CHAPTER 12 STUDY GUIDE
Young America Ideal
 A positive attitude toward the market economy and
industrial growth, a more aggressive and war like foreign
policy and a celebration of America’s unique strengths
and virtues (American Exceptionalism)
 Identified mainly with young Democrats who wanted to
purge the “old fogeys” of the old way of thinking by
promoting expansion (geographically and
technologically)
 Opponents were cautious, tradition minded people who
had doubts about where “progress” and expansion would
lead
Land Conflicts
 Canada –Maine Boundary
 Dispute over boundary since beginning of the US
 1839 Aroostook War (Canadian Lumberjacks vs Maine Militia)
 How resolved?
 Webster- Ashburton Treaty (1842)
 Oregon
 USA and Britain claimed
 1818 both agreed to 10 yr joint occupation (renewed 1827)
 California
 Spanish did not allow trade with US
 Mexico changed this policy
 Americans that went to California and traded brought back word
of the “Golden West” and encouraged American interest
Austin Grant
 Southern/Western settlers
 They wanted new/fresh land to grow cotton
and land was less expensive in Mexico vs the
US
Friction with Mexican Govt
 Status of Slavery
 Slavery illegal in Mexico
 Anglos (Americans) brought slaves anyway and
claimed they were just workers/servants
 Authority of Catholic Church
 Mexican govt required conversions to Catholicism
 Anglos were Baptists/Methodists due to 2nd Great
Awakening and did not believe in the spiritual
authority of Catholic Church
 Faked conversion to Catholicism or ignored the law
Austin’s Attempt to Settle
Conflict
 Austin goes to Mexico City
 Presented Anglos grievances
 Got ban on American immigration lifted; failed to
get Texas separated from Coahuila
 Austin Arrested
 Before he could return, Mexican govt arrests him
for sending letter to Texans to set up a state govt
without Mexican govt consent
Texan Revolt - 1835
 Texans claimed they were fighting for
freedom against Mexican oppression
 Main fear was from Santa Anna who had
taken over the Mexican govt in 1834; Texans
concerned about a new high tariff as well as
the possibility that they would be forced out
of Texas
 Texans took up arms to defend against troops
sent to enforce the tariff (1835)
Fighting during Tx
Revolution
 Well trained Mexican troops led by Santa
Anna vs. untrained Texan militia
 Texans defeated at Gonzales, Goliad and San
Antonio (Alamo)
 Texans win a miraculous battle at San Jacinto
and capture Santa Anna.
 Force Santa Anna to sign a treaty giving Texas
independence and placing boundary with Mexico
at Rio Grande (traditional border of Texas was well
north at the Nueces River)
Alamo: Fact and Fiction
Fact
Fiction
 187 Texans held off a far
 All the defenders fought to
larger Mexican force for 13
days
 Texans were better armed
inside a strong fortress
 Davy Crockett and up to 7
others were captured and
executed after the battle
(De la Peña Diary)
the death
 Davy Crockett was the last
one to be killed in the
battle (Susannah Dickinson
account)
Santa Fe & Oregon Trails
Santa Fe Trail
Oregon Trail
 Geography
 Geography
 Desert and Mountains
 Economic Impact
 US exchanged
textiles/manufactured goods
for mules, furs and silver
 Conditions
 Dangerous (Indian attacks
and terrain)
 2000 miles across Great Plains
and Rocky Mts
 Economic Impact
 Migration west caused St.
Louis to explode in size
(jumping off pt)
 Conditions
 Dangerous (Indian Attacks)
 Very important to leave at the
right time of year or could get
stuck in snow in mts.
Mormonism
 Joseph Smith was to set up a pure church
(Zion)
 Book of Mormon
 Smith is God’s prophet
 Main mission was to convert Indians who
they believed were descendants of the 13th
tribe of Israel.
Problems for Mormons in East
 We covered this in Age of Perfection!
Brigham Young’s Settlement
 State of Deseret
 Community of cooperation and discipline
 Communal system made the “desert bloom”
 Orderly expansion of the settlement in a
peaceful manner
President Tyler endorses
Manifest Destiny
 Through pushing for the annexation of Texas
Views on Texas Annexation
South
Northern Abolitionists
 Excited
 Disappointed
 Saw as opportunity to
 Saw expansion of slavery
expand “King Cotton”
James K. Polk
 Van Buren came out against expansion;
southern Dems were angry and blocked his
nomination
 Polk (had been governor of TN) was a Jackson
man and came out of nowhere to win
nomination (dark horse)
 Polk was and expansionist (“Young America”)
Polk and Election of 1844
 Ran on a platform of Manifest Destiny
 “54° 40’ or Fight” (see ID’s)
 Annexation of Texas
 Purchase of California
Manifest Destiny
 God has ordained that America is to expand
all the way to the Pacific
 Term first used by John O’Sullivan (1845)
 The concepts behind this:
 the belief that America, and therefore Americans,
are a chosen people of God
 Expansion of America meant the expansion of
freedom
 Population growth required expansion
Oregon Question
 Polk and Dems called for war with Britain to
gain Oregon
 Privately Polk was willing to divide Oregon
 Sent Sec. of State James Buchanan to
negotiate with Brits
 Oregon divided @ 49th Parallel; Vancouver
Island part of Canada and US gets rights to
sail freely in Puget Sound
Events leading to Mex War
 US tried to buy California for $15 mil; Mexico
said no
 Mexico did not agree with Rio Grande as
boundary
 Polk sent troops into disputed territory
between Nueces and Rio Grande knowing
that there would be conflict with Mexican
troops (there was)
 Polk expected/hoped Mexico would negotiate
instead of fight….he was wrong.
Mexican War (military)
 Mexico had a better equipped/trained army then
US
 Ultimately, US won a couple of battles in
northern Mexico early in the war and got the
momentum
 Capture of Mexico City was the key to victory so
US Navy/Army capture Vera Cruz and take
Cortez’s route from there to Mexico City
 Santa Anna brought back by Mexican govt to
save the day, but he was unable to.
 Mexico City captured and war ends with……
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hildalgo
 Mexico agrees to let the US have California/New
Mexico and recognizes the Rio Grande as the
southern border of the US/TX
 US pays Mexico $15 mil (remember the amount
offered the first time) and promises to pay the
claims American citizens had against Mexico
 US gains 500,000 square miles of new territory
Political Dissention
 American public divided over Mex War
 Majority of Whigs opposed the war
 Some Northerners claimed that the war was
designed to expand slavery and increase
political power of the south
 Wilmot Proviso – would have prohibited
expansion of slavery into newly acquired
lands from Mexico; did not pass but showed
extent of concern of anti-slavery forces
Post war Expansionist
Impulse
 concerns about slavery and race put a
damper on expansion into Latin America and
Caribbean
 The Young America/Manifest Destiny impulse
was channeled into internal developments
Change in Transportation
 Railroads became increasingly important
 Canals were still the most used method of
transporting goods (could ship higher volume
at less cost)
 Development of RR had a enormous impact
on the economy
 Example: Domestic steel production takes off to
provide rails
Evolving Factory System
 Factory system spread from textiles (Lowell)
to other areas like iron production, clock
making, firearms and sewing machines
 Essential features:




Gather workforce in central location
Pay cash wages
Use interchangeable parts
Manufacture by continuous process
 Bulk of manufacturing still done in small
workshops
Regional Character of
Industrial Development
 Industries in each region were based upon
what raw materials were found there
 Examples:
 Iron (eventually steel) production in western PA.
There were major sources of coal and iron ore in
the area that could easily be brought to Pittsburg.
 Steel Plow/Mechanical Reaper were produced in
Chicago. Materials could be shipped to Chicago
by rail, assembled and then were easy to ship to
wheat/corn farmers in the midwest.
Push/Pull Elements on
Immigration
Irish
Germans
 Push factor
 Push factor
 Great Potato Famine
 Pull factor
 Opportunity
 Low fares on ships because
Irish were used as ballast
 Family or friends already here
 Change in grain prices caused
German peasants to go
bankrupt
 Little opportunity to own
land
 Pull factor
 Opportunity to own and farm
land
Immigrant Experience
Irish
Germans
 Negative
 Positive
 Germans were seen as
 Irish were seen as dirty,
slovenly and dumb
 They were Catholic, too
 Most Irish were stuck in the
cities doing menial jobs
 Irish became very important
part of Democratic Party
Politics (especially in NYC,
Boston and Philadelphia)
industrious, frugal and
hard working
 They were Protestant
(Lutheran)
 Most Germans bought
farms but some stayed in
cities and worked in the
artisan trades
Changes in Labor
 Becoming dominated by immigrants
 More factory jobs
 Workers were beginning to speak out against
the abuses of the factory system (unions were
being formed)
ID’s
Stephen F. Austin
Santa Anna
 Leader of first Americans
 Dictator of Mexico
to emmigrate to Mexico
 Defeated by Texans @ San
Jacinto
 Recalled by Mexican Govt
to lead the military against
American Forces
ID’s
San Jacinto
Sam Houston
 Battle in which the Texans
 Leader of Texan army that
defeated Santa Anna
resulting in his capture
 Santa Anna signed an
agreement to give Texas
independence
defeated Santa Anna at
San Jacinto
 Will be first President of
the new Republic of Texas
 Big statue in Huntsville*
 *This will not be tested
ID’s
Lone Star Republic
Joseph Smith
 One of the nicknames for
 Founder of Church of Jesus
the new nation of Texas
Christ of Latter Day Saints
 First Prophet
 Book of Mormon
ID’s
Brigham Young
Liberty Party
 Took over leadership of
 3rd party that advocated
Mormons after J. Smith’s
death
 Lead Mormons to Utah and
was their prophet
 Negotiated deal with US so
Utah could become a state
(proclaimed polygamy
against God’s will)
abolition
 Ran James Birney as prez
candidate in 1840 & 1844
ID’s
54° 40’ or Fight
John Slidell
 Slogan adopted by Dems
 Sent to Mexico to
and James K. Polk in 1844
 Reference to willingness of
“Young American”
movement to fight Brits if
US did not receive ALL of
Oregon
negotiate the purchase of
New Mexico and California
Territories
 Offered $15 Million
 Mexico declined the offer
ID’s
Samuel F. Morse
 Invented the telegraph and
the code that bears his name
(Morse Code NOT Morris
Code)
 The telegraph and its
“instant” communication
capabilities enabled RR’s to
run more efficiently
 Led to trans-Atlantic cable
enabling the US and Europe
to exchange
information/news in minutes
instead of weeks (1860’s)