1. The Territorial Expansion of the United States 1830’s-1850’s

2. Exploring the West American expansion was so rapid that, within 60 years of independence, more American lived west of the original 13 states than lived in them The fur trade was a great spur to exploration in N.America The federal gov’t promoted western expansion by sending out exploratory & scientific expeditions Gov’t policy looked upon the West as a refuge for eastern Indians who were removed

3. The Fur Trade In the 1670’s, the British Hudson’s Bay Colony and Montreal’s North West Company, began exploring beyond the Great Lakes In 1821 the British Hudson’s Bay colony took over and ran the fur trade from trading posts in the far Canadian north They also explored the Canadian West and the Oregon Country Not until the 1820s could American companies challenge the British 1824, William Henry Ashley, instituted the “rendezvous” system There, they traded traps, guns, ammunition, tobacco, beads, fabrics, and alcohol “Mountain Men” – lived in the mountains trapping beavers and developing a relationship with the Indian people By the 1840s, however, the beaver was virtually trapped out

4. Exploration… 1806-1807: Lieutenant Zebulon Pike led an expedition to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado 1819- 1820: Major Stephen Long made an exploration in which he mapped the Great Plains 1843- 1844: John C. Frémont mapped the overland trails to Oregon and California. 1869: Major John Wesley Powell made an expedition of the Grand Canyon --------------------------------------------------------------- After all of these explorations, the government published their geological surveys, complete with maps, illustrations and photographs Landscape artists include, Karl Bodmer, Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, and others American pride and self-image began to increase

5. 1819, explorers nicknamed the West the “Great American Desert” Thought it was “wholly unfit for cultivation” We now call it the “Great Plains” “The Great American Desert”

6. Indian Policy and Expansion Encroachment on the new Indian Territory was not long in coming The Santa Fe Trail & Overland Trails crossed Indian Territory The gov’t pushed for further land concessions from the western tribes The tribes in what is now Oklahoma managed to hold onto their lands until after the Civil War

7. Indian Policy and Expansion “Indian Territory”- a region west of Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa, on the Eastern edge of the Great Plains 1854: the government abolished the northern half of the territory, establishing the Kansas and Nebraska Territories in its place; opening them to white settlers (Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854) People in the Southern part of the Indian Territory got along better than the rest, creating new communities (Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks and Seminoles) These Indian groups created self-governing nations with their own schools and churches

8. Manifest Destiny and Expansionism In 1845 John O’ Sullivan coined the phrase to imply that Americans had a God-given right to spread across the continent & conquer whomever stood in their way  “our Manifest Destiny is to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” Would enable whites to “civilize” the Indians Thomas Hart Benton and others believed that the economic future for the United States depended on trade with Asia. Most Democrats supported expansionism, while most Whigs opposed it.

9. Traveling the Overland Trails to Oregon The trip west was a long, expensive & hazardous journey Pioneers were attracted to the promise of economic opportunity, the chance for adventure, or the chance to build a new home Often traveled in groups and hired a pilot who knew the terrain Men – took care of the wagons & animals Women – took care of children & meal preparation Trip through the plains was relatively simple But, the Rocky Mountains caused countless problems due to lack of food & difficult terrain Indian attacks were few Throughout the journey, disease plagued the pioneers By 1860, almost 300,000 people had traveled the Oregon & Californa trails

10. Oregon continued… Convention of 1818: Britain and United States jointly occupied Oregon First permanent European settlers were retired fur trappers. Next, was a mix of Americans, British, French Canadians, Indians and Métis people, followed by the Protestants. Next, the Midwest farmers came. They would soon represent the majority of the settlers in Oregon, and carried out “Oregon fever.” People met in 1843 to try and draft their own constitution. (Banned African Americans/ slavery) “54-40 or fight”- suggested that the US would go to war if it didn’t get control of the territory south of 54°40’

11. Oregon continued… June 1846: US and Britain concluded the 49 th Parallel would become the US- Canada border (Webster- Ashburton Treaty 1842 and the Oregon Treaty 1846) Oregon’s Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, codified the practice of giving 320 acres to each white male age 18+ and 640 acres to each married couple. Kinship was very important

12. The Santa Fe Trail Spain had resisted American penetration of NM But after Mexican independence, NM welcomed American trade along the Santa Fe Trail Though the trail was hard, arduous, and dangerous, profits were high American trappers & traders assimilated to the local population

13. Texas & Its Inhabitants 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain Main inhabitants of TX were Tejanos and nomadic Comanches Mexican authorities sought American settlement as a way of providing a buffer between its heartland and the Comanches Americans view of TX:  Extension of settlement in MS & LA  Came to grow cotton in their self-contained enclaves Americans would soon outnumber the Tejanos For a time, all three groups lived without major conflict:  Tejanos maintained ranches & missions in the south  Americans farmed the eastern & south central sections  Comanches held their northwestern hunting grounds

14. The Texas Revolt 1828: the balance between Comanche, American and Tejano (person of Spanish or Mexican descent) was broken. The Mexican government restricted American immigration, outlawed slavery, levied customs duties and taxes, and planned other matters. In fall of 1835 a war broke out. The Americans thought they had won, and were surprised by a Mexican counterattack led by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Santa Anna was defeated and on May 14, 1836, Santa Anna signed a treaty fixing the southern boundary of the new “Republic of Texas” In 1837, Texas applied for admission to the Union, but was denied.

15. Election of 1844 James K. Polk (Democrat) v. Henry Clay (Whig) Polk favored annexation of Texas & Manifest Destiny Clay avoided commitment on this issue Polk won the election by a margin of 40,000 popular votes. Texas entered the Union in December 1845, as the 28 th state, and the 15 th slave state.

16. James Polk #11 VP – George Dallas Sec of State – James Buchanan Youngest man to be elected to the presidency so far in history  49 years old Former Speaker of the House  First to move to the executive mansion Graduated from University of North Carolina Went on to study law “Young Hickory” Coined the slogan “Fifty-four Forty or Fight!” Freed himself to be an effective president very early on by pledging not to run for reelection Committed to expanding US territory; which during his presidency increased by nearly 70% Died 3 months after leaving office

17. Mexican- American War: The Beginning Although Polk settled the Oregon controversy peacefully, he did not hesitate to use force to settle the border dispute with Mexico Polk wanted to extend US territory to the Pacific & encouraged a takeover of California When Mexico refused to receive the envoy who was bringing an offer to buy the disputed Texas territory, Polk ordered troops into that territory A brief skirmish broke out – Polk will use this to justify declaring war on Mexico

18. Mexican- American War: During & End The war was politically divisive, particularly among Whigs & Northerners Polk sent troops to northern provinces of Mexico  Conquered NM & CA Victories in Mexico came hard War ended when General Scott captured Mexico City Although Polk had ambitions of taking additional territory, he accepted the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo  Ceded CA & NM  Accepted the Rio Grande River as Mexico’s northern border

19. The Wilmot Proviso In August of 1846, Wilmot proposed that slavery be banned in all the territories acquired by Mexico. Southern Whigs joined the southern Democrats to vote against the measure. Northerners of both parties supported it. Triggered the first breakdown in the national party system and reopened the slavery debate. This posed a serious threat to party unity.

20. Free-Soil Movement Liberty party was created by abolitionists and further, the free-soil party Free-soil movement shifted the idea of morality of slavery to the ways it affected expansion. The Liberty party suggested that slave states should not be admitted to the union “Free-soilers” really meant, “antiblack” when they said “antislavery” They proposed to ban all African Americans from new territories William Lloyd Garrison denounced the free-soil doctrine as “whitemanism,” a racist effort to make territories white.

21. THE CONFLICT OVER SLAVERY CONTINUES … As a result of the Mexican “cession” The idea of “Popular Sovereignty” develops:  The voters in a territory decide whether or not slavery will be allowed in that territory

22. Election of 1848 Lewis Cass of Michigan was the Democratic nominee for president. Zachary Taylor, war hero, was the Whig candidate. Cass argued that territorial residents should decide issue of slavery Taylor remained silent on slavery issue Zachary Taylor won the election with only 47% of the popular vote.

23. Zachary Taylor #12 VP – Millard Fillmore Before running for president, Taylor had never even voted in a presidential election  1 st president to possess no knowledge of the political process Soldier through & through  Father was an officer in the Revolutionary War  Served under Harrison during the War of 1812  Fought against the Seminoles in the battle of Lake Okeechobee  During the Mexican war, would lead Ulysses Grant & Jefferson Davis  Davis would later become his son-in-law Would die in office of cholera  Contracted at a 4 th of July celebration during which he had laid a cornerstone for the Washington Monument  “Got too hot & died”: Wore a black high-collar suit, then preceded to consume iced milk & cold cherries  Shocked his system & organs; contracted Cholera; will die on July 9th

24. The Gold Rush Gold discovered at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 Thousands of people nicknamed “forty- niners” left their farm and jobs and headed west to make a fortune. 80% were Americans, while the rest were from Mexico, Latin America, Asia and Europe. Many of the incoming forty-niners lived in mines that were unsanitary. Most miners were young men who were unmarried and unsuccessful. The majority of women in the early mining camps were prostitutes. After the Rush, California was left with a booming, multi-cultural population and mining industry.

25. The End!!!