Western Expansion
Name ___________________________
Manifest Destiny
• Manifest Destiny was the philosophy meant that the United States was set apart to extend its boundaries
all the way to the Pacific Ocean (encouraged westward movement).
Mountain Men
Mountain men and traders blazed and mapped several old Indian Routes for settlers to follow.
Oregon Country
• Joint occupation allowed people from both Britain and the United States to settle in Oregon country.
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The United States gained part of Oregon in 1846 after agreeing to divide Oregon with the British.
Gold Rush
• James Marshall who worked for John Sutter was building a sawmill when he saw something shining in a
ditch. His discovery led to the Gold Rush.
49ers
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Who were the forty-niners? Gold Seekers (mostly men) streamed in from America and around the
world
Strike it Rich!
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Vigilantes took the law into their own hands.
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Merchants made huge profits during the Gold Rush by inflating their prices for goods and services
because the miners had no other place to go for food and other items.
•
Gold Rush had long lasting effects on California’s economy.
American Progress
What do you see in this drawing?_______________________________________________________________
How does this symbolize Manifest Destiny?______________________________________________________
What do you think is the artist’s purpose in this drawing? ___________________________________________
The Alamo
• Mexican Leader General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna denied the American Request- So
Americans declared independence in 1835
• Santa Anna sent 3,000 troops- 180 Americans waited for them inside a former Church
building/military post: The Alamo
• Davy Crockett was the Tennessee backwoodsman who lost his life at the Alamo.
Remember the Alamo
• But they soon defeated Santa Anna (captured) in a battle at San Jacinto when Sam Houston
(commander of the army of the Republic Texas) rallied his troops with the battle cry: “Remember the
Alamo!”
Lone Star Republic
• Davy Crockett was the Tennessee backwoodsman who lost his life at the Alamo.
• Santa Anna was captured in the battle of San Jacinto.
Why did was the decision to annex Texas such a controversy? Texas practiced slavery and this would
upset the balance by adding another slave state
James K. Polk
• Election of 1844
• James K. Polk was elected as the eleventh President of the United States.
• Great Britain and the United States resolved the Oregon issue by setting the boundary between them at
54º line of latitude, now modern day Oregon and Washington
• John Tyler’s last day in office he admitted Texas as a state- setting off the Mexican War
Polk’s War
Also known as The Mexican War (1846-1848)
•
Polk’s 3 part plan
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Secure the border by driving Mexican forces out.
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US would seize New Mexico and California.
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American forces would take Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.
Boundary Disputes
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The United States said the border was at the Rio Grande River
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Mexico, however, said the boundary was the Nueces River which was further North
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To incite a war with Mexico, President Polk ordered troops led by General Zachary Taylor to cross the
Nueces River, which was regarded by Mexico as an invasion of its territory. Therefore, he declared war
when Mexico attacked Taylor’s forces.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
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Set the boundary between Mexico and Texas.
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The land ceded to the United States in this treaty was called the Mexican Cession.
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States included in the Mexican Cession are California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and parts of
Oklahoma and Colorado (Texas).
Why want California?
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In the early 1800s, many Americans wanted to add California to the Union. What are some reasons
for adding California? Belief in Manifest Destiny, California provided excellent trade routes for
ships, and improving national defense against a foreign attack
Gadsden Purchase, 1853
- Purchased Southern New Mexico and Arizona for $10 million
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This was made mainly to provide a railroad route to California.
- This helped the United States mainland reach its present day size
Mormons
• Brigham Young led the Mormon migration to the Great Salt Lake Area.
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Why did they leave Illinois? They wanted to settle where they could safely practice their religion.
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This led to the single largest migration in American History.
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South Pass was the name of the pass the Mormons used to get through the Rocky Mts.
•
The Mormons went through Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming to get to Utah.
A Mix of People
Between 1840 and 1860, 1.5 million immigrants came from Ireland to America because of a severe
famine in their home country.
Immigrants are people who are entering into a country.
Chinese
• Many Chinese fled to California at the time of the Gold Rush because wars were going on in China
and lots of people were out of work
• When the Gold ran out many Chinese were blamed unfairly because they were different
• Many eventually left, but those who stayed formed the modern day “Chinatowns” in California
• Many later would find work on the Transcontinental Railroad
Railroads
By 1860, the Midwest and the East were united by a large network of railroad tracks.
Homestead Act- New technology made it possible to farm vast quantities of land. Railroads sold land
along their tracks cheaply. The Homestead Act was passed which increased settlement on the Great
Plains.
•
What eventually ended the use of the Oregon Trail? Transcontinental railroad
Telegraph
•
The invention of the Telegraph by Samuel Morse improved communication between the East and the
West in the mid 1800s and in the expanding industrial growth
North versus South
In the North, why did industry flourish instead of farming? It was too difficult to farm the rocky soil
of New England.
The South’s economy was built primarily on farming because of the mild climate and flat land made
farming easy.
By the 1850s most states had accepted that schools should be free and supported by taxes, that teachers should
be trained, and that children should be required to attend school. Problems that teachers faced included:
• Poor funding, Lack of training, and People opposed to mandatory education
Review Notes
The system in which the power to govern is shared between the national government and the states is
Federalism.
The Virginia Company allowed the colonists to set up the House of Burgesses so they would have some
say in their government. This assembly had the right to make local laws for the colony.
The framers of the Constitution tried to develop a government that would preserve and protect the
rights of its citizens.
Under the federal system practiced in the United States, the final authority is the U.S. Constitution.
From 1800 to 1850, many canals were built to connect lakes and rivers and provide more shipping
routes between cities.
What industrial system brings the entire production process together under one roof? Factory system
Trails that led out west:
Oregon Trail
Santa Fe Trail
California Trail