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MOVING WEST
During the early 1800s, many Americans moved west of the Rocky Mountains to settle and trade.
The Monroe Doctrine caused Americans to focus on the U.S., which led to interest in westward expansion.
How did the motivations, means, and experiences of American pioneers moving to the West affect the development and transformation of the region?
How did the motivations, means, and experiences of American pioneers moving to the West affect the development and transformation of the region?
Manifest Destiny: Belief that God wanted the U.S. to expand from Atlantic to Pacific
John O’Sullivan: a N.Y. newspaper editor, produced a national mission
“It is America's Manifest Destiny to extend all boundaries from Sea to Shining Sea.”
Manifest Destiny means an “obvious fate” of the United States to grow and become powerful regardless of who or what was in their way (Indians, buffalo, Mexicans, etc.)
Fur traders and trappers were some of the first Americans to explore the West.
John Jacob Astor created one of the largest fur businesses, the American Fur Company.
Santa Fe Trail: led from Missouri to New Mexico.
Was originally a Native American trading route
Traders used the route to trade American goods for Mexican goods; traders made high profits.
Difficult journey due to hot desert and rough mountains
Oregon Trail: led from Missouri to Oregon
Settlers were lured by rich resources and the mild climate.
The trail was 2,000 miles, beginning in Missouri and ending in Oregon.
It was a hard journey because of food shortages, bad weather, and mountains
Oregon fever: large societies formed to get information about Oregon.
Oregon Country
4 countries laid claim to Oregon
U.S- America wanted access to the Pacific
Spain
Russia
Great Britain
Election of 1844
James Polk supported Manifest Destiny
“54 40 or fight” was Polk’s slogan that won him the election.
Polk Wins
Great Britain did not accept the boundary
We compromise and set the border at the 49th parallel.
Mexico & Texas
1824: Mexico declares independence from Spain
Texas
Texas offered vast tracts of land to people who agreed to bring families to settle on land.
Stephen Austin led American families to Texas
Santa Anna
Becomes the president of Mexico
Overthrew Mexican rule and named himself dictator.
Rebellion
October 2, 1835: Santa Anna sends an army to Texas to retrieve a cannon that had been loaned to the town for protection against Native Americans.
The citizens of Gonzales refused to give up the cannon.
Battle of Gonzales was the first battle of the Texas Revolution.
Davy Crockett was one of the leaders
The Battle of the Alamo
Santa Anna marched to the Alamo
Texans had cannons but lacked gunpowder
Santa Anna finally called for an all out attack of the Alamo
They kill all people in the Alamo
"Remember the Alamo" is a battle cry that commemorates the heroic defense of the Alamo fort during the Texas Revolution. The battle cry was used to inspire the forces of Sam Houston at San Jacinto and during the Mexican-American War.
The Battle of San Jacinto
The Texans attacked Santa Anna and his troops while they were resting.
Santa Anna’s troops were defeated and he was forced to sign a treaty giving Texas its independence.
Texas Independence
They were the Republic of Texas (The Lone Star Republic)
wrote a constitution modeled after the U.S.
slavery was legal
Sam Houston: president of Texas
Asked the U.S. to annex Texas
U.S. says no at first, because they were concerned about upsetting the balance of free and slave states since Texas allowed slavery.
In March, 1845 Congress finally approved annexation and the Republic of Texas agreed.
The Mexican government was angered by this as it considered Texas to be a stolen province.
Mexican-American War
John C. Fremont wrote to D.C. about the California area.
U.S. shippers wanted access to the Pacific Ocean
Polk offered twice to buy California and New Mexico from Mexico, but they refused.
Mexico and the U.S. did not agree on the border between the two nations.
Mexico claimed the border was along the Nueces River while the U.S. claimed it was along the Rio Grande River.
General Zachary Taylor led an army into the region.
American Attitudes Towards War
Polk (D) Supported the War
Whigs were against it
Northerners: accused Democrats of waging wars to spread slavery
Southerners: supported war
Polk’s War Plan
American troops would drive Mexican forces out of the disputed border region in Texas and make the border secure.
The U.S. would seize New Mexico and California
American forces would take Mexico City, the capital of Mexico
John Fremont led the fight against the Mexican government.
The Bear Flag Republic
A group of Americans seized a town in present day California and named it the Bear Flag Republic
The War Ends
Americans captured New Mexico, California, and Mexico City.
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ended the war. (1848)
Mexico gave up claims to Texas and set the border at the Rio Grande.
Mexico gave up New Mexico and California
Americans paid $15 million for it.
Mormons
1846: Mormons start streaming into the Salt Lake region from Illinois to avoid religious conflict from other groups.
Brigham Young was head of the Mormons
Homestead Act
Act passed to populate the west with U.S. citizens
The act promoted economic equality
Great Plains
Motivation for moving: better life and availability of cheap land
Problem: low rainfall caused problems for farmers
Solution: built irrigation canals
How did the settlers help improve the economy?
Settlers used modern techniques to grow a variety of crops
The Gadsden Purchase
Americans paid $10 million for it
Americans wanted the land for a possible southern route for the Transcontinental Railroad
Gold Rush
Caused a huge population growth in California.
Over 100,000 settlers move to California looking for gold.
Most people did not find gold, but settled permanently in California.
They were known as the 49ers because they arrived in 1849.
John Sutter: farmer that was the first to find gold in California
Levi Strauss: sold the miners very durable pants made of denim
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