1. Westward Expansion

2. Manifest Destiny
• The popular belief among Americans that it
was God’s will that the United States do
everything in its power to expand its borders
to the Pacific Ocean.
• Brought hope that westward expansion would
bring economic prosperity in a troubled nation
• Some were worried the US would become to
large to govern effectively.

3. Oh Texas
• U.S. settlers were quickly settling into Texas –
esp. after Mexico won its independence from
Spain
• Mexico wanted a larger non-Indian
population, so they offered cheap land to lure
people in.
• They really just wanted to create a buffer
zone!

4. More on Texas
• Mexico also feared the U.S. would try to
invade Texas – (they already tried twice to
purchase it)
• The Plan
– Get enough US citizens to populate Texas, turn
them loyal to Mexico so that they would aid the
native Tejanos in a war with the US
– Recruit people from several countries to come live

5. Still more on Texas
• New immigrants were required to become
Catholic, but made no other effort to become
Mexican
• Mexico forbid slavery
• Non-Mex soon outnumbered the Tejanos and
Mexico closed the border to new immigrants
• This accomplished little – immigrants still
poured over the border

6. Trouble Brews
• Texans redefined slavery as indentured
servitude to get around laws
• A new elected president established
dictatorial control over the gov’t
• Texan Stephen Austin was arrested in Mexico
City while trying to settle issues.

7. Texas Revolution
• The Alamo-
– A mission in San Antonio, TX turned into a fort. It
was captured by white Texan rebels where they
were joined by volunteers
– Mex gov’t sends in troops by Feb. (Santa Anna’s
Army)
– Texans are led by Travis and Bowie.
– By March Mex troops overrun the fort and kill all
Texan fighters – 600 Mex casualties

8. TX Rev
• Santa Anna’s troops take civ. Prisoners – they do
release a few (survivors told their own version of
the story – TX did no wrong)
• Spurred anti-Mex feelings – led to Goliad.
Another battle the Mex wins, TX rebels surrender
– Santa Anna had most of them executed.
• By Mar. 2 rebels declared independence
• Sam Houston and his army ambush the Mex
soldiers while they were napping at San Jacinto –
cut off Mex supplies and weakened them
• TX Rebels win independence.

9. Republic of TX
• Texas wanted to be annexed by US – but the
US was not so sure about a new slave state
and the whole involvement with Mex.
• TX briefly existed as its own country.
• TX began recruiting French and German
settlers to increase population
• Tejanos, who had served with the white rebels
for independence from Mex, became victims
of violence and discrimination

10. Lone Star Republic –Economy and
Defense
• Because it was farm based, few cities and
towns developed
• Travel and Communication difficult
• Since they had little money, tax revenue was
small – they were deeply in debt.
• Created the Texas Rangers to defend their
country from Mex and Native Am tribes

11. Texas Annexation
• Some Americans wanted to annex TX just to
prevent them from becoming allies with Gr.Br.
• Others did not want annexation because it
would give more power in Congress to slave
states.
• This dispute dominated the 1844 election
– Henry Clay (Whig) vs James K Polk (Democrat)
– Polk advocated annexation in his campaign, Clay
avoided it all together.
• Polk won (barely) & took it as a cry for
annexation

12. Conflict with Mexico
• Mexico stated the annexation of TX would be
like declaring war – Congress ignored them &
voted for annexation
• Polk stoked the fire by demanding Mex
recognize the Rio Grande as its N border
• Mex wanted the Nueces R to be the border
(100 mi north)
• Polk sent in Gen. Zachary Taylor to this
disputed territory

13. Conflict turns to War
• Polk sends someone to Mex City to negotiate,
things fall apart, Mex troops crossed the Rio
Grande and killed some Am troops
• Polk asks Congress to declare war- they do!
• Whigs and northerners did not agree with war
– Some saw it as Polk’s way of increasing slavery
– Young Abe Lincoln of IL wanted more proof of this
American bloodshed.

14. America Expands?
• American troops seized New Mexico (then part of
Mex) and moved into California
• Gen Taylor proceeded into central Mex
• Gen. Fremont who led the Am forces into CA
rallied the locals and they declared themselves
independent
• Taylor and his troops defeated Santa Anna and his
troops in a devastating battle at Buena Vista
• Soon after Am troops took Mex City.

15. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• Ended the Mexican War
• Mex surrendered TX and other territory
collectively called the Mexican Cession
– Includes present day: Utah, Nevada, California,
parts of Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and New
Mexico.
• US agreed to pay $15 million and damages Am
were going after Mex for.

16. Gadsden Purchase
• 1853, Gadsden went to Mex to negotiate the
purchase of a strip of land that was added to
NM and AZ.
• As a result of all of this expansion, Am gained
>80,000 Spanish speaking Mex who struggled
to keep their lands
– Victims of discrimination , led to rebellions
throughout the SW

17. FAR WEST

18. Trade
• New England mariners had been trading with
the far west since 1790, they sailed from New
England around S. America and back up to CA,
WA, & OR.
• Mex had once forbidden foreign trade, but
since its Spanish independence, encouraged
it!
• This led to trade routes.

19. Trade
• 1st trade route was from MO to NM called the
Santa Fe Trail
• Fur trappers moved further west, into the
mountains
• Led to exploration & new ways of doing
business.
• Oregon Trail originally used as fur trade route
became a route for new settlers.

20. Oregon
• Farmers and Missionaries began settling
– Farmers saw the fertile ground near the rivers
– Missionaries saw the Native AM and “needed” to
convert them
• Gr.Br and US both occupied Oregon, but as more
US settlers moved, it was a hot issue!
• US originally suggested they split it, Gr.Br.
Refused. Polk wanted all of it – angered the Brits.
Settled on the 49th parallel as the US border.

21. Oregon Trail
• Very difficult journey, many children were
orphaned and left at missionary posts along
the way
• Traveled in large groups to pool their
resources
• Weather was bad, terrain rugged, many rivers,
slow travel
• Many Nat. Am were helpful – led to Treaty of
Ft. Laramie.

22. Oregon Conflict
• White settlers spread new diseases to the Nat.
Am in the region.
• Farming techniques used by white settlers
destroyed Nat. Am habitats
• Some Nat. Am tribes fought back –some Nat.
Am were executed.

23. Mormons in Utah
• Brigham Young moved west to est. a religious
community
• Known as the Mormons
• Constructed systems of canals for irrigation and
established farms, schools, meetinghouses – very
successful
• US gov’t didn’t like it. Mormon men were
allowed to have more than one wife, Mormons
were apptd to high territorial offices, too
independent.

24. CALIFORNIA

25. Early Settlers
• Early settlers to CA were of Spanish descent,
mostly male, who married local Native Am
women.
• Most of these men worked as Sp soldiers or
worked for the Catholic missions
• Spain began granting land grants forcing Nat.
Ams further inland

26. GOLD!
• Few merchants lived in CA, mostly it was
farmers seeking cheap farmland by the 1840s.
• Jan, 1848, gold was discovered near the
California Trail (fork of the Oregon Trail)
• Word spread over the next year and by 1849,
farms and shops were abandoned by people
in search of gold
• Brought people from Asia, Australia & Europe
• These settlers were known as the 49ers (1849)

27. MINING TOWNS
• Most gold-seekers were unmarried men
• Mining towns drew few women, they were very
rough
– High crime: gambling, fighting, drinking, prostitution,
murder, theft etc!
• While a few got rich, most remained poor.
• Created diversity in this land.
• Others came w/ other ideas – get rich off the
miners by selling supplies.
• Levi Strauss (the inventor of Levi’s Jeans) did just
that!

28. Conflict in the Mines
• White Am miners got greedy and forbid
“foreigners” from being in the mines
– Problem: this included the Californios (people of
native am and sp descent) who were actually Am
citizens.
– Some were beaten and killed

29. Conflicts, cont’d
• Chinese miners who were forced out of mines
became field or RR workers, formed towns,
opened groceries or went back to China
• African American miners faced similar
difficulties, although a few became rich
• Miners often accused Nat. Am of ransacking
their camps and Nat. Am often attacked
miners for taking their land.