Immigration & Expansion

1820-40APUSH ch. 13 part I

Nature of immigration in mid-1800s?◦ 1815-40: 800,000 Euro immigrants◦ 1840-60: 4.2 million Euro immigrants

Primary immigrants groups?◦ Irish◦ Germans

Smaller (but still significant) immigrant groups?◦ English, Scottish, Welsh◦ Scandinavian (Norwegian, Swedish)◦ Swiss◦ Dutch

Immigration – 1st wave

Reasons for Immigration?◦ Economic opportunity!!!

Land/farming◦ Religion

Quakers British Mormons Irish Protestants

◦ War The European “Revolutions of 1848”

Immigration

Where did Irish settle?◦ New England (Boston), NY, NJ, Penn.

Why?◦ Sailed on British ships headed for trade ports on

Atlantic coast◦ Didn’t have $$$ to venture out, settled in cities

Where did Germans settle?◦ Along upper Mississippi and Ohio rivers◦ Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri

Why?◦ Sailed on cotton ships headed to New Orleans,

then went up Miss. River

Immigration patterns

Major immigrant cities:◦ St. Louis (over 60% Irish or German)◦ NY, Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Detroit (about

50% Irish or German)◦ New Orleans, Boston, Baltimore (about 1/3 Irish or

German)

Immigration

Diversity?◦ Religion

Catholics, Protestants, Jews, atheists◦ Occupation

Mostly farmers Also doctors, lawyers,

artisans, etc. Solidarity?

◦ Common language◦ No need to go

outside communities

German Immigrants

First wave: 1815-25◦ Mostly Protestants from middle class◦ Small farmers and tradespeople

Second wave: 1825-60◦ Poor Catholics◦ Tenant farmers◦ Great Potato Famine

Irish Immigrants

What jobs did they take?◦ Men:

Construction, canal and railroad diggers

◦ Women Maids, textile mills

Problems faced?◦ Anti-Catholicism (secret plots)◦ Nativism

Know-Nothings – political party by 1850s

Irish Immigrants

Far West◦ Trade along California coast◦ Fur trade in Oregon◦ Silver trade in New Mexico (Santa Fe Trail)◦ Settlement in Texas

Why did Americans want to settle in Texas (Northern Mexico)?◦ Land – farming!

Westward Expansion

Why did the Mexican gov’t want Americans to settle in Texas?◦ Buffer zone against Indian attacks◦ Breakdown of mission system

How did Mexico lure Americans?◦ Huge land grants to settlers (empresarios)

Texas

What problems developed b/w Mexican gov’t and Americans in Texas?◦ Americans used slaves (outlawed in Mexico)◦ Religious, linguistic differences

How did Rebellion begin?◦ Mex. Pres. Santa Anna begins cracking down on

local gov’ts ◦ Invades Texas to bring it under tighter control◦ American settlers decide on independence

Texas

Leaders of Texas Rev.◦ Political – Stephen Austin◦ Military – Sam Houston

Major points◦ The Alamo – old abandoned mission

187 Texan defenders and volunteers from US Santa Anna kills, captures, executes them all

Incl. Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie

◦ Goliad – 300+ prisoners executed◦ San Jacinto – final battle

Houston’s forces surprise & crush Santa Anna’s forces

Treaty giving Texas independence Texas ind. nation from 1836-45

Texas