MANIFEST DESTINY AND THE WAR WITH MEXICO If the nation expands, so will slavery - ?

 By 1860, more than 250,000 Americans had moved west along overland trails.  By 1850, more than 4 million people had moved past the Appalachian Mountains.  Squatter – a person who settles on land that they do not own.

 Americans were also settling in Oregon Territory, California and Texas. These lands were partly owned or controlled by other nations (Britain and Mexico).

 A typical trip west took about six months, with people being able to travel about 15 miles/day.

 Early pioneers called the Great Plains the “Great American Desert” because it was treeless.  In spite of stories about Indian attacks, many natives were helpful to the early settlers.

 Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) – an attempt to make peace with the Plains Indians. The U.S. promised territory to the natives, but new settlers kept moving through.

TEXAS  Mexico owned Texas and wanted more settlers to move there. They offered cheap land to new settlers, convincing many Americans to move.  Stephen Austin became one of the first empresarios to convince many Americans to settle in Texas.

 The Mexican government wanted the new settlers to adopt Mexican customs, learn Spanish and convert to Catholicism. Most did not and also did not associate with native Mexicans.  Mexico closed its borders in 1830.

 1833, Stephen Austin started pushing for Texas’ independence. He tried to work out agreements with Mexican President Santa Anna.  In April, 1834, Santa Anna made himself dictator of Mexico. The next year, Austin urged Texans to organize an army and move toward independence.

THE ALAMO  The most famous battle between the Texans and Mexicans occurred at the Alamo. This was an old Spanish mission, where about 150 Texans held out to fight Santa Anna’s men.

 The small band of Texans held out for 13 days. When Santa Anna’s forces attacked, the only survivors were women, children and a few servants.  Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie were among the dead.  “Remember the Alamo” became the new battle cry.

SAN JACINTO  Sam Houston, chief of the Texas forces, was waiting for a chance to fight Santa Anna. On April 21, 1836, while Santa Anna’s soldiers were napping in their camp, the Texans attacked.

 The Mexican troops were so startled that Houston’s men were able to kill hundreds and take 700 prisoners, including Santa Anna.  Houston convinced Santa Anna to withdraw from Texas, and sign a treaty recognizing their independence. The Mexican government did not accept the treaty, but ended the military campaign. Texas became a nation.

 Sam Houston was elected president of Texas in September of  Texas asked for annexation as a slave state. Mexico still claimed ownership of the territory. These reasons made statehood more difficult and Texas remained a separate nation for ten years.

 In 1844, James K. Polk became President. His goal was to annex Texas and the Oregon Territory and to purchase California from Mexico.

Fifty-four Forty or Fight  Polk insisted that the US had rights to the entire Oregon Territory even though Britain had claimed the land for years.  Polk had campaigned with the slogan, “Fifty-four Forty or Fight” – meaning that the boundary should be drawn at the 54 40’ latitude line.

 Britain and the US agreed to divide the territory along the 49 th parallel. This later became the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

 In 1845, Congress passed a resolution to annex Texas.  This outraged the Mexican government. To make matters worse, the two countries had disagreed over the border between Texas and Mexico.

 Mexico set the border at the Nueces River, the US set it at the Rio Grande.

 President Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico City to try to resolve the issue. The Mexican president wouldn’t even meet with him.  This ruined any real chances of settling the dispute.

 In January, 1846, General Zachary Taylor led American troops into the disputed territory.  On May 9, Mexicans attacked the Americans, starting a war with Mexico.

 The strategy involved crossing the Rio Grande, sending a force to capture Santa Fe, and then moving west to take California.  Before the war actually started, settlers in California led an uprising which resulted in California declaring independence.

 General Winfield Scott captured Mexico City in September of 1847.

 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in Mexico gave the US over 500,000 square miles and set the border with Texas at the Rio Grande River.  The US paid Mexico $15 million and cancelled $3.25 million in debts owed by the Mexican government.

IF THE NATION EXPANDS, WILL SLAVERY?