Ch. 17 Notes Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy

Manifest Destiny 1.Manifest Destiny is the belief that God had ordained the growth of the U.S. to stretch across North America form the Atlantic to the Pacific. 2.Northerners had their sights set on the Oregon Territory while southerners had their sights set on Texas and the rest of the southwest.

President John Tyler 1.Tyler was a bad choice for V.P. by the Whig Party - he was brought on to bring in votes fro the south (the state’s rights folks). 2.As president, he veto’s a bill to create a new B.U.S., he doesn’t support using federal funds for internal improvements and he fights his own party over the tariff issue. 3.Tyler’s cabinet will eventually resign and the Whigs will expel him from the party – they will even consider trying to impeach him.

Tensions with Great Britain 1.Relations between the U.S. and Great Britain remain tense, even as we provide the cotton they use in their textile industry. 2.The main issues are the border between the U.S. and Canada on the east and west coast. 3.In Maine, there is an area of disputed land that U.S. and Canadian loggers fight over (Aroostook War). 4.The peace is held when an agreement is reached to adjust the border to the benefit of both nations. 5.G.B. was also making overtures toward Texas, believing that an independent Texas would halt U.S. expansion, give British merchants a tariff free place to buy cotton, help keep slavery out of Texas and create tensions in the U.S. that would distract them from enforcing the Monroe Doctrine.

The Oregon Territory 1.The Oregon Territory had originally been claimed by four nations – Spain, Russia, Great Britain and the U.S. 2.By Tyler’s term in office, the two nations with claims are G.B and the U.S. and at this time, we have a shaky, joint occupancy of the territory. 3.Eventually, though, the Willamettte Valley becomes a point of contention – large numbers of U.S. settlers will take the Oregon Trail to go settle in the fertile region.

The Election of The Whigs refuse to nominate John Tyler for president in 1844 and instead choose Henry Clay – Clay claims he supports annexing Texas but wants to post-pone the annexation – he knows northern abolitionists would oppose annexing Texas because it would be a huge slave state. 2.The Democrats don’t have a clear-cut choice and after numerous votes, choose James K. Polk, a dark horse candidate. 3.Polk is a firm believer in Manifest Destiny - a slogan used by the Democrats will be Fifty-four forth or fight, referring to the southern border of the Alaska territory. 4.Polk wins a very close election and Tyler claims that is a mandate from the U.S. people that they won’t Texas so he grants Texas statehood through a joint resolution in Congress.

James K. Polk 1.As president, Polk wants to lower the tariff (he will), restore an independent treasury (he will), and acquire California and Oregon. 2.Polk will negotiate with Great Britain and eventually the 49 th parallel will be chosen as the border of Oregon – Great Britain isn’t willing to fight for an area they don’t really need. 3.Texas will be another matter.

The Mexican American War 1.When Polk takes office, the Mexicans claim the border between the U.S. and Mexico is the Nueces River while the U.S. claims it’s the Rio Grande. 2.Polk tries to buy it but the Mexican government refuses to sell it to the U.S. 3.So Polk sends U.S. soldiers across the Nueces and into the disputed territory – the Mexican army eventually attacks them and the war begins.

The Mexican American War 1.General Zachary Taylor (Old Rough and Ready) will be put in charge of U.S. troops – he will defeat the main Mexican force in northern Mexico at the Battle of Buena Vista. 2.Stephen Kearny will capture Santa Fe and begin heading towards California – before he can get there John C. Freemont leads the Bear Flag Revolt and wins California from the Mexican army.

The Mexican American War 1.After Taylor’s success in Mexico, Polk gets concerned that he may become too successful and popular and later use that to run for president (he’s right). 2.So Polk sends Winfield Scott (Old Fuss and Feathers) to capture Mexico City - he also sends Nicholas Trist with him to negotiate a treaty if he can. 3.Polk later calls Trist back but before he can, Trist will negotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1.Under the treaty, the Rio Grande becomes the border and the U.S. buys the rest of the southwest for $18 million (and we cancel some old debt we had against Mexico). 2.Polk isn’t that happy with Trist but accepts the treaty because its more than he had originally hoped to get and there is growing opposition to the war in the north and and election is coming up.

The Wilmot Proviso 1.David Wilmot of Pennsylvania will introduce the Wilmot Proviso or Amendment in Congress in This proviso would forbid slavery in an area taken from Mexico during the war. 3.The amendment doesn’t pass but it showed the growing dispute in the nation over the issue of slavery.