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MANIFEST DESTINY
From the Atlantic to the Pacific
MANIFEST DESTINY
In the 1840s, many Americans
believed in Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the belief that it
was the nation’s destiny to expand from
the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast
THE WILL OF GOD
The term “Manifest Destiny” was
coined by a New York Editor, John L.
O’Sullivan
He suggested that it was the will of
God or a divine sort of destiny that the
nation should encompass all that land
WESTWARD EXPANSION
Of course, the Louisiana Purchase
made Manifest Destiny possible
From France, Jefferson – the usually
strict constructionist – gained the Great
Plains, the Mississippi River, and the
port of New Orleans
LEWIS, CLARK, SACAGAWEA
And the maps of the Louisiana
Territory produced as a result of
Lewis and Clark’s expedition with the
help of Sacagawea made it easier for
Americans to venture west
OTHER FACTORS
Americans also settled in Texas
Initially with the blessings of the
Mexican government if they
converted to Catholicism and
pledged loyalty to Mexico
TEXAS INDEPENDENCE
Eventually, the American settlers
declared independence from Mexico
and fought the Mexican government
First at the Alamo, a former mission,
where many Americans were killed
ANNEXATION
But over time and with more
battles, Texans achieved
independence
And by 1845, Congress voted to
annex Texas
JUST A LITTLE MORE LAND
The Americans wanted the border
between Mexico and the USA to be
at the Rio Grande
But the Mexican government
believed the border was the Nueces
River
THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR
1846 – 1848
Mexico was defeated
The United States gained California, Nevada,
Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado and New
Mexico
THE GADSDEN PURCHASE
In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico
completed U.S. expansion in the southwest
THE OREGON TERRITORY
In an agreement with Great Britain in 1846,
the line dividing Canada and the United States
was extended westward to the Pacific, giving
the U.S. part of the Oregon Territory
“FIFTY-FOUR FORTY OR FIGHT”
Before the U.S. gained the Oregon Territory,
Americans wanted the line of latitude for this
territory to be the 54°40′ line of latitude
Thus, the slogan “Fifty-four Forty or Fight”
but then settled on the 49th parallel
PRESIDENT POLK
President Polk is the President associated
with Manifest Destiny
He was president from 1845 – 1849
THE GOLD RUSH
Gold was also discovered in California in
1848
By 1849, Americans rushed westward in
hopes of finding gold in California
THE DECLINE OF THE PLAINS INDIANS
As Americans moved west, they confronted
Native American Indians
Indian Wars ensued
Eventually, Native American Indians were
placed on reservations
THE END OF A WAY OF LIFE
As buffalo were killed for sport by American
settlers, the very way of life of the Plains
Indians was destroyed
NOW THAT THE BUFFALO ARE GONE
For the Native American Indians, westward
expansion and Manifest Destiny meant the end
of their way of life and of their freedom
ALASKA
And although it was not Atlantic to Pacific
related, the United States also acquired Alaska
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska
from Russia for $7.2 million
THE RAILROAD TOO
The railroad also encouraged westward
expansion
As a transcontinental railroad was built with
often free federal land, Americans could more
easily move west