Manifest Destiny By: Tasha J. Ferrell

Western PioneersSettling New Land

I Can Statements:

Explain how the idea of Manifest Destiny and new agricultural equipment encouraged Western settlement.

Why go West?

Religion

Farming

Louis O’Sullivan declared that it was the “manifest destiny” of Americans “to overspread the continent allotted by Providence.”

Manifest Destiny: God had bestowed the entire continent to the Americans and wants to settle western lands.

Farming New Lands

Squatters: early pioneers who settled on lands they did not own.

Preemption Act of 1830: protects squatters by guaranteeing them the right to claim land before it was surveyed and the right to buy up to 160 acres at the governments minimum price of $1.25 per acre.

Plows and Reapers

1819: Jethro Wood patented an iron-bladed plow.

1837: John Deere engineered a plow with steel blades.

Cyrus McCormick 1834 mechanical reaper.

Settling the Pacific Coast

US, Britain, Native Americans all claimed parts of the Oregon Country.

Westward Migration Trapping beavers and selling furs Oregon Trail Five to Six months to travel Wagon at 15 miles per day

Native Americans

Attacked rarely

Treaty of Fort Laramie 1851, US promised 8 Native American groups that specific territories of the Great Plains would belong to them as long as they allowed settlers to pass through peacefully. The group would also receive payments from the government.

The Mormon Migration

Religious Freedom

Leave the eastern states

1844: Mob murdered Mormon leader Joseph Smith. Two years later, leader Brighian Young, took followers West.

Mormon Trail

Lesson 2The Hispanic Southwest

Mexican Independence and the Boarder Lands 1821 Mexico wins Independence from Spain Turmoil and political chaos Threatened by Native Americans and Western

settlers

California

Spanish Don’s: white wealthy ranchers 10% of population.

Mestizos (mixed European and Native American ancestry). Worked as cowboys, but many where skilled crafts people.

Native Americans were at the bottom.

Upper class women had rights

Men played powerful role

Hispanic women retained controlled over their own property after marriage and could seek legal redress in the courts.

New Mexico

Little immediate change to New Mexico.

Largely rural

Sheep ranching

Corn, peppers, potatoes

Navajo and Apache led riots on New Mexico

People of New Mexico launched a rebellion and killed unpopular territorial governor and 16 other government officials.

Americans Arrive in the Border lands

American influence grows.

Settle in California

Trade increase with Mexico

John Sutter builds “Sutter’s Fort,” 1st place many Americans reached in California.

More Americans=more tension

William Becknell arrived in Santa Fe and opened the Santa Fe Trail

Americans are invited to settle in Texas

Led to a revolt

California and New Mexico remained Mexican Territory for 25 years after Mexican Independence. Texas broke away after 15 years.

Homework

Chapter 7 Section 1 and 2 Questions 1-5

Lesson 3Independence for Texas

Opening Texas to Americans Colonization laws Cheap land to anyone willing to move there Immigrants get a 10 year exemption of taxes if

they became Mexican citizens and converted to Roman Catholicism.

National Colonization Act: Mexico gave empresarios, “agent” or “contractors,” large grants of Texas land. In exchange the agents promised to fill the land with a certain number of settlers and govern the colonies they established.

Americanizing Texas

Americans accepted Mexican citizenship but not Mexican customs or Roman Catholicism.

Mexicans distrusted settlers

1830 Mexico closed its borders to immigration, by Americans and banned the importation of enslaved labor as well.

Imported goods taxed.

Texas Goes to War

Early Battles: Mexican Armies had serious problems Political instability in Mexico City Texans took charge of the city Texans drove the Mexican army out of San

Antonio March 2, 1836: Texas declared Independence

from Mexico.

The Alamo

Few Texas rebels had any military training. No leader

Sam Houston took command

The people of Texas held off the army for 13 days.

During the standoff the new Texas government declared Independence.

The Republic of Texas

Sept. 1836:

Sam Houston was their first president and voted in favor of annexation or becoming part of the United States.

North did not want to annex Texas

President Andrew Jackson did not want to increase tensions between North and South or risk a war with Mexico.

Jackson made no move toward annexation.

He did sign a resolution officially recognizing the Independence of Texas.

Lesson 4The War with Mexico

Southern states wanted Texas as a slave state

Northern states wanted Texas as a free state

Mexico did not recognize Texas Independence

Election of 1844

Henry Clay: Whig Party

James Polk: Democrat

Big debate is over annexation of Texas and expanding into the Oregon Territory.

Polk wins the election

Fifty-four Forty or Fight

Declared the the United States should control all of Oregon below the line of 54* 40’ north latitude.

Oregon Treaty: US received all of Oregon south of 49* north latitude and west of the Rocky Mountains, except for the southern tip of Vancouver Island. In exchange, the British were guaranteed navigation rights on the Columbia River.

Annexation of Texas

Mexico and US dispute the southern border of Texas

Polk also wanted to take California

The war with Mexico begins.

War with Mexico

Polk wanted to go to war but wanted Mexico to start the war so that he could win the popular vote with Congress.

Mexico starts the war. Congress declares War

3 part plan to take the land

50,000 volunteers were need 73,000 volunteered

Fighting Begins

In a few weeks US owned California

General Winfield Scott claims a strategic port

Peace Treaty: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Mexico ceded some 500,000 square miles of territory to

the Untied States. California, Utah, Nevada, parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Rio Grande is the southern border of Texas. US paid Mexico $15 million and agreed to take over

$3.25 million in debts Mexico owed to American citizens. US now stretched from ocean to ocean

Homework

Chapter 7 Assessment Questions 1-10