1. The United States Expanded from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Manifest Destiny
The United States Expanded from the Atlantic to the Pacific
in 50 years

2. Manifest Destiny
A belief shared by many Americans in the mid 1800s that the United States should expand across the continent to the Pacific Ocean.
President Polk believed it was our manifest destiny, or “obvious fate” to settle land all the way to the Pacific Ocean in order to spread democracy.

3. The Whigs
After Jackson, Martin Van Buren becomes president and struggles with the Panic of 1837
Many Americans felt that Jackson had too much power, so in order to oppose Jackson and the Democrats a new party formed called The Whigs (named after the English party that opposed the King)

4. Louisiana Purchase: 1803
Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million.
Jefferson wanted to make sure the U.S. had control of the Port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River.
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States.
The U.S. stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains.

5. Florida: 1819
The U.S. wanted to take Florida from Spain because of attacks by Seminole Indians and runaway slaves in Georgia.
In 1819, President Monroe sent General Andrew Jackson to Florida to help protect the U.S. border.
Jackson invaded Florida and overthrew the governor of Florida. He had no direct orders from President Monroe.
Spain gave Florida to the U.S. in exchange for $5 million and control of Texas.

6. William Henry Harrison
In 1840 Harrison will be elected President under the slogan Tippecanoe and Tyler too (his Vice-President being John Tyler)
He was the first Whig President and also our shortest serving president serving just 20 days before dying of pneumonia
Although he was pro-manifest destiny Tyler was not
Tyler was such a bad Whig he will be kicked out of the party

7. Texas: 1830s Stephen Austin In 1821, Texas was a part of Mexico.
Stephen Austin was an empresario = agent to bring settlers to Texas.
Stephen Austin brought the first 300 families to Texas - known as the Old Three Hundred.
By 1830, 25,000 Americans were living in Texas. They were required to become Mexican citizens and become Catholic.
The Americans had to follow Mexican law.
When Americans complained, Mexico closed Texas to further American immigration.
Stephen Austin

8. The Two Sides Mexico - More men - Military is better organized
- More money
Texas
- Better led
- More driven
- Supported by America
- Mexico is politically disorganized

9. Texas Revolution: 1835-36 Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
After Mexico closed Texas to Americans, Stephen Austin went to negotiate with the Mexican leader, Antonio López de Santa Anna.
Austin was jailed, and the Texans revolted.
In February 23- March 6, 1836, Mexico attacked the Texans at the Alamo. This 13-day siege resulted in the killing of all the Americans (except some women, children and slaves).
This gave time for the Texans to organize an Army
In April, the Mexican army massacred the Texan rebels at Goliad.
After the Alamo and Goliad, Sam Houston will launch a surprise attack Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. “Remember the Alamo! ”
During the battle Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign a treaty giving Texas its independence
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

10. American Reaction - Texas became independent in 1836
- The Whig party wanted to try and annex Texas, but the Democrats wanted to wait for fear of war with Mexico
- Harrison was for annexation, but Tyler was against
- Mexico made it clear that they did not recognize Texas as a country and would go to war with the U.S. if they tried to annex Texas
- This was the main issue of the election of 1844

11. Texas Statehood: 1845 Sam Houston
Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign a treaty giving Texas its independence.
Texas became an independent nation in called the Lone Star Republic.
Sam Houston became President.
Annexation of Texas was delayed:
Worry that adding Texas as a slave state would upset the balance between free and slave states
Fear that annexing Texas would lead to war with Mexico
Texas joined the U.S. and became the 28th state in 1845.
Sam Houston

12. Oregon Country: 1846
In 1820, both the U.S. and Britain claimed to own Oregon Country.
In the 1830s and 1840s, thousands of American pioneers were going west to settle in Oregon Country.
President Polk wanted all of Oregon to the fifty-four forty parallel. The American people cried, “Fifty-four forty or fight.”
Neither Polk nor Britain wanted war.
Britain and the U.S. compromised. They split Oregon in half at the 49th parallel. The U.S. got the southern half.

13. War with Mexico:
President Polk wanted to expand the U.S. territory clear to the Pacific Ocean.
He offered to buy California and New Mexico territories from Mexico for $30 million. Mexico refused.
After the U.S. annexed Texas in 1845, Mexico and the U.S. disagreed on the Texas border
The U.S. claimed the Rio Grande River.
Mexico claimed the Nueces River.
The U.S. sent troops to patrol the border.
Conflict broke out and the Mexican army killed U.S. troops on “disputed land.”
Polk declared war, claiming Mexico spilled American blood on American land.

14. War with Mexico: 1846-48 Battle of Buena Vista
The U.S. Army had better weapons and equipment, but it was greatly outnumbered by the Mexican forces and was poorly prepared.
The U.S. took New Mexico territory without a fight and claimed the territory.
Zachary Taylor defeats Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista, he was helped by Santa Anna having to leave the battle which he was winning to put down a revolt in Mexico City
U.S. troops under Winfield Scott (“old fuss and feathers”) capture Mexico City.
This led to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war.
Battle of Buena Vista

15. Bear Flag Revolt: 1846
Small group of American settlers seized the town of Sonoma.
Americans declared California an independent nation and made a grizzly bear flag.
John C. Fremont was leading a mapping expedition in the Sierra Nevadas. He joined the American settlers in their revolt against the Californios.
Shortly after, U.S. naval forces came ashore in California and raised the stars and stripes. They claimed California for the United States.

16. Mexican Cession: 1848
In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico gave the U.S. the territories of California, Nevada and Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
The US also claimed Texas north of the Rio Grande
The U.S. paid $15 million for the territory
Today this is the American southwest.
Mexican Cession increased the size of the US by 25%

17. Gadsden Purchase: 1853
After the war with Mexico, Americans wanted to guarantee that any southern railroad to California would be built completely on American soil.
US paid $10 million for the southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico.
The existing boundary between the U.S. and Mexico was fixed.

18. California Gold Rush: 1849 Sutter’s Mill
Gold was found in Sutter’s Mill in
In 1849, about 80,000 gold seekers, known as forty-niners, came to California hoping to strike it rich.
Panning for gold was the simplest method.
A miner fills a pan with dirt. He then puts the pan under water and shakes it until any gold settles on the bottom.
Sutter’s Mill

19. California Gold Rush: 1849
Mining camps sprung up whenever enough people gathered to look for gold.
At the mining camps, many people prospected (searched for gold). Others ran businesses that catered to the miners - laundry, food, innkeepers, legal services, supplies
Famine and economic hardship in China brought many Chinese to California. However, they faced discrimination and a high tax on foreign miners.

20. WESTWARD TRAILS 20

21. The Santa Fe Trail was an historic trail from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico used in the 1800’s for trade, to help ranchers get their cattle to market, and military purposes.
After the United States acquired the southwest following the Mexican War, the trail helped open the region to settlers.
Ruts from the Santa Fe Trail can still be seen in Morton County, Kansas 21

22. California Trail
This trail was used after the discovery of gold in California to bring in new miners and settlers 22

23. Impact of Gold Rush The arrival of 49ers created a population boom
Immigration increased diversity of population
California became a state in 1 year
Growth of new businesses and industry transformed California’s economy
Gold mining was important, but farming and ranching grew
Discrimination of Californios and Native Americans

24. Mormon Trail 24

25. Mormon pioneers leaving Nauvoo in 1846.
The Mormons worked hard, shared their goods and prospered. The Mormons though also made some enemies. Some people reacted angrily to the Mormon teachings. They saw the Mormon practice of polygamy (allowing a man to have more than one wife at a time) as immoral. Others objected to their holding common property together. An anti-Mormon mob in Illinois killed Joseph Smith.
Brigham Young, the next Mormon leader, moved his people out of the United States, His destination was Utah, then part of Mexico. The Mormons followed part of the Oregon Trail to Utah. There they built a new settlement by the Great Salt Lake.
Mormon pioneers leaving Nauvoo in 1846.
Joseph Smith 25

26. Donner Party: 1846
Settlers bound for California took a southern route known as the California Trail. This path went through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Settlers tried to cross the mountains before the first snow.
Guidebooks helped pioneers find their way.
Lansford Hastings wrote the “Emigrants Guide to Oregon and California.” Hastings’ guide advertised a new shortcut that would save miles. Hastings had never traveled the route himself.
Following Hastings’ guide and shortcut, The Donner Party left the California trail and got lost. They were trapped in the Sierra Nevada in winter. They were stuck without food and resorted to eating the dead to survive. 42 of 87 died.