Section 4 Conquest of a Continent

Buffalo & Indians are driven into obscurity… Lady Liberty “Star of Empire” Carries a schoolbook… …and telegraph wire …as settlers move westward “The tools of progress”

 the belief that America was destined to stretch across continent.  This suggested that expansion was not only good but bound to happen.  Popular among many for different reasons Southern expansionists & Northern abolitionists saw opportunities to expand their power in Congress  Manifest Destiny became a gov’t policy under James K. Polk (11th president)

America Achieves Manifest Destiny  March 1848 – Mexicans made peace with the U.S. with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo U.S. Army left Mexico City U.S. paid Mexico $15 million U.S. got New Mexico, California Rio Grande River was the southern boundary of Texas  Mexicans disgusted and humiliated  Polk upset because U.S. got so little

 In Gadsden Purchase of 1853 U.S. purchased another 26,640 square miles in southern New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico for $15 million (to build a railroad)

A When? From Where? Why? 1776 Great Britain US declared indepen dence from Great Britain A - 13 Original Colonies

A When? From Where? Why? 1848 Mexico Polk offers to buy G from Mexico & they refuse War! U.S. wins-Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; U.S. offers $15 million for G B G - Mexican Cession D C E F G

 1821 – Revolution overturned Spanish rule in Mexico, U.S. recognized Mexico as a republic  American expansionists – those who favored U.S. territorial growth – looked at Texas, New Mexico, California as targets for American expansion Few people living there Rich in resources Mexican government and economy weak after revolution Mexicans did not deserve to keep territory Americans needed

 Wagons West – trains of 10 to 100 wagons moved settlers the 2000 miles from Missouri to Oregon or California 260,000 Americans made the trip Trip took 5 months Donner Party (cannibalism) showed the danger Those that made it got better farms

 Census reports record the new movement westward ( ) Ohio: 50, million Illinois: 12, ,000 Alabama: 22, ,000  By 1837, the number of states doubled to 26 Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana

) The Wilmot Proviso (1846 )  Before Mexican War was over, future of SW lands caused strong debate in the U.S.  1846: Pennsylvania Whig congressman David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso Slavery banned in any land won from Mexico Proposal broke up parties along sectional lines Failed to become law

 Mormons move west – after Joseph Smith was killed in Illinois in 1844, leadership of Mormon Church passed to Brigham Young 1847 Young led Mormon Exodus to east shore of Great Salt Lake Successful settlement in desert By 1860 over 40,000 Mormons in the West

The California Gold Rush  The California Gold Rush was a mass migration of people from the eastern U.S. and around the world looking for easy riches  Called forty-niners, the gold seekers swelled the population of California from 14,000 in 1847 to 225,000 in five years

The California Gold Rush  By 1849 the country was gripped in gold “fever”  Farmers left their fields, merchants closed their shops, soldiers left their posts – and all made plans to go to California

The California Gold Rush  Early miners able to pan for gold along the rivers of northern California – called placer mining  Conditions hard in the mining camps – no law, no sanitation, prices for food and supplies very high  Cholera, dysentery rampant

The California Gold Rush  Towns that started were accurately named Hangtown, Gouge Eye, Rough and Ready, Whiskeytown – places to avoid, if not for the gold Few miners got rich – merchants and service people got rich  When mining in the rivers played out, hard rock mining started

The California Gold Rush  John Sutter was a Swiss immigrant to California in 1839 – owned 1000’s of acres, cattle, and many people working for him In late 1847 Sutter hired James Marshall to build a saw mill on the American River to provide lumber for Sutter’s growing ranch

Effects of the Gold Rush  American miners forced out Mexicans and Chinese miners to reduce competition, $20/month “foreign miners” tax to discourage miners from other countries.  Chinese miners moved to San Francisco and formed Chinatown.  Native Americans either died from European diseases or were hunted down by miners – In 1870, their population declined from 150,000 in 1860 to 58,000 in 1870.

 Californios (Mexican Californians) lost their lands  California applied for statehood as free state  Union comprised of 15 free states, 15 slave  Admission of California in 1850 intensified debate over slavery

 Events directly affected by “Manifest Destiny” 1. Indian Wars and Removal (1830’s) 2. The Alamo (1835) 3. Mexican War (1846) 4. Gold Rush (1849) 5. Reliance on slavery spins nation into Civil War (1861)