WESTWARD EXPANSION & the COMPROMISE of 1850

MANIFEST DESTINY In the 1840s Americans believed that their movement westward was predestined by God Manifest Destiny was the belief that the U.S. would expand “from sea to shining sea”

UNITED STATES EXPANSION BY MANIFEST DESTINY

FAMOUS TRAILS WEST No highways existed, thus wagon trails served as the roads to the West Santa Fe Trail ran from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico Oregon Trail stretched from Independence to Oregon City, Oregon Mormons especially utilized the Oregon Trail on their way to Salt Lake City

MEXICO CONTROLS TEXAS Mexico won their independence from Spain in 1821 and Texas was Mexico’s Mexican officials offered land to Americans to make the area more stable Americans soon outnumbered Mexicans in Texas – trouble started

TEXAS INDEPENDENCE Stephen Austin established a colony of Americans in Texas Conflicts intensified between Mexicans and Americans in Texas

REMEMBER THE ALAMO Mexican President Santa Anna was determined to force Texans to obey Mexican law Santa Anna marched his troops toward San Antonio – at the same time Austin issued a call to arms for all American Texans THE ALAMO IN SAN ANTONIO

REMEMBER THE ALAMO American forces moved into a mission known as the Alamo in 1836 After 13 days the Mexican troops scaled the walls and slaughtered all 187 Americans

After much fighting General Santa Anna is defeated Texas wins it’s Independence from Mexico and becomes an independent country Texas wanted to join the U.S. If that happened Mexico said it would declare war on the U.S.

MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR 1844 presidential election winner, James Polk, eagerly wanted to annex Texas as part of the U.S. Negotiations failed and U.S. troops moved into Mexican territory in 1845 MEXICAN PRESIDENT SANTA ANNA

MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR America victories soon followed, and in 1848 Mexican leader Santa Anna conceded defeat

America victories soon followed, and in 1848 Mexican leader Santa Anna conceded defeat Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed – U.S. gets (larger) Texas, New Mexico & California MEXICAN-AMERICAN WARMEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR

The Mexican Cession Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed – U.S. gets (larger) Texas, New Mexico & California The Mexican Cession Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo also called The Mexican Cession

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH After gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, migration to California rose from 400 in 1848 to 44,000 in 1850 Folks who rushed to San Francisco in 1849 became known as Forty-niners By 1857, the total amount of gold mined in California topped $2,000,000,000

The Compromise of 1850 Its goal was to deal with the spread of slavery to territories To keep northern and southern political power in balance.

Compromise of California was entered as a free state. 2. New Mexico and Utah would use popular sovereignty to decide the issue of slavery. popular sovereignty - means the people would pick whether the states would be free or slave. The slave trade was abolished in the District of Columbia.

Fugitive Slave Law Any northerner that did not aid in the capture of runaway slave was subject to $1000. fine. denied accused fugitive slaves the right to testify or to trial by jury. Judges were paid $5 for freeing a fugitive $10 for returning the person to the South

Fugitive Slave Law Northerners were outraged because they were forced to assist in the capture of escaped slaves. Northern free blacks who had lived their entire lives as free citizens could be captured and "returned" to a slavery they had never before experienced. Thousands of free blacks and fugitive slaves fled to Canada

Fugitive Slave Law REACTION AND CONSEQUENCE Reactions to the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Law increased growing divisions between the North and the South. It angered the North caused many whites who had not given slavery much thought of slavery into fierce abolitionists.

Fugitive Slave Law REACTION AND CONSEQUENCE It angered the North It caused many whites who had not given slavery much thought into fierce abolitionists.