NEW CHALLENGES IN 1848
- In addition to the expansion of the U.S., President Polk had other goals for the future of the country
- He wanted to lower tariffs and government spending
- During his 4-year term as President, Polk got what he wanted
- Between 1845 & 1848, the U.S. added more than 1 million square miles of land
- Tariffs were lowered, and there was less government spending
- Even with his success in office, President Polk refused to run for a 2nd term
1848 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
- Americans were excited about the victory over Mexico and about the land that had been added
- New land, however, meant new problems
- The biggest problem was the possible spread of slavery into the western region
- Slavery was the most important issue in the election of 1848
- However, the Whigs and the Democrats took limited stands on it
- Both parties were not sure how such a stand would affect the success of their candidates in the election
- The Whigs nominated General Zachary Taylor
- Taylor was a hero, having won an important victory during the Mexican War
- Taylor was a southerner and would get strong support from slave states
- The Democrats nominated Lewis Cass, a northerner from Michigan
- Many Democrats who did not want Cass broke away and formed the Free Soil Party
- The Free Soilers chose Martin Van Buren as their candidate for President
- The new party favored free speech, free labor, and free men
- Zachary Taylor won the election with 163 electoral votes to 127 votes for Cass
- The Democrats lost the popular vote too
- The Free Soiler took votes that would have gone to Cass
- The issue of slavery decided the election by splitting the Democratic Party
- Taylor took office in 1849
HOW DID CALIFORNIA BECOME IMPORTANT
- Before the 1840s, most inhabitants of California were Spaniards and American Indians
- Swiss-American settler John Sutter was one of the first to gain success in California
- He owned a large amount of land in a valley north of San Francisco
- He built a big fort that travelers used on their way into California
- Sutter also grew wheat and corn and had large numbers of cattle, sheep, and horses
- He had this kingdom all to himself for most of the 1840s
- However, his way of life changed a lot after an event that took place in 1848
- One day, a man who worked for Sutter collected a small sack of nuggets and dust he believed was gold
- He showed the sack to Sutter & they intended to keep the find a secret
- However, by 1849, the message had spread throughout the land, and people came from every direction
- Towns were formed as laborers, miners, farmers, merchants, professional people, and fortune seekers rushed to California
- The Forty-Niners, named for the year of the gold rush, used every means of transportation possible to reach the gold country
- Prices for supplies and services greatly increased
- Crime became a major problem
- As the output of gold rose to $50 million in 1850, over 100,000 new people had moved to California
- Some of those who joined the rush struck it rich, but most of them ended up with noting
- In only slightly more than a year's time, the population of California had increased by over 10 times
- Cities had sprung up in many regions of the western land
- Then in 1850, California applied for statehood & they became the 31st state