Ch 14L1-2 New
Territories and States Student Notes
Student Name: _________________________________________________
Class: ________________________________________________________
Date: ________________________________ Period: _________________
The Oregon Trail was a popular computer game in the 1980s. It attempted to educate kids
about the reality of life on the American frontier. In the 1840s, thousands of pioneers
departed Missouri for the northwest.
Students will be able to…
…Explain the ideas and concepts related to Manifest Destiny.
…Understand how Florida and Texas became States
Key Words:
 Joint Occupation
 Tejano
 Annex
This information can be found on pages 395 - 407 in your textbook
 The “Oregon Country” was a territory located north of California, between the Pacific
Ocean and the Rocky Mountains.
o In the early 19th Century (1800s), four nations claimed this territory: the U.S.
(claimed by Lewis and Clark), Great Britain (explored the Columbia River), Spain
(controlled California), and Russia (had settlements in Alaska).
o Spain and Russia ceded the land by treaty, but Great Britain agreed to Joint
Occupation, meaning people from both England and the U.S. could settle there.
o Most of the people who lived in this territory were fur traders.
 In the 1830s, many people migrated to the Oregon territory to settle the new land.
o They traveled on a famous path called the Oregon Trail.
o The trail stretched for 2,000 miles and went through Missouri, through the Great
Plains, along the Platte River, through the south pass of the Rocky Mountains,
then along the Snake and Columbia Rivers and finally into the Oregon Territory.
 Many people believed that America’s mission should be to spread freedom by settling
the entire continent.
o In the 1840s, the term Manifest Destiny came to represent the belief that God
had destined the United States to spread its boundaries all the way to the Pacific
Ocean.
o In the 1844 Presidential Election, James K. Polk nominated by the Democratic
Party. His opponent was the Whig nominee, Henry Clay. Polk won the election
because he supported the idea of Manifest Destiny. He acquired more of the
Oregon Territory from Great Britain.
 Several other territories because states during the early 19th century.
o Spain transferred Florida to the U.S. on July 17, 1821. At that time, fewer than
8,000 people lived in the territory. By 1837, 48,000 people lived in Florida, most
of them tobacco and cotton farmers. These people wanted Florida to join the
union as a slave state. Congress waited six years to act on this wish, because they
needed another territory to enter as a free state in order to keep the balance of
power in the Senate.
o Iowa finally emerged as the next free state that was ready to enter the union.
This allowed Florida to officially become a state in 1845 and Iowa in 1846.
 In the 1820s, the land that is now Texas belonged to the new nation of Mexico (Mexico
had recently won its independence from Spain).
o At that time, the non-Native American population of Texas was only around 3,000
– most of them were Tejanos (Mexican citizens who claimed Texas as their home).
o During the 1820s, Mexico encouraged Americans to move in and settle Texas.
Many of the emigrants that came to Texas didn’t agree with the Mexican
governments demands. American settlers led by Stephen F. Austin and Sam
Houston united with Tejano leaders and made plans to break away from Mexico.
o In 1835, the conflict grew violent. Mexican general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
led an army into Texas to quell the rebellion. In February 1836, they surrounded
a small Texan force in a mission called the Alamo. After 13 days of intermittent
fighting, the Mexican army killed all 180 of the Alamo’s defenders.
o As this was happening, Texan and Tejano leaders met to declare independence
from Mexico. They established a new nation called the Republic of Texas.
o They named Sam Houston as commander in chief of the Texan army. Houston
gathered around 900 men in San Jacinto, near present day Houston.
o On April 21, 1836, the Texans led a surprise attack on Santa Anna’s army. Their
force of around 900 men, killed more than 600 Mexican soldiers and captured
about 700 more. On May 14th, Santa Anna signed a treaty that recognized the
independence of Texas.
o In September of 1836, Sam Houston was elected president of Texas. Texas
remained an independent country until 1845, when President Polk agreed to
support Texas annexation as a slave state if the north gained all of Oregon as a
free territory.
Practice Questions:
1. In what way were the American emigrants who settled in Oregon part of Manifest
Destiny?
By establishing a large American population in Oregon, they made it more likely that it would
become a part of the United States.
2. You are a scout in the 1830s that makes a living by guiding settlers to Oregon. Write a
one-paragraph ‘advertisement’ telling people why they should move to Oregon.
3. What factor explained Florida’s six-year wait to have its request for statehood
approved?
Florida wanted to enter the Union as a slave sate, and Congress waited until there was a free
state ready to enter the union to maintain the balance.
4. How did the battle of the Alamo help the cause of Texas independence?
The sacrifice of the men at the Alamo inspired the rest of the soldiers to be even braver and
stronger as the fought for independence.