Oregon Territory 1846
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Connect Geography
History
130°W
49°N
N
1. Movement Possible Answers: Land was
plentiful, the climate was mild, and there
was enough rainfall for farming.
2. Compare Possible Answer: It made it
possible for thousands of settlers to occupy
land in the Oregon Territory.
More About . . .
Border Disputes
Just two years before the war cries of the
1844 presidential election campaign, the
United States and Britain had peacefully
settled several disagreements through the
Webster-Ashburton Treaty. Two areas in
dispute—in northern Maine and near Lake
Superior—were divided, with the United
States getting 7,015 square miles of territory
to Britain’s 5,012.
The treaty also addressed other issues,
including the international slave trade.
At Britain’s insistence, the United States
agreed to patrol Africa’s western coast
and challenge U.S. ships carrying slaves.
However, the United States did not patrol
aggressively until the Civil War began.
W
E
S
PAC I F I C
OCEAN
Col
umbia
John O’Sullivan used the word manifest to mean
clear or obvious. The word destiny means events sure
to happen. Therefore, manifest destiny suggested
that expansion was not only good but bound to
happen—even if it meant pushing Mexicans and
Native Americans out of the way.
PRIMARY SOURCE
Treaty Line, 1846
42°N
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ANSWERS
Vancouver
B R IT ISH N O RT H
AMERICA
T R Y
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ANALYZE POINT OF VIEW Ask students
why the British would be reluctant to give in
to the American demand of “Fifty-four forty or
fight.” (Possible Answer: British territory would
no longer have a port on the Pacific Ocean.)
54°40'N
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O R Fraser
Oregon Territory 1846
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CHAPTER 13 • SECTION 3
ke R.
“
Our manifest destiny [is] to overspread the
continent allotted [given] by Providence [God] for
the free development of our yearly multiplying
millions.
”
—John 0’Sullivan, the Annals of America, Vol 7
Since 1818, Oregon had been occupied jointly
by the United States and Britain. By the 1840s,
M EX IC A N T ER R ITO RY
thousands of American settlers had moved into
British territory
0
100
200 miles
the Oregon Territory. In his campaign, Polk promU.S. territory
0 100 200 kilometers
ised to take over all of Oregon. “Fifty-four forty
or fight!” was one of his slogans. The parallel of
Connect Geography
History
54°/ 40’ /N latitude was the northern boundary of
1. Movement Why was Oregon an attractive destination for
the shared Oregon Territory. After Polk’s election
settlers moving west?
in 1844, manifest destiny became government
2. Compare Refer to the map of Trails West on p. 421. How
policy. The term “manifest destiny” was new, but
did the Oregon Trail contribute to the course of manifest
not the idea.
destiny?
Rather than fight for all of Oregon, however,
Polk settled for half. In 1846, the United States
and Great Britain agreed to divide Oregon at the 49th parallel. This agreement extended the boundary line already drawn between Canada and the
United States. Today this line still serves as the border between much of the
United States and Canada.
Troubles with Mexico Polk had good reason for settling with Britain over
Answer: Britain resented
American settlement in
Oregon Territory; Mexico
resented U.S. annexation
of Texas; Mexico turned
down Polk’s offer for
Texas, California, and
New Mexico.
Oregon. By 1846, he had bigger troubles brewing with Mexico over Texas.
In 1845, Congress admitted Texas as a slave state, despite Northern objections to the spread of slavery. However, Mexico still claimed Texas as its own.
annexation, or attachment, as an act of war.
Mexico angrily viewed this annexation
To make matters worse, Texas and Mexico could not agree on the official border between them. Texas claimed the Rio Grande, a river south
of San Antonio, as its southern boundary. Mexico insisted on the Nueces
(noo•AY•sis) River (See the map on page 435.) as the Texas border. The difference in the distance between the two rivers was more than 100 miles at
some points. Many thousands of square miles of territory were at stake.
Mexico said it would fight to defend its claim. Polk sent John Slidell, a
Spanish-speaking ambassador, to offer Mexico up to $30 million for Texas,
California, and New Mexico. But Slidell’s diplomacy failed.
SEQUENCE EVENTS Explain how belief in manifest destiny led to friction overseas.
434 Chapter 13
INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES
CONNECT
434 • Chapter 13
to Civics
CONNECT
to Math
Campaign Speeches
Latitude Measurements
Divide students into two groups. Have one
group write political speeches supporting James
Polk’s slogan, “Fifty-four forty or fight.” Have
the other group write speeches presenting
the point of view of Polk’s opponents. Ask
volunteers to read their speeches to the class.
Tell students that one degree of latitude always
covers the same distance—about 69 miles. Tell
them that one minute is one sixtieth of a degree.
Using the map on this page, have students
compute the north-south extent of the U.S.
Oregon Territory. (42° to 49° would be about
483 miles in length, from north to south) Then
have them compute how much farther north
the U.S. border would be if it were at 54° 40’ N
latitude. (about 391 miles farther north)
CHAPTER 13 • SECTION 3
The War with Mexico
KEY QUESTION What events led to war with Mexico?
Giving up on diplomacy, Polk’s next strategy was to force the issue. He purposefully ordered General Zachary Taylor to station 3,500 troops on the north
bank of the Rio Grande, which was part of the disputed territory.
Teach
Polk Urges War On April 25, 1846, a Mexican unit crossed the Rio Grande
The War with Mexico
and ambushed an American patrol. Polk sent a rousing war message to
Congress, saying, “Mexico . . . has invaded our territory and shed American
blood upon the American soil.” Two days later, Congress declared war. The
War with Mexico had begun.
Americans had mixed reactions to the war. In general, Southerners wanted
to extend the territory open to slavery, while Northeners feared the expansion
of slavery. Many also questioned the justice of men dying for territorial gain.
Despite opposition, the United States plunged into war. In May 1846, General
Zachary Taylor led troops into Mexico.
Roleplay Your Answer
• Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose the War with
Mexico? (I questioned the justice of men dying
in such a war.)
• Why were antislavery representatives in the
United States concerned about what might
happen after the War with Mexico? (We were
worried that new territories added after the
war could become slave states, increasing
Southern influence in Congress.)
Capturing New Mexico and California Not long after the war began, U.S.
General Stephen Kearny (KAHR•nee) left Kansas with orders to occupy New
Mexico. Once there, Kearny persuaded the Mexican troops that he would
withdraw. He took New Mexico without firing a shot. Then Kearny marched
on to what is now California, which had fewer than 12,000 Mexican residents. The remainder of the force moved south toward Mexico.
• Sequence Events Which battles did the
Americans win in the War with Mexico? (We
won battles at Monterrey, San Gabriel, Buena
Vista, Chihuahua, Veracruz, and Mexico City.)
GEOGRAPHY
The War with Mexico 1846–1847
R.
Mexican forces
Fort
Modern
Texas border
River
Mississippi
San
Antonio
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Mazatlán
San Luis
Potosi
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Tampico
Mexico City 7 Scott
110°W
90°W
6
Santa Anna Veracruz
GEOGRAPHY
The War with Mexico
1846–1847
CLASSZONE.COM
Connect Geography
New
Orleans
TEXAS
o Gran
Ri
t
ot
Nuece
R. Corpus
Christi
Saltillo
Gulf of Mexico
MEXICO
1
Matamoros
4
Buena Vista
Monterrey
ncer
Tropic of Ca
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2. Problems and Solutions Why would
defending Texas be easier than defending
Mexico?
Red River
Santa Anna
or
lif
Ca
History
1. Movement About how far did General
Kearny’s troops move to reach San Diego?
er
a
of
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rny
Chihuahua
120°W
US forces
Fort
Leavenworth
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Monterey
(Seized July 7, 1846)
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US victory
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Bear Flag Revolt,
June, 1846
Sonoma
San Francisco
UNITED STATES
OREGON
COUNTRY
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Click here to preview the War with
Mexico @ ClassZone.com
1
Monterrey Sept. 1846
2 San Pasqual Dec. 1846
3
San Gabriel 1846–7
4
Buena Vista Feb. 1847
5
Chihuahua Feb. 1847
6
Veracruz March 1847
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Mexico City Sept. 1847
100°W
Manifest Destiny 435
History
MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS Have students
study the troop movements and battles
shown on the map for clues as to which side
had the upper hand in the war. (Clues—The
Americans won all but one of the battles; the
Americans moved freely through Mexican
territory while the Mexicans were confined
to defensive positions in the center of their
country.)
ANSWERS
1. Movement about 1,500 miles
2. Problems and Solutions Texas has
only one coast to defend, while Mexico
has two.
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
English Learners
Gifted & Talented
Vocabulary: Cognates
War Message Rebuttal
Remind students that many words in
English have cognates, or related words,
in romance languages such as Spanish,
French, Italian, and Portuguese. Ask
students who speak Spanish what
Spanish cognate they know for the verb
persuade, found in the last paragraph on
this page. (the Spanish verb persuadir)
Tell students that the American writer
Henry David Thoreau was a strong critic
of the War with Mexico. He described
it as “the work of comparatively a
few individuals using the standing
government as their tool” (On Civil
Disobedience). Have students write a
brief essay explaining whether they
agree or disagree with Thoreau.
Presentation Options
Use the Power Presentations
DVD-ROM or the Animated Center @
ClassZone.com to project the map.
• Click through the animated map to display
troop movement.
• Narration provides battle details and
background information.
Teacher’s Edition • 435