Chapter 13 Pages 412-425 The painting is titled, American Progress. John Gast’s painting is the embodiment of Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny: South and North God-given right to expand from coast to coast Started with City on a Hill from the 1600s The term was used by John O’Sullivan Oregon: Joint Occupation with Britain “54°40’ or Fight!” was the slogan used to illustrate the U.S. position about the border with Canada – in effect the U.S. wanted all of the area Eventually, the US and Britain settled on the 49th parallel as the border California: Part of Mexico – series of missions Indians on the Great Plains: European weapons transformed life on the Plains/hunted bison The dispute for this land will escalate in the 1870s and 1880s The Election of 1844 Polk fully supports annexation of Oregon and Texas TX is annexed via a joint resolution in February 1845 Henry Clay and some Whigs resisted expansion – feared tensions over slavery

WAR WITH MEXICO Mexican-American War: ***Wilmot Proviso*** Slidell Mission – Polk sent John Slidell to buy CA and NM for $30 million, Mexico refused to meet with him Boundary issue: Texas claimed the southern border was the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed the southern border was the Nueces River Conscience Whigs – those that opposed the war on moral grounds – expansion of slavery ***Wilmot Proviso*** David Wilmot (D – NY) Introduced an amendment to a bill stating slavery would NOT exist in any land gained from Mexico The Proviso passed the House, but NOT the Senate Free-Soil Party: Opposed the extension of slavery into territories – took away jobs from whites. Did not care about morality of slavery “Free labor, free soil, free men”

War, Expansion, and Slavery, 1846 – 1850 Election of 1848: General Zachary Taylor wins (Whig) Another war hero in the tradition of Washington, Jackson and Harrison Gold Rush: John Sutter’s mills 49ers Mostly men – population increases from 14,000 to 220,000 in 4 years Many Mexicans and Californios were forced off their lands