1. Manifest Destiny and its legacy 1841-1848
Chapter 17
Manifest Destiny and its legacy

2. Summary of Chapter
Territorial expansion dominated American diplomacy and politics in 1840s. We wanted Texas and California which was considered Mexican territory. We fought and bullied our way until we achieved that goal. Victory over Mexico added a huge area of land to our country but it also forced us to face the slavery controversy which will be culminate in the Civil War of 1860s.

3. The Accession of “Tyler Too”
Harrison (Whig) died after 4 weeks in office so John Tyler became the president.
Daniel Webster: secretary of state
Henry Clay: leader of Whigs and spokesman in senate
Both men thought they would control Harrison, but he died before they could

4. Vocabulary
Whigs: favored loose interpretation of the Constitution and opposed the Democratic party. Active between 1834 and 1854, the Whig party promoted national development and opposed what it viewed as the executive tyranny of Andrew Jackson. In the late 1840s, the emergence of antislavery and proslavery factions spelled the end for the party.

5. John Tyler: A President without a Party
Tyler against the Whig’s congress of a centralized bank, vetoed bill for national bank
Approved protective tariff (aka Black tariff) because it would generate revenue for federal government. The impact of the 1842 tariff= a sharp decline in international trade in If companies wanted to import iron they had to pay over 40% in tax.

6. A War of Words with Britain
Americans and British still did not improve much after the war of independence and war of 1812
British and Americans trading words, insults through literature, travel books etc
Americans rely on borrowing money from British

7. Tension continued
In 1837, a small rebellion in Canada broke out, and Americans furnished arms and supplies.
Also in 1837, an American steamer, the Caroline, was attacked in N. and set afire by a British force.
Tensions were high afterwards, but later calmed; then in 1841,British officials in the Bahamas offered asylum to some 130 revolting slaves who had captured the ship Creole

8. Manipulating the Maine Maps
Land dispute between Maine and England over northern and eastern region of Maine.
1842 Britain sent Lord Ashburton to negotiate with Daniel Webster, and after talks, the two agreed to what is now called the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which gave Britain their desired Halifax-Quebec route for a road while America got a bit more land north of Maine.

9. Maine continued
U.S. also got priceless Mesabi Range of iron ore up in Minnesota. It later provided the iron for steel in the boom of industry.

10. Yellow:B, Red: U.S., Green:1794 U..S. Claim

11. Belated Texas Nuptials
James K. Polk and his expansionist ideas won the election of His election was seen as a "mandate for manifest destiny," so the following year, Texas was formally invited to become the 28th state of the Union

12. The Lone Star of Texas Shines Alone
Texas wanted Mexico to recognized its independence, Mexico says no.
Britain interested in an independent Tx to halt America’s westward expansion into their territory.
British abolitionists trying to take a foothold in Tx, to influence Southern blacks to rebel

13. Oregon Fever Populates Oregon
Oregon was a great place, stretching from the northern tip of California to the 54° 40’ line.
The Oregon Trail, an over 2000-mile trail across America, was a common route to Oregon during the early 1840s
Area used to claimed by: Spain, Russia, Britain, and U.S.

14. A Mandate for Manifest Destiny
Henry Clay (Whig) and James K. Polk (Democrat) ran for office in 1844 which resulted in Polk winning
Polk sponsored by Andrew Jackson, Speaker of the House for 4 years, two times governor
He and the Democrats advocated “Manifest Destiny”, a concept that stated that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continent and get as much land as possible
Clay lost because he lost NY, undecided about Tx

15. Polk the Purposeful
Polk laid out a 4-point mission for himself and the nation (then achieved all 4 points in 4 years)
Lower the tariff: 32% to 25%
Restore the independent treasury (put U.S. money into non-government banks)
Clear up the Oregon border issue: settled the border issue with England, by compromising
Get California

16. Misunderstandings with Mexico
Polk wanted to buy Ca from Mexico but relationship tense for negotiation: Mexico defaulted on a 3 mill debt they own to Americans and their property.
Mexico mad at U.S. for annexation of Tx because they still saw it as their territory
Polk sent John Slidell to buy Ca from Mexico for 25 mill, Mexico says no

17. An American Blood on American Soil
Polk try to provoke a fight with Mexico by sending American troops (led by Zachary Taylor) near Mexican forces hoping they will start something, nothing happened.
April 25, 1846 Mexican troops crossed Rio Grande and attacked Taylor’s troop ,16 Americans wounded or killed
Polk demanded Congress approve a declaration of war on Mexico because despite “ all our efforts to avoid a class, hostilities was forced upon the country” He stretched the truth to start a war to gain Ca.

18. American Blood continues
Technically, Americans were on Mexican territory (Rio Grande area) so it was not American soil
Polk was afraid that Britain would take Ca if the U.S. did not
Mexico and U.S. fired by moral indignation
This conflict known as the Mexcian/American War

19. Honest Abe’s Opinion about the Mexican and American War
On June 1, 1860, less than a year before he became president, Abe said,
“The act of sending an armed force among the Mexicans was unnecessary, inasmuch as Mexico was in no way molesting or menacing the United States or the people thereof; and … it was unconstitutional, because the power of levying war is vested in Congress, and not in the President.”

20. The Mastering of Mexico
Polk wanted Ca, not war. Made deal with Santa Anna who was living in exile in Cuba to allow him to cross American blockade into Mexico, once there he said he would help U.S. gain country, he lied, instead he rally his countrymen to defend country. Did it for selfish reasons.

21. Fighting Mexico for Peace
Polk sent Nicholas Trist to negotiate an armistice with Mexico at a cost of $10,000 (Santa Anna took the bribe and then used it for his defenses). Polk recalled Trist but he refused to leave. He ended up negotiating the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848

22. Fighting Continues…
Gave to America all Mexican territory from Texas to California that was north of the Rio Grande. This land was called the Mexican Cession since Mexico ceded it to the U.S.
U.S. only had to pay $15 million to Mexico for it.
$3.5 million in debts from Mexico to the U.S. were absolved as well.
In essence, the U.S. had forced Mexico to "sell" the Mexican Cession lands

23. Profit and Loss in Mexico
Result of Mexican War:
13,000 American lives: most due to diseases
War was great practice for Civil War, giving men like Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant field experience
Outside countries now respected America more, since it had made no major blunders during the war and had proven its fighting prowess

24. Profit continues…
Paved the way to the Civil War by attaining more land that could be disputed over slavery
David Wilmot of Pennsylvania introduced his Wilmot Proviso (a provision or amendment), which stated that slavery should never exist in any of the Mexican Cession territories that would be taken from Mexico; the amendment was passed twice by the House but it never got passed the Senate (where southern states equaled northern).
Although it failed, the importance of the Wilmot Proviso lay in the fact that it opened old wounds—those of slavery.
In other words, it opened a "can of worms" by raising the question, "Will we have slavery in the Mexican Cession lands?"
It's this question that starts the Civil War in 1861, only 13 years later