Westward Expansion

Go West Young Man!!

Oregon Country

• LOCATION: Beyond Rocky Mountains– Willamette River Valley– Puget Sound lowlands

• CLIMATE: – Fertile soil– Lots of rain– Mild temperatures

Oregon Country

• LAND CLAIM: Many nations claimed control of this region– Native-Americans– USA– Spain – Russia– Great Britain

Oregon Country

• PEOPLE:• Fur Traders & Trappers: Trapped otter &

beaver pelts• Mountain Men: Rugged individualists. Lived

off the land– Trapped & Traded furs– Connected with Native-American tribes– Married Native-Americans

Fur Traders

• American Fur Company: Created by John Jacob Astor. – Became the richest man in the United States

Explorers

• Jedediah Smith: Traveled the South Pass into Wyoming

Explorers

• Manuel Lisa: Traveled up the Missouri River– Established Fort Manuel.

Explorers

• Marie Dorion: An Indian woman and fur trader– Traveled around Oregon Country

Explorers

• James Beckwourth: Ex-slave from Virginia– Became a guide through the Sierra Nevada

Mountains

Missionairies

• Missionaries: Wanted to convert Indians to Christianity

Missionaries

• Marcus & Narcissa Whitman: 1st white settlers in Oregon to build permanent housing.

• Accident: The Whitman’s give measles to the Cayuse Indian tribe. Many children die– The Indians brutally kill everyone in the mission

Utah

• Mormons: Moved to Utah for religious reasons. – Joseph Smith: Founded in 1830– Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Persecuted: The Mormon teachings were different– More than one wife allowed– Common owned property

Utah

• Brigham Young: Mormon leader 1844– Takes control after Joseph Smith is killed by angry

mob in Illinois.

• Great Salt Lake: Region in Utah– Mormons settle there

New Mexico Territory

• Santé Fe Trail: Created by William Becknell• Used it to gain entrance to:

– Arizona– New Mexico– Nevada– Utah– California– Colorado

California

• GOLD RUSH: 1849 gold found in California– Many people “rush” out to find it [49ers]– Sutters Mill: 1848 John Sutter builds a sawmill in

Sacramento, CA.– They discover gold while digging a ditch

Sutters Mill

California

• 49ers: Settlers would find gold by– Digging it up– Panning for it– Very few miners ever struck it rich

California

• BOOM TOWN: San Francisco becomes a huge city overnight– Overcrowded– Crime

• Vigilantes: Self appointed law enforcement officials– Handed out “justice”

For Quiz• Joseph Smith Annex• James Beckwourth Lone Star Republic• Sam Houston Sutters Mill• James Polk Missionaries• William Becknell Gadsden Purchase• 49ers The Alamo • Vigilantes• Mormons-Utah• Mountain Men

END

TEXAS

Moses Austin

• LAND GRANT: 1821 Spain gives Moses Austin a land grant in Texas

• Stephen Austin: Takes over project– 20,000 Americans living in Texas by 1830

• Mexico: Wins independence from Spain– Takes control of Texas

Conflict in Texas

• Mexican Government: Refused to allow any more Americans into Texas

• New Laws: Used to discourage Americans from moving to Texas– NO more Slavery– Must worship Catholic religion

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

• 1833• Mexican General & Military Dictator

– Wants to drive all Americans OUT of Texas

• Tejanos: Mexicans living in Texas disliked him

Town of Gonzales v Mexican Army

• 1835• Texans push Mexican soldiers out of Gonzales

– Win battle

• Stephen Austin vows:– “To see Texas forever free from Mexican

domination!”

Battle of San Antonio

• Texans storm San Antonio– Win important battle

Republic of Texas

• FREEDOM: Texas declares independence!• Sam Houston: Name 1st Commander of the

Texas Army

The Alamo

The Alamo

• Battle: Mexican siege• 6,000 Mexicans attack 200 Americans/Texans

– Battle lasted 12 days– American Soldiers: William Travis, Davy Crockett

& Jim Bowie– Mexico killed every soldier in the fort

Battle of Goliad

• Execution: Hundreds more Texans were killed by Santa Anna in this battle– The soldiers were killed AFTER they surrendered

Battle of San Jacinto

• Americans React: “Remember the Alamo”• American Volunteers and Texans defeat and

capture Santa Anna– Santa Anna: Forced to sign peace treaty

• Texas has independence

Lone Star Republic

• Sam Houston: Elected 1st President of Texas• Problems:

– Mexico refused to accept the peace treaty– Texas was bankrupt

• Solution: Become a state in the Union!

President James Polk

• James Polk [Democrat] defeats Henry Clay in 1844

• Expansion: Polk believed in Manifest Destiny and expanding the American borders

• Slogan: 54 40 or Fight!

President James Polk

• Texas: Sam Houston threatens to become an ally with Britain. – 1845: Polk annexes Texas

• Oregon: Both U.S. and Britain want control of Oregon Territory. – 1846: A compromise is met. The border is made at

49 degrees North

Mexican War

• Annex: The U.S. takes Texas, offers money to Mexico. – Mexico gets angry

Mexican War

• Border Issues:– United States claims border is Rio Grande River– Mexico claims it is the Nueces River

• U.S. Military goes to the border• Mexican soldiers move across Rio Grande

River• U.S. declares war on Mexico

Mexican War

• General Zachary Taylor: President Polk sends Taylor to border.

• Leads troops into Northern Mexico• Wins many battles in this war

Mexican War

• General Winfield Scott: Attacked the Port of Veracruz– Took control of Mexico City

Mexican War

• General Stephen Kearney: Captured Santé Fe without firing a single shot!– Controlled Southern California

Mexican War

• John Fremont: An American explorer– Led a group of rebels in Northern California– Defeated the Mexican Army

• Declared their independence from Mexico– Bear Nation Republic

Mexican War

• Battle of Chapultepec: 1847 Final battle of Mexican War

• U.S. defeats the Mexicans and controls California, New Mexico & Mexico City

Mexican War

• Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo [1848]: – Known as the Mexican Cession– Mexico ceded all of California & New Mexico

Territory for 15 million dollars

Mexican War

• Gadsden Purchase [1853]: The U.S. purchases a strip of land in Arizona from Mexico for 10 million dollars

END

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

• It was our DESTINY to move West to the Pacific Ocean.

• Bring our:– Way of Life– Religion– Government

• They felt superior to the Native-Americans

Treaty of Paris

• 1783• Land ceded [given] by Britain after the

American Revolution– Includes Ohio River Valley

Louisiana Purchase

• 1803• President Jefferson buys this land from France

for 15 million dollars– Double the size of the U.S.

Northern Border Lands

• 1818• Land ceded by Britain

– Included pieces of Minnesota and Wisconsin

Florida

• 1819• Adams-Onis Treaty: The U.S. buys Florida

from Spain for 5 million dollars

Webster-Ashburn Treaty

• 1842• U.S. acquires Northern Border lands from

Britain– A small piece of Maine

Texas

• 1845• The U.S. annexes Texas from Mexico

– Texas and Southwest states

Oregon

• 1846• President Polk negotiates a treaty with Britain

to draw the boundary at 49 degrees North latitude

Mexican Cession

• Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo: After the end of the Mexican War, this treaty gave America parts of:– New Mexico– California– Arizona– Utah

Gadsden Purchase

• The U.S. buys a strip of land in Arizona from Mexico for 10 million dollars

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