1. Chapter 13: Westward Expansion

2. Chapter 13 Section 1: "The West" (pages 444-447)
The Great Plains
Where: between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains
Problem with land: covered with grass with deep roots
For many settlers, the Great Plains was: simply a route to the Far West
The Northwest
Where: Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean
Included present-day states of: Oregon and Washington
Claimed by: U.S., Britain, Russia, and Spain
Settlers attracted to: the fertile land
Manifest Destiny
From the beginning, Americans were interested in westward expansion. The Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the territory of the nation, helped with this goal. Forty years later, the idea of Manifest Destiny became popular. It meant: the U.S. was destined, or meant, to expend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean ("from sea to shining sea")

3. Mexican Settlement
The Southwest included the present-day states of : California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, half of Colorado
Spanish Missions
Purpose: convert Native Americans to Catholicism
Effect of missions on Indians: thousands died from overwork or disease
Blended Culture
Spanish influence: brought laws, language, and religion
Native American influence: introduced beans, squash, and potatoes
Creoles were: American-born kids of Spanish settlers
Mestizos were: kids of Native Americans, Africans, and Spanish settlers
Trade under Spanish rule: did not allow foreign trade
Trade under Mexican rule: Mexico allowed foreign trade
Under Spanish rule, land grants were given mostly to peninsulares.
Under Mexican rule, missions were removed from church control. Their lands were given as land grants to rancheros.
Much of this land belonged to Native Americans, who responded by raiding ranches.
But soon they were crushed and their population reduced.

4. Chapter 13 Section 2: "Trails to the West" (pages 448-453)
Traders Lead the Way
The Santa Fe Trail
- In 1821, Captain William Becknell led a wagon train from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Hardships experienced along the way: rivers with quicksand, desert, mountains
- Importance: established a route for overland trade with the United States that stretched about 800 miles
The Oregon Fur Trade
- John Jacob Astor sent the first American fur-trading expedition to Oregon and established the American Fur Company in 1808
- Trappers who supplied furs were called mountain men
- What happened to the fur trade in the 1830s: supply of beaver fur decreased and the fur trade dwindled

5. The Oregon Trail
Missionaries Travel West to Oregon in the 1830s
- Purpose of missionaries: bring religious beliefs to the Indians
- Famous missionary couple: Marcus and Narcissa Whitman
- How missionaries spurred settlement of the West: they said Oregon was a great place-fertile land, mild climate, rainfall
On the Trail
- Trail stretched more than 2,000 miles from Missouri to Oregon
- Travelers left in spring and had to reach Oregon in 5 months. If they did not make it in time, they risked slow death in the Rockies
- Between 1840 and 1860, more than 50,000 reached Oregon

6. Life in the West
Pioneer Life
- Settlers had only hand tools to clear the land, plant crops, and build shelters
- Threats included disease, accidents, and natural disasters
Women in the West
- Reason women's status was raised in the West: they worked alongside men to make a success of their family farms
- In 1869, Wyoming was the first state to grant women the right to vote
Native Americans and Settlers
- Relationship between the two groups: uneasy relationship
- In the 1850s, discovery of gold brought large numbers of miners to northern Oregon. In 1855, war broke out there briefly.

7. Chapter 13 Section 3: "Conflict with Mexico" (pages 454-459)
Events Leading to Texas' Independence
American settlers in Texas came into conflict with the Mexican government because they were slaveholders, even though the Mexican government had abolished slavery.
In 1830, Mexico banned further American settlement
After Santa Anna established a central government, Texans declared independence.
Mexican troops laid siege to the Alamo, a mission in San Antonio.
Although the Texans were defeated, this event inspired American volunteers to join the Texan army.
Later, the Texans defeated Santa Anna's army at San Jacinto
Sam Houston became the president of the new Republic of Texas.
He hoped that the United States would annex Texas.
However, public opinion in the United States was divided because of slavery.
Annexing Texas and Oregon
James K. Polk negotiated a treaty with Britain to divide Oregon, which became the states of Oregon, Washington, and part of Idaho.
Tensions with Mexico increased because Mexico had never recognized Texan independence.
Also, the United States claimed that the southern Texas border was the Rio Grande River, while Mexico claimed it was the Nueces River.

8. The Mexican-American War
When war broke out between Mexico and the United States, it was most popular among southerners and westerners, who wanted more land.
Many northerners, however, opposed the war because they thought it was an attempt to extend slavery.
Stephen Kearny led troops that captured Santa Fe, New Mexico and later San Diego, California.
Zachary Taylor won a victory at the Battle of Buena Vista. An American army under General Winfield Scott captured Veracruza and then marched on to Mexico City
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally ended the war. Under the treaty, Mexico recognized the annexation of Texas and ceded a vast territory known as the Mexican Cession to the United States. This territory included present-day California, Nevada, Utah, parts of Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
In the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, the United States paid Mexico $10 million for a narrow strip of present-day Arizona and New Mexico.

9. Chapter 13 Section 4: " A Rush to the West" (pages 462-467)
Mormons Move West
Seeking Refuge
The Mormon Church was founded by Joseph Smith in Hostility forced Mormons to move from New York to Ohio, and then to Missouri. After Smith was murdered, Brigham Young led the Mormons to the valley of Utah's desert.
Conflict with the Government
Utah became part of the United States in The Mormons almost immediately came into conflict with the U.S. government over three issues:
1. Problem: The Mormon Church controlled the election process in the Utah
Territory
Solution: Congress took away control of elections from the Mormon
Church
2. Problem: The Church supported businesses owned by Mormons
Solution: Church leaders agreed to stop favoring Mormon-owned
businesses
3. Problem: Polygamy, which is the practice of having more than one wife at a
time, was illegal in the United States
Solution: Church leaders agreed to ban polygamy
Finally, in 1896, Utah became a state.

10. The California Gold Rush
Gold Is Discovered
In January 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento. Fortune seekers, called forty-niners, came to California in search of gold. IN just two years, the population of settlers in California zoomed from 14,000 to 100,000.
Miners and Mining Towns
Mining towns supplied miners with food, supplies, and entertainment. Since California was not yet a state, federal law did not apply within mining towns, so vigilantes, or self-appointed law enforcers, punished people for crimes.
California's Changing Population
During the gold rush, people from Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America came to California. Chinese workers faced prejudice and were usually hired only for menial jobs. Some southerners brought their slaves to California, but slavery did not take root because other miners objected- said anyone who profited from mining gold should do the hard work. California's native population declined by about two-thirds during the gold rush. They were killed by vigilante gangs who wanted their land. By 1850, only 15 percent of Californians were Mexican.