Unit 7

During Unit 7 

Westward Expansion, we will explain the economic, social, and political reasons for Manifest Destiny. 

We will examine how expansion led to conflicts with other nations, identify and compare major land acquisitions and describe different ethnic, racial and religious groups and their reasons for moving west. 

We will revisit The Louisiana Purchase by President Jefferson from Napoleon of France in 1804. Also, we will explore the acquisition of Florida from Spain from  the Adams-Onis Treaty. 

The era of expansionism takes off under President James K. Polk with Texas being admitted into the United States. Polk tries to buy The Western Mexican territory but Mexico refuses. Polk seizes an opportunity because of a boundary dispute with Mexico. The boundary line was to be the Rio Grande River which was established by Mexico but Mexico had it set as the Nueces River. Soldiers of both countries were positioned outside of Brownsville, Texas. 

We will detail major battles as well as military leaders such as Ulysses S. Grant, Zachary Taylor, Winfield Scott. The war only lasted 2 years with America victorious. The treaty titled Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded half of Mexico to The United States in exchange for 15 million dollars, effectively ending the U.S.-Mexican War. 

We will discuss the next territory for expansion that occupied both American and British in the Pacific Northwest; Oregon Territory which hastened to the brink of war. America and England settled the dispute with the signing of The Oregon Treaty which split the territory in two. England getting the Northern half and America getting the southern half which the states of Washington and Oregon were created from. 

Finally, we will discuss the Gadsden Purchase, which was sought by America from Mexico. This small piece of land in southern Arizona today was needed for the “Transcontinental Railroad” to pass through the mountains.