1. Manifest Destiny and Mormons
CH 9 Section 2
Manifest Destiny and Mormons

2. Manifest Destiny: Many Americans believed that God wanted the United States to expand across the continent.
People went because of economic difficulties, cheap land, or increased trade opportunities.

3. Westward movement caused conflicts between Native Americans (including Chief Black Hawk’s tribe, the Sauk) and white settlers.
As a result of their defeat, these tribes were forced to move west of the Mississippi River.

4. In 1851 the US government and Native American tribes signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie. The treaty gave Native Americans control of much of the Great Plains.
The Native Americans allowed the government to build forts and roads to protect settlers moving West.

5. Settlers used a series of old Native American trails and new routes
Settlers used a series of old Native American trails and new routes. The Santa Fe Trail was a trade route between Independence, Missouri, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Oregon Trail stretched from Independence to Portland, Oregon. By 1844, about 5,000 Americans had settled in Oregon.

6. The Mormons were a religious group, started by Joseph Smith, often persecuted for their beliefs.
Brigham Young was the Mormon leader who followed Smith and led thousands of Mormons to build a community near the edge of the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

7. In 1844, James K. Polk, the Democratic presidential candidate, called for the entire Oregon Territory to be part of the United States. His campaign slogan was “Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!”

8. Eventually, beaver hats went out of style
Eventually, beaver hats went out of style. As a result, the British lost interest in the Oregon Territory.
The United States claimed the region as theirs. This established the current border between the United States and Canada.