1. Chapter 9
Section 1 – pg 318
The West

2. Pg 318
What Was “The West”?
As the nation grew, American’s idea of “the west” changed
Early Americans thought the area between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River as the western frontier
Frontier: the land that forms the farthest extent of a nation’s settled regions
By the 1820s, Americans began to look beyond this

3. Pg 318
The Great Plains
The Great Plains lie between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mtns
No one settled here because the land was covered in a grass with a deep root system
Clearing it would require hard manual labor
By the early 1800s, the Great Plains were see as just a route to the Far West

4. Pg 319
The Northwest
Settlers were attracted to the fertile land of the Northwest, beyond the Rocky Mtns to the Pacific Ocean
Today’s Washington, Oregon and most of British Columbia (Canada)
In the early 1800s, the US, Great
Britain, Russia, and Spain had
claimed this as theirs

5. Pg 319
The Southwest
Mexican settlements in the Southwest were another major destination for settlers heading west
Known as the Spanish Borderlands
Part of New Spain
Had been claimed for Spain in the 1500s
Includes present day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and part of Colorado

6. Mexican Settlements Pg 320
Like England and France, Spain followed a policy of mercantilism towards its colonies
Illegal for settlers to trade with other countries
Raw materials were sent to Spain
Manufactured goods were shipped to the Spanish colonies for sale
The children of the Spanish settlers (peninsulares) were called creoles
Spanish settlers, Native Americans, and Africans intermarried
Children were called mestizos

7. Native Americans Spanish missionaries in California were determined
Pg 320
Spanish missionaries in
California were determined
to convert the Native
Americans to Catholicism
Many Indians in the borderlands
were forced to live and work at missions
Herded sheep and cattle and raised crops
Learned about the Catholic religion
Thousands died of overwork and disease

8. Spanish settlers and Native Americans exchanged language, food, and customs
Spanish brought their language, religion, and laws into the region
The NAs introduced the settlers to foods: beans, squash, and potatoes
Spanish settlers adopted NA clothing, such as ponchos and moccasins
SW architecture reflected the blending of the cultures
General style of buildings were European
NA builders brought in their skills and
cultural traditions
Churches and other buildings were
made from adobe (sun-dried brick)
Pg 320

9. Mexico Wins Independence
Pg 320
Mexico Wins Independence
In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain
Mexico allowed its people to trade with other countries including the US

10. Pg 320
Under Spanish rule, land grants (gov’t gifts of land) had been given to a few
Mexico made many grants to individual rancheros (owners of ranches)
Also removed missions from church control and distributed the land to rancheros and American settlers
The land had belonged to the NAs, so this made them angry
Responded by raiding ranches,
but were soon crushed
By the 1850, the NA population
had dramatically reduced

11. Pg 321
Manifest Destiny
From the beginning Americans had been interested in westward expansion (extending the nation beyond its existing borders
Thomas Jefferson believed that the nation had to expand to make room for higher population
Manifest Destiny became a popular phrase to describe the belief that the US was destined (meant) to extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific
“from sea to shining sea”