico
A. The Lingering Question of Texas
*slave v. free state power struggle in Congress
1. Texas and Oregon Enter the Union
a. Tyler tried to annex TX, but anti-slavery won
b. The Election of 1844
i. Polk promises to add TX, OR, CA & keep
balanced between slave & free
c. The Oregon Question
i. Fifty-four Forty or Fight v. the 49th parallel
d. The Annexation of Texas
i. Tyler adds it and Mex. Gets mad
ii. dispute over border- Nueces or Rio Grande
iii. Polk’s eye on CA doesn’t help
iv. Slidell gets the cold shoulder
B. The War With Mexico
1. Polk sends Z. Taylor to Rio Grande
a. Mex. is aggressor in “Mr. Polk’s War”
2. Calling All Volunteers
a. 73,000 enlist to accomplish 3-pronged plan
3. The Fighting Begins
a. see map pg. 274
b. Bear Flag Revolt
4. To Mexico City
a. Taylor relieved and Winfield Scott heads to capital
after taking Veracruz
b. Mex. surrenders unconditionally
5. The Peace Treaty (of Guadalupe Hidalgo)
a. US gets TX, NM, CA
b. Mex. gets $18.25 million