1. Chapter 14: The Territorial Expansion of the United States
Mr. Logan Greene
AP United States History
West Blocton High School

2. Chapter Objectives
How did economic and demographic pressures in the East spur Western migration?
How did Westward expansion affect the life of Plains Indians?
How was the United States able to annex Texas from Mexico?
Which peoples lived in the Southwest?

3. Manifest Destiny
As the United States continued to expand westward a new idea prevailed across society
The idea of Manifest Destiny was created which stated that it was God’s will for the United States to expand to the Pacific Ocean
This idea also helped the taking over of non-Christian native peoples land
Closely tied to Democrats

4. The East and the Frontier
The US population exploded after 1815
This created a true land shortage for growing families in the East
The East could simply not support the growing population so as more land was gained in the West populations migrated

5. The Old Northwest
The Old Northwest was the area of the Northwest Territory (Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois)
This area was the primary overflow for young men migrating from the East
The heavily wooded areas did not bode well for plantations so this area was mainly communities and subsistence farming (although wheat was successful)
As well the area slowly grew some industry

6. The Old Southwest
The states of the old Southwest such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee saw a huge spike in settlement as cotton became the new cash crop
Both large landowners and small farmers moved to the area in the hopes of making a profit on the new crop
The Old Southwest remained completely agricultural with few railroads and a much smaller population

7. The Plains Indians Frontier
The Natives to the west were separated into two groups
Those directly to the West where there was still arable land were mostly farmers
Those further west on the open plains were mostly hunter gatherers
As well many of the Eastern tribes had been resettled to the area of modern day Oklahoma by the Indian Removal Act

8. The Plains Indians
Tribes like the Sioux underwent drastic change due to the influx of settlers
The Sioux were accustomed to roaming their territory free of interference
However, as more settlers come in their territory is tightened and the Sioux are forced to trade for necessities slowly destroying their self-sufficiency

9. Fur Trading
For centuries the British had dominated the Mississippi fur trade
However, by the 1830’s American businessmen had built up a relationship with the Natives based on traditional principles
Trappers married Indian women and built up lasting relations
However, the trappers mapped out the frontier and actually quickened settlement and hurried the end of their business

10. The Oregon Trail Trail from Missouri to the Oregon territory
Trail was designed to help the flow of settlers to Oregon spurred on by stories of land and gold creating “Oregon Fever”
The journey took around 3 months in a covered wagon and led to much death due to disease and privation
Eventually the Natives in the area were removed as the Sioux and Platte tribes were more compressed

11. Mexico and the Southwest
The old Spanish empire area of the Southwest was in the 1800’s a disjointed mix of peoples
There were numerous tribes surrounding areas once dominated by the Spanish and by Spanish missions
Warrior tribes like the Commanche roamed the area so the Mexicans invited Americans to come to Texas to act as a buffer

12. Texas
The Mexicans, now independent of Spain, faced serious problems governing the huge expansive but sparsely populated land of Texas
The Mexicans began encouraging Americans to settle by granting empresarios, or large land grants in return for bringing settlers
Despite rules for governing the settlement of land many settlers simply arrived and claimed land

13. Texas
Unlike the empresarios who intermingled into Mexican society the new settlers were apart and rejected Mexican authority
In 1835 battles began between the settlers and Mexican president General Santa Anna
Two battles change the settlers from looking to stay with Mexico to wanting independence
The massacre at the Alamo in March 1836 (187)
The massacre at Goliad 3 weeks later (300)
By 1836 the settlers won independence as a separate republic

14. California and the West
The Mexican rule in California was historically weak so they tried to stimulate the economy to increase control
However this program only strengthened ties to outside countries
The Santa Fe Trail to the west led to increased trade and immigrants into New Mexico as well
At the extreme north Americans also began adding to the Utah territory with members of the new Mormon faith led by Joseph Smith choosing this area

15. Politics, Expansion, and War
In 1844 James K. Polk, a Democratic, became President under a policy of expansion
In the spring of 1846 Polk declares war on Mexico over “atrocities” in Texas
Zachary Taylor leads the US Army to a triumphant victory over an under supplied Mexico that adds California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the war

16. Chapter Objectives
How did economic and demographic pressures in the East spur Western migration?
How did Westward expansion affect the life of Plains Indians?
How was the United States able to annex Texas from Mexico?
Which peoples lived in the Southwest?