Chapter 5 Manifest Destiny

SP settled NM in the early 1600’s but came into blows with the native Apache groups there. The SP found TX as a “buffer colony” Not that many people were there at first CA was the same way but the SP started setting up missionaries and by 1821 you had 20 missions w/ 18k converts.

In 1821, Mexico established it’s independence from SP and US recognized them Expansionists – People who favored territorial growth…they wanted NM, TX and CA (AKA the Left Side what!) Manifest Destiny – A term coined by journalist John L. O’Sullivan, it meant that God wanted us to have all of the US and that the Natives and Mexicans weren’t important enough to have it Expansion would come at the expense of the Natives and Mexicans

Santa Fe trail – Merchants from MO w/ Santa Fe and they offered manufactured goods and got furs, horses Mountain Men – These guys went hunting for furs in the Rockies and went through the South Pass in WY. Jedediah Smith continued on through Salt Lake and into CA…this was the CA trail

Oregon Trail – OR trail was founded by Marcus and Narcissa Whitman who found a mission in Walla Walla. They were consequently killed by Native Americans. The Whitman’s compound was a post for future expeditions

The people that went out West traveled in packs of 10 –100 wagons w/ 50-1000 people. It was a tough journey and the Donner party got lost and resorted to cannibalism in 1846 Between ’40 and ’60 260k went out there

Webster-Ashburton Treaty Signed in 1842 it settled the dispute between ME and New Brunswick and between Lake Superior and the Lake of Woods, agreed to shared use of Great Lakes and a final end to slave trade on the high seas.

Texas Mexico told Americans that they could settle in TX if they became MX citizens, Catholic and accepted the MX Constitution which banned slavery Stephen Austin led the charge and they found Austin, TX By ’35, 30k Americans were there known as Anglo-Texans

In 34’ Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, took over Mexico in a coup and wanted a authoritarian gov’t. Anglo-TX didn’t like this and they declared independence in 35 – Lone Star Republic In ’36 Santa Anna went up to TX to crush the revolt and in March he attacked a small garrison – The Alamo – Everyone was killed including Davy Crockett US rallied around “Remember the Alamo” Led by Sam Houston, the Texans trapped Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto and he signed over TX

Election of 1844 Houston became Pres of TX and wanted to US to Annex it but Jackson couldn’t get Congress to In this election TX became a big deal and James K. Polk was an expansionist. He was a (D) and slaveholder He appeased the (N) by saying that he would get them the OR territory which was currently split w/ GB “54 40’ or Fight” He only got them ½ of it – current day OR, WA and ID

Mexican-American War TX Annexation- Dec of ’45 and MX was mad b/c it brought up the border dispute. Polk sent troops to occupy the contested border and Mexican troops fought w/them in May. He asked for war and Congress granted it even though most Whigs were against it fearing the new states would be slave states…but they remembered what happened to the Federalists.

Taylor, Grant, Lee, Sherman were all involved We conquered NM and CA and eventually overtook Mexico City in Sept 1847 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo – US kept NM and CA but had to leave MX City and pay $15 mil and secured the Southern border of TX as Rio Grande Gadsden Purchase –in ’53 US bought more of AZ and NM to help w/RR crossings

Wilmot Proviso In 1846 it was proposed by Whig Rep David Wilmot of PA and it tried to ban slavery in any land won from Mexico. It divided the country by section rather than party. It passed the House but failed the Senate for the next 15 years. It weakened the two major parties.

CA Gold Rush In 1848 gold was found in Cali and 80k people went there looking for it. These people were called the Forty niners They came from S. America and China and in 5 yrs CA pop was 225k There were really tough conditions.

CA wanted to become a state and they drew up a constitution. They didn’t mention African Americans b/c they didn’t want to deal w/ slavery but they didn’t want free blacks competing for gold. At the time, there were 15 free and 15 slave states.