Westward Migration, Texas Independence, the Gold Rush and the Mexican-American War

 By 1830 Americans began to move westward across the continent  Expansionists favored territorial growth  John L O ’ Sullivan a newspaper editor called this growth “ Manifest Destiny ”,it was the duty of Americans to fill the continent from sea to sea  Expansion was preceded by traders and trappers that ignored national boundaries  Came at the expense of Native Americans, Mexicans

Traders, missionaries and trappers blazed new trails, converted Native Americans and established trading posts for the business of the fur trade Many Americans, searching for fortune and land to call their own, began to follow these trails and move westward Developed the technique and organization to move large groups of people across the plains Discovered the weakness of the Mexican government in their control of these border lands Contact and conflict with the Native American tribes living there. federal government tried to keep these tribes away from these routes west

 First wave of settlers  The territory of Oregon on the Pacific coast was jointly occupied by the Americans and the British  Methodist missionaries advocated settlement in the 1830 ’ s and many Americans began to follow the Oregon Trail to establish farms in the Willamette Valley  By ,000 Americans had settled in the Oregon Territory

 California was thinly populated Mexican territory  Late 1820s American trappers and sailors came to the region to trade  1840s American settlers migrate to California  American wanted to acquire California a. Pacific Port for trade with Asia b. Balance of admission of Texas (slave state) with a free state c. Stop plans for British and French expansion in North America  Many Mexicans wanted annexation or an independent state from Mexico

Texas most accessible of the U.S. borderlands Southern planters came to Mexico because of the rich new cotton lands, many brought slaves even though it was illegal 1824 there were 2,000 Americans in Texas by 1835 there were 30,000 (ten times the number of Mexicans or Tejanos) Mexican government alarmed at the rate of growth forbade further settlement and sent troops to the frontier, upset at the smuggling of slaves Americans were concerned about the instability of the Mexican government and demanded independence and adopted a Declaration of Causes The new Mexican dictator General Santa Anna sent the military to restore rule

 March 1836 Mexican forces attacked the Alamo killing all defenders  Texans eventually defeat Mexicans at San Jacinto in April 1836  The boundary between Texas and Mexico was established at the Rio Grande River and Texas was established as an independent republic (Lone Star Republic).  Mexican government only recognized a border at the Nueces River

Texans wanted to become a state Many members of Congress were against annexation because they knew Texas would be a large and powerful slave state France and Britain recognized Texas as a trade partner and a source of cotton The United States threatened by this allowed Texas to apply for statehood in 1844

In 1844 James K. Polk was elected president he was a slaveholder and an expansionist Polk believed in Manifest Destiny and one of the first issues he took on was the issue of joint occupation of Oregon with the British. The Americans wanted Puget Sound as a western port American greatly outnumbered British British seeing the fur trade as a dying industry decided to give it up to the Americans

Texas was annexed by the U.S. and it became a state in America recognized the boundary of Texas at the Rio Grande River and Mexico recognized the boundary at the Nueces River 1846 President Polk sent the army to occupy the disputed region Mexican and American troops clashed and eleven American soldiers were killed Polk asked Congress to declare war Many in the north and Whig politicians were opposed to the war because they saw it as an aggressive attempt to expand slavery. The south and the states in the Mississippi Valley supported the war

 The United States was unprepared for the war.  Ill equipped volunteers filled the American army, had advantages over the Mexican military that had outdated equipment and little motivation to fight. The Americans had the industrial base to prepare and equip an army superior leadership.  The United States won easily over the Mexican forces in 1847  War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.  Secured the United States border at the Rio Grande and added California and most of modern day southwest United States.  Also paid Mexico $17 million for land  The Mexican American War was a blatant war of conquest that would have occurred through migration eventually  The war trained the next generation of generals (Lee, Grant) to fight America ’ s next war – the Civil War  The Gadsden Purchase was a strip of land used to build a railroad and filled out the modern day borders of the 48 contiguous states

 California discovery of gold in 1848 near Sutter ’ s Mill  In 1849 over 50,000 people went to California to seek their fortune  Most were young men  Gold claims drove Mexicans and Native Americans from their lands  California was not suited for plantation agriculture and northerners supported its admission as a state (to balance Texas)  The admission of California led to greater sectionalism between the north and south

Essay questions for the test Discuss two of the following events that influenced the development of the United States between Jacksonian Democracy Second Great Awakening Manifest Destiny

Essay questions for test Describe how the following events led to sectional conflict in the United States between The differences between the north and the south Panic of 1819 Missouri Compromise Mexican War Abolition Movement Nullification Crisis