Presidential Administrations and Westward Expansion
•
The idea of forming one complete nation expanding from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and preserving the political
and economical rights of all Americans from all regions of the
country, will be the center of presidential administrations from
the 1820’s to the eve of the Civil War.
Manifest Destiny
•
•
•
The idea of Manifest Destiny has increasingly developed in the
mindset of people. There was a vast migration to the west toward
the Pacific Ocean, and Americans had reached into the Mississippi
Valley and beyond.
The development and/or improvements of roads, canals, and the
emergence of the railroads, started a revolution in technology.
This created a rapid growth of the west. Between 1810 and 1830,
2 million people moved west. By 1840, one-fourth (6 million) of
the American people lived in the west.
“Away, away with all these cobweb
tissues of rights of discovery,
exploration, settlement. . . . The
American claim is by the right of
our manifest destiny to
overspread and to possess the
whole of the continent which
Providence [divine guidance] has
given us for the development of
the great experiment of liberty.”
John O’Sullivan, 1845
John O’Sullivan, Harpers
Weekly, 1874.
““American
American Progress
” by John Gast
Progress”
Gast,, 1872
John Gast 1879
painting shows the
spirit of manifest
destiny leading
settlers and
modern technology
across the
continent.
Trails Westward
Overland Immigration to the West
Why do you suppose the trail to California was so high?
Trails Westward
• With the help
of Andrew
Jackson,
Martin Van
Buren received
the
Democratic
nomination for
the Election of
1836
The 1836 Election Results
•Martin Van Buren
•“Old Kinderhook”
[O. K.]- Democrat
defeated the newly
formed Whig party,
William Henry
Harrison and Daniel
Webster.
Martin Van Buren’s Administration
• Unfortunately for
Martin Van Buren,
the country
entered a severe
depression just two
months after he
took office.
• President Van
Buren did little to
solve the problems
caused by the
depression and he
believed that the
government should
not interfere in the
nation’s economy.
The Specie Circular (1836)
3
President Jackson may have
won the bank war, but he also
opened the door to financial
crisis.
3
“wildcat banks.” – Jackson’s pet
banks issued their own bank
notes, usually more than the
amount they had in gold
reserves.
3
Specie Circular - buy future
federal land only with gold or
silver to avoid land speculation
in the west.
3
Because few people had gold or
silver, land sales plunged us into
a depression.
Results of the Specie Circular
Banknotes loose their value.
$ Land sales plummeted.
$ Credit not available.
$ Businesses began to fail.
$ Unemployment rose.
$ Did President Jackson cause this?
The Panic of 1837!
The Panic of 1837 Spreads Quickly!
•The Panic of 1837 greatly affected Van Buren’s only term, and in
turn led to the rise of the Whig Party in the 1840 election.
The Aroostook War
•
•
•
•
An undeclared confrontation in 1838-1839 between the
United States and Great Britain over the international
boundary between British North America (Canada) and
Maine.
Both sides raised and armed troops and sent them to the
disputed territory.
President Van Buren sent General Winfield Scott to work
out a compromise.
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the WebsterAshburn Treaty was signed.
The Destruction
of the Caroline
angered many
Americans who
called for war
against Great
Britain once again!
Maine Boundary Settlement, 1842
Terms:
•Treaty gave
Maine most of the
disputed territory
•The United
States assured
Great Britain of
year-round
military
communications
between Quebec
and New
Brunswick via the
Halifax Road
The Rise of the Whigs
•The Democrats held the presidential office for 12 years under Jackson
and Van Buren, but because of the Panic of 1837, the Whigs, or National
Republicans under John Quincy Adams, had a chance to win the election.
•Van Buren Taking the Blame for His Own and Jackson's Monetary Policies
The Election of 1840
•
•
Because the Democrats had luck with the war hero of New
Orleans, the Whigs decided to nominate a war hero for the 1840
election.
They chose William Henry Harrison, a hero of the War of 1812,
and John Tyler as his running mate to run against Van Buren of
the Democrat ticket.
William Henry Harrison Campaign Song
“Tip and Ty”
(Words and Music by "A member of the Fifth
Ward Club“, published 1840)
What has caus'd this great com-mo-tion,
mo-tion, mot-ion our coun-try through,
It is the ball that's rol-ling on,
For Tip-pi-ca-noe, and Ty-ler too,
For Tip-pi-ca-noe, and Ty-ler too,
And with them we'll beat lit-tle Van,
Van, Van is a us'd up man, And with them
we'll beat lit-tle Van.
•The Whigs “log cabin campaign” seemed to work and the
Whigs won the election.
William Henry Harrison’s disappointing term
•Unfortunately for President Harrison, in just four short weeks of
being elected, he died of pneumonia.
The Longest Inaugural Address
•
•
•
•
What could you
possibly say for two
whole hours on a cold,
miserable, rainy day!
Detailed statement of
the Whig Agenda,
essentially repudiating
Jackson and Van Buren
(Democrats) policies
(reestablish the Bank
of the US)
Reverse the Spoils
System
His speech led in the
rain led to his sickness
that ultimately caused
his death.
His Accidency
• John Tyler, a planter from Virginia, became the first vice
president to take the presidential office because the
president died.
•
25 Amendment -In Case of the Removal of the President from
Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the
Powers and Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on
the Vice President.
John Tyler
’s Administration
Tyler’s
•
Even though Tyler was a Whig, he held democratic views of the
government. He was unpopular with the Whig politicians in
executive and congressional offices, and was not very
successful.
"Sir, I wish you to understand the
true principles of the government. I
wish them carried out. I ask nothing
more."
A Complete 180
•He stood against his party’s platform and vetoed several
of their Whig party proposals. All but one of his members
of cabinet resigned.
•
What the hell! You
didn’t do anything I
asked. You ungrateful
BEEEP!!!
I am my own person,
don’t tell me what to
do, your not my
father!
Annexation of Texas
• Most successful achievement under TylerAnnexation of Texas
• Led to the United States – Mexican War –fight
over Texas and modern day Colorado, Kansas, New
Mexico, Wyoming, and Oklahoma
• Ultimately led to the Compromise of 1850 and
expansion into the Great West
The Election of 1844
•In 1844, the Democrats were split
•The three nominees for the Democratic Nomination
•Martin Van Buren, a former president and an abolitionist
•James Buchanan, a moderate from Pennsylvania
•Lewis Cass, a war general and expansionist
•James K. Polk, a dark horse from Nashville, Napoleon of the Stump!
•Henry Clay received the Whig nomination.
•James Knox Polk won both the popular and electoral vote.
The Return of the Democrats
• It seemed as though the Whig Party could not
unify there party platform and because Whigs
voted according to sectional ties, they lost the
election of 1844 to the Democratic candidate,
James Knox Polk.
• After only four short years, the Whigs were once
again out of power.
“James K. Polk” by They Might Be Giants
•Austere, severe, he held few people dear
His oratory filled his foes with fear
The factions soon agreed
He's just the man we need
To bring about victory
Fulfill our Manifest Destiny
And annex the land the Mexicans command
And when the votes were cast the winner was
Mister James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump!
James Knox Polk and his Four Points Program
Goals of James Knox Polk
•
•
•
•
Lower the tariff.
Resolve the Oregon boundary dispute.
Restore the independent treasury.
Acquire California.
Rivalry in the Oregon Country
•
•
The Oregon Country was the huge area that lay between the
Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains north of California.
Americans wanted to control the Oregon Country to gain
access to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1818, John Quincy Adams worked out an agreement with
Great Britain for joint occupation of the area. By the 1840’s,
however, Americans were streaming into the Oregon Country
by the thousands and pushed the issue toward settlement.
The Oregon Trail – Albert Bierstadt, 1869
The historic
east-west
wagon route
that was the
oldest of the
northern
commercial
and emigrant
rails
Highly
profitable fur
trade
Used the
Columbia River
– one of the
more powerful
rivers in the
world!
Reaching a Settlement in the Oregon Country
• James Knox Polk
campaigned in the
1844 presidential
election using the
slogan 54’40° or
fight. This was
the line of
latitude that
democrats
believed should
be the nation’s
northern border.
• Great Britain
opposed this
border, and the
two countries
eventually settled
at the 49th
parallel. The
Oregon issue was
finally settled.
The Republic of Texas
Texas Declaration of Independence
The formal
declaration of the
Republic of Texas
from Mexico in the
Texas Revolution
Adopted at the
Convention of 1836
at Washington-onthe-Brazos on
March 2, 1836
Key Figures in Texas Independence, 1836
Sam Houston
(1793
-1863)
(1793-1863)
First and third
President
Steven Austin
(1793
-1836)
1836
(1793-1836)
(Father of Texas)
The Struggle for Texas Begins
•
•
•
As of 1803, few people lived in Texas. Around the 1820’s, Americans
started to move into Texas.
By 1830’s Americans outnumbered Spanish and Mexicans living in Texas,
and the United States offered to buy Texas from Mexico.
Mexico refused and issued a decree to stop American immigration into
Texas, and this angered Americans!
•Texas (the
beast): I fear
I cannot carry
you into the
Presidential
Chair.
Polk: Dear
Texas, I knew
you cannot—I
wish I had
rode some
other horse
but it is too
late to repent.
The Battle at San Antonio
• Early in 1835, unrest grew quickly under the
Mexican dictator Santa Anna in Texas and often
resulted in violence and conflict.
• By December 1835, Texans had captured San
Antonio from the Mexicans.
Jim Bowie led 90
Texan forces to
defend San
Antonio
Mission Concepcion
The Battle of the Alamo
•Mexican
president Santa
Anna and a few
thousands troops
seized the Alamo
from about 150
Texans.
•All but two
Texans died!
•Santa Anna’s
cruelty inspired
Texans, which
eventually led to
Santa Anna’s
defeat at the
Battle of Jacinto
Davey Crockett
’s Last Stand
Crockett’s
•American folk hero,
frontiersman,
soldier, and politician
•One of the many
who died at the
Alamo, considered as
“King of the Wild
Frontier”
•By the way, this man
did not like Andrew
Jackson!
The Battle of San Jacinto
• However, six weeks after the Alamo, an army under Sam
Houston captured Santa Anna and his army of 1,300 in the
battle of San Jacinto
• A Decisive Victory! Only 9 Texans died and 700 Mexicans
killed.
Remember the Alamo!
•The victory at San Jacinto started the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo”
•Most famous tourist site in Texas
Mexico Surrenders!
•
On May 14, 1836, Santa Anna signed a treaty with Sam
Houston that recognized the independence of Texas.
Texas is Admitted into the Union
•
•
•
•
Texas elected Sam Houston as their president, but Houston asked if
the United States would annex Texas into the Union.
Andrew Jackson refused because it would upset the balance of free and
slave states in Congress.
President John Tyler, in 1841, annexed Texas into the Union.
And finally, on December 29, 1845, under James Knox Polk, Texas
became a state of the United States.
New Mexico territory
•
•
The territory stretched between the Texas and California
territories and included present day New Mexico, Arizona, and
Nevada.
When Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, it
inherited the New Mexico territory and welcomed American
traders into the area to boost the economy of the province.
The Bear Flag Republic: The California territory
•
•
•
•
•
California became a state in
the New Mexican nation.
Americans, in the 1840’s,
began to arrive and
eventually settled
California.
John C. Fremont, an army
officer and surveyor, wrote
several accounts of
California’s scenic beauty
and wild climate.
Americans started to talk
about adding California to
the Union.
James Knox Polk twice
offered to buy these
territories from the
Mexican government, bust
she refused.
The Revolt  June 14, 1845
GOLD! At Sutter
’s Mill, 1848
Sutter’s
John A. Sutter
California Gold Rush, 1849
49er’s
Two Views of San Francisco, Early 1850s
 By 1860, almost 300,000 people had traveled the
Oregon & California Trails to the Pacific coast.
Westward the Course of Empire
Emmanuel Leutze, 1860
The Doomed Donner Party
April, 1846 – April,
1847
CANNIBALISM ! !
Margaret
Breen
Patrick
Breen
John
Breen
 Of the 83 members of the
Donner Party, only 45 survived
to get to California!
James Reed & Wife
The Mexican War (1846
-1848)
(1846-1848)
•
When Mexico refused to sell California and New Mexico, Polk
planned to provoke Mexico into war to add the provinces to
the Union.
The Slidell Mission: Nov., 1845
•President Polk sent special
agent John Slidell to persuade
Mexico to sell California
•Mexican recognition of the Rio
Grande River as the TX-US
border (Mexico wanted it to the
Nueces River)
•Us would forgive American
citizens’ claims against the
Mexican government
•US would purchase the New
Mexico area for $5,000,000
John Slidell
•US would purchase California
at any price
General Zachary Taylor
• Mexico refused and
Polk sent General
Zachary Taylor and
an army to the
disputed borderline
between the Nueces
and the Rio Grande
River.
• Mexican soldiers
attacked a small
force of Taylor’s
army and this was
enough for Congress
• on May 11, 1846, to
declare war against
Mexico.
General Zachary Taylor at Palo Alto
“Old Rough and Ready”
Polk’s War Plan
•
•
•
Americans troops will drive Mexicans out of the
disputed area and secured the Texas border.
The United States would seize California and New
Mexico.
American troops would take Mexico City, capital of
Mexico.
Conquering New Mexico and California
•
•
Zachary Taylor and his
army were successful in
securing the Texas border.
American forces under the
command of General
Stephen Watts Kearny led
his troops to New Mexico
and California, and by
1846, and without firing a
shot, Americans captured
New Mexico’s capital,
Santé Fe on August 18.
Didn’t
even
fire a
shot!
Stephen Watts Kearny
General Scott Enters Mexico City
“Old Fuss and Feathers”
•With the victories in New Mexico, the securing of the Texas border
at the Rio Grande, President Polk launched his third part of his planan attack on Mexico City.
The End of War
•
•
General Winfield
Scott, in March 1847,
landed on the coast of
the Gulf of Mexico,
near present-day
Veracruz and within
three weeks captured
the city.
By mid September
1847, the Americans
had reached and
captured Mexico City.
The Mexican
government had but no
choice but to
surrender.
The Bombardment of Vera Cruz
Treaty of Guadalupe
-Hidalgo, 1848
Guadalupe-Hidalgo,
Nicholas Trist,
American Negotiator
Treaty of Guadalupe
-Hidalgo, 1848
Guadalupe-Hidalgo,
The Treaty was basically forced on Mexico!
•Mexico gave up claims to Texas above the Rio Grande River
•Mexico gave the U.S> California and New Mexico
•U.S. gave Mexico $15,000,000 and agreed to pay the claims
of American citizens against Mexico (over #3,500,000)
The Completion of a Nation
•
•
In 1853, under the Gadsden Purchase, the United
States paid Mexico and additional $10 million for a
strip of land along the southern edge of present-day
Arizona and New Mexico.
With the Gadsden Purchase, the mainland of the
United States reached its present size, and all that
remained was to settle the newly acquired land. This
in itself would lead to conflict and war.
The Mexican Cession
Territorial Growth to 1853
Results of the Mexican War?
The 17-month war cost $100,000,000 and 13,000+ American
lives (mostly disease)
New territories were brought into the Union which forces the
explosive issue of SLAVERY to the center of national politics.
These new territories would upset the balance of power
between the North and the South
Created two popular Whig generals who ran for President
Manifest Destiny is partially realized!
Zachary Taylor
Winfield Scott
James Knox Polk’s Accomplishments
•In four short years he met his every goal
•He seized the whole southwest from Mexico
•Made sure the tariffs fell and made the English sell the
Oregon Territory
•He built an independent treasury
•Having done all this he sought no second term
•But precious few have mourned the passing of Mister James
K. Polk, our eleventh president “Young Hickory,” Napoleon of
the Stump!
•I wasn’t too bad, but I
will only serve one term
•Little do I realize that I
die soon after my
presidency
Wilmot Proviso, 1846
Provided,
Provided, territory
territory from
from that,
that, as
as
an
an express
express and
and fundamental
fundamental
condition
condition to
to the
the acquisition
acquisition of
of any
any
the
the Republic
Republic of
of Mexico
Mexico by
by the
the
United
United States,
States, by
by virtue
virtue of
of any
any
treaty
treaty which
which may
may be
be negotiated
negotiated
between
between them,
them, and
and to
to the
the use
use by
by
the
the Executive
Executive of
of the
the moneys
moneys herein
herein
appropriated,
appropriated, neither
neither slavery
slavery nor
nor
involuntary
involuntary servitude
servitude shall
shall ever
ever exist
exist
in
in any
any part
part of
of said
said territory,
territory, except
except
for
for crime,
crime, whereof
whereof the
the party
party shall
shall
first
first be
be duly
duly convicted.
convicted.
What is the reaction of the
South?
Congr. David Wilmot
(D-PA)
The Election of 1848 – The Whigs
•The Whigs nominees were Henry Clay, Daniel Webster,
Thurlow Weed and Zachary Taylor.
•Taylor was a military hero and held a successful life in public
service.
•Taylor wins on the fourth ballot and Millard Fillmore won the
vice president nomination.
Millard Fillmore
Zachary Taylor
The Democrats
• The Democrats nominated Lewis Cass who had a
good handle on the Constitution and was an
intellectual conservative.
Free Soil Party
Free Soil!
Free Speech!
Free Labor!
Free Men!
 “Barnburners” – discontented northern Democrats.
 Anti-slave members of the Liberty and Whig Parties.
 Opposition to the extension of slavery in the new
territories!
•A third party
formed known as the
Free-Soilers. The
son of John Quincy
Adams, Charles
Francis Adams, and
Martin Van Buren.
The 1848 Presidential Election Results
√
Taylor Wins!
The Compromise of 1850
•
•
•
•
•
Congress was paralyzed in the question of organizing new
territories.
California, New Mexico, and other new territories became hot
issues.
The admission as California and New Mexico into the Union would
upset the balance between free and slave states in Congress (15
free and 15 slave).
Zachary Taylor wanted to settle the dispute over California and
New Mexico and send delegates to the territory of California to
set up statehood.
This infuriated Congress because statehood should be decided
by elections.
Clay proposes a compromise
•The Union must be preserved or else it would show the world that
democracy is a failure. Stephen Douglas recognized the importance
of preserving the Union.
•John C. Calhoun stated that the south will not give away anymore or
it will lead to nullification.
Stephen Douglas –
Preserve the Union
Henry Clay –
Please lets compromise
John C. Calhoun –
to hell with the Union
•Zachary Taylor proved
politically inept and
incapable of solving the
pressing issue, and refused
to sign anything he did not
like.
•In, 1849, after Taylor gave
a speech, he died of disease
later known as cholera,
after eating spoiled
cherries and milk.
•Vice President Millard
Fillmore became President
Millard Fillmore.
Fillmore and Congress reach a Compromise
•Terms of the Compromise
•California is admitted as a free state
•New Mexico and Utah were organized
territories with implications that popular
sovereignty would determine if these
territories would be free or slave. This
term refers to letting the people decide.
•The slave trade in Washington, D.C.
would be abolished, but slavery was not.
•A strong fugitive slave act would be
passed.
•The Compromise passed in November,
1850.
Expansionist Young America in the 1850s
America’s Attempted Raids into Latin America