An Age of Expansion

Young Americans  The new young men of America – mid 1800’s  Stood for industrial growth  Expansion  Wanted Texas, Oregon and Mexican Territories  Mostly young Democrats

Oregon  Area between Rockies and Pacific Ocean  United States and England both claimed this area  American northern border became 49 th parallel (later northern border of Washington State)

Mexico  Gained independence from Spain 1821  Republic of Mexico (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and much of Colorado)  Mexico opened lands to immigration  Must be Catholic /non-slave

Texas  Stephen F. Austin  Attracted others to settle in Texas  Within a year =2,021  Friction developed between Mexican government and settlers  Many in Texas refused to free their slaves  Soon Mexico stopped further immigration

 Texans were also upset that they were not allowed self government  Austin went to Mexico to speak with commander  Ban on immigration lifted  Austin was arrested and jailed

Texas Independence  1835 Texans revolted  Santa Anna sent troops to put down the revolution  Alamo, Goliad, etc  Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto River  Independence March 2, 1836

Mormons  Religious sect founded in America  Joseph Smith was the founder  - published the Book of the Mormons  Established communities in Ohio and Missouri – 1837  Persecuted

 Brigham Young – 1,500 – established a colony near the Great Salt Lake  Polygamy practiced (more than one spouse)  Later the United States would try and get rid of the Mormons by force  Later the 2 sides agreed on peace and Mormons accepted US authority

Manifest Destiny  American belief that God was on the side of their expansion  Leaders in America wanted all lands west and as much north and south as they could get

Fifty-four forty or Fight  Americans were willing to go to war over the Oregon Territory  United States and England avoided war  President Polk let Congress decide on the agreement (boundary)

War With Mexico  United States annexed Texas  Mexico and United States at odds over boundary  General Zachary Taylor was sent to Rio Grande  April 24 Mexican army crossed the river  War – with Mexico  Americans marched deep into Mexico (Mexico City)

 Ended War  Added 500,000 square miles to the size of America  20% larger  California, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona and parts of Colorado Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Railroads  1840’s trains reached speeds of mph  Very unsafe  Used to transport people and supplies  Railroad boom – across America  Link American cities and coast to coast  Enormous boost to American economy  Steele industry growth

Industrial Revolution  Eli Whitney – Cotton Gin  Made the production of cotton less expensive and more profitable (effect on slaves?)

 Cyrus McCormick – reaper – cut six acres of grain a day

 Elias Howe – sewing machine (effect?)

 Bessemer process – removed impurities from steel

Edwin Drake – First oil well

 John Deer – Steel Plow

 Samuel Morse – Telegraph – intercontinental cable

Charles Goodyear – rubber

 George Pullman – Pullman Car (effect?)

Gold Rush Gold discovered in California. Causes mass movement of people to California

Immigration  1820’s –1840’s – 700,000 immigrants  Mainly from Great Britain and Germany  1840’s –1860’s – 4.2 million  Most from Ireland – potato famine  Poor, disease ridded, catholic  Most to the cities to fill needed factory jobs  Tenements and ghettos  Many Germans went into western areas – less prejudice

New Working Class  Most minorities ended in factories, mines and construction camps, and railroads  Factory workers – low wages and owners large profits  Working class was no longer the artisans and factories were no longer the province of women and children