1. Effects of Territorial Expansion
Chapter 9 Section 3

2. America Achieves Manifest Destiny
February 1848 – Mexicans made peace with Americans
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo – forced Mexico to give up the northern third of their country
Added 1.2 million sq. miles to U.S.
Treaty disgusted and humiliated Mexico
Gadsden Purchase – 1853 – U.S. obtained from Mexico southern Arizona and New Mexico – needed it for Railroad.

3. The Wilmot Proviso Divides America
1846 – David Wilmot – Congressman from PA – proposed Wilmot Proviso
Wilmot Proviso – would ban slavery in any new territory gained from Mexico
Heavily divided Congress
Northern Dem and Whigs v. Southern Dem and Whigs
Proviso passed in the House but failed in the Senate
This pattern would continue for the next 15 years

4. The California Gold Rush
1848 – workers at John Sutter’s sawmill found flecks of gold in the American River
News traveled fast
California Gold Rush – 80,000 people headed for CA
Many came from South America and China
Life for a miner was harsh
New methods change mining – expensive and damaging to environment
Wealthy investors, rather than workers, enjoyed most of profits

5. Effects of the Gold Rush
New people to CA quickly tried to assert their dominance over the region
To discourage the Chinese, they levied heavy taxes on foreign miners
Indians and Mexicans face discrimination
Killed Native Americans by the thousands
Many became workers on farms and ranches
Violence drove most Mexican Americans away from mines – even though many had been in CA long before the Rush

6. California Seeks Statehood
October held convention, wrote constitution
Excluded African Americans – slave and free
At the time, there were 15 free and 15 slave states
Became a state in 1850 – free
Debate would continue on topic of free v. slave for next decade