1. Territorial Expansion (1830-1860)
Unit 4, Lesson 2

2. Essential Idea
Under President James K. Polk, the territory of the United States expanded to the Pacific Coast.

3. Manifest Destiny Manifest Destiny Which land? Driving forces Critics
Manifest Destiny- expressed the popular belief that the United States had a divine mission to extend its power and civilization across the breadth of North America
Which land?- West all the way to the Pacific, South as far as Central American (eventually the Caribbean and the Pacific islands in the (1890s)
Driving forces- nationalism, population increase, rapid economic development, technological advances (and reform ideals?)
Critics- many in the North were opposed to expansion because they saw it as a ploy to extend slavery into the west

4. Texas Mexican Independence (1821) Texas Stephen Austin Texan Americans
Settling Texas
Mexican independence- Mexico achieved independence from Spain in 1821.
Texas- Mexico hoped to attract settlers to its northern province, Texas, even if it mean bringing in American white settlers.
Immigration of Americans to Texas was allowed on the condition that the settlers would be “Mexicanized” and convert to Roman Catholicism, though this did not happen.
Stephen Austin- in 1823, Stephen Austin brought 300 families to a large land grant that had been secured by his father. From here, a steady stream of American immigration into Texas started.
By 1830, American whites and slaves outnumbered Mexicans in Texas 3 to 1.
Texan Americans- By 1835, there were 30,000 Texan Americans in Texas. They clashed with Mexicans over issues such as slavery, immigration, and local rights. Having emancipated its slaves in 1830, Mexico forbade further importation of American slaves. Texan Americans ignored these rules.
Culture clashes continued. Mexico disallowed any more American immigrants, but Americans continued to “illegally immigrate” into Texas.

5. Texans Revolt General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna Sam Houston
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna- leader of Mexico, jailed Austin for eight months when Austin tried to negotiate with him.
Eventually (1835), Santa Anna became dictatorial and wiped out all local rights of Texans and raised an army to keep them in line.
Sam Houston- he was a relatively new arrival to Texas. He had served as governor of Tennessee and as a soldier.
Houston organized a group of American rebels (became their commander-in-chief), revolted, and declared Texas to be independent in March of 1836

6. Texas War of Independence
The Alamo
Goliad
The Alamo- Santa Anna led six thousand Mexican troops into Texas. They trapped a group of 200 rebels at the Alamo.
The rebels held off the Mexicans for 13 days until they ran out of ammunition. The Mexicans overran the Alamo and killed everyone inside.
However, this battle held up Santa Anna’s forces and gave Houston more time to gather reinforcements.
Goliad- here, American rebels were killed despite the fact that they had already surrendered.
These events strengthened the resolve of the Texans to be independent.

7. Texas War of Independence
Battle of San Jacinto (April 1836)
Texas Independence
Victory for Texas
Annexation?
British Texas?
Battle of San Jacinto- Santa Anna’s men took a siesta by the San Jacinto River. Houston led a charge of men who took the Mexican’s by surprise and captured Santa Anna.
Why capture and not kill Santa Anna? (they could get him to legitimize Texas independence)
Texas Independence- Santa Anna, under threat of death, was forced to sign a treaty that recognized Texas’ independence and granted the new republic all territory NORTH OF THE RIO GRANDE (this border will later be disputed)
Annexation?- Sam Houston became the first president of the Republic of Texas (also called the Lone Star Republic). Houston applied for Texas to be annexed into the United States.
Jackson and Van Buren put off annexing Texas. Why? (pressure from Northerners and antislavery citizens who opposed the potential for up to 5 slave states that could be carved out of Texas)
Also, many worried that annexing Texas would lead to war with Mexico.
British Texas?- Tyler was a southern Whig and wanted to annex Texas. Also, he was concerned about a growing British influence in Texas. However, the Senate rejected Tyler’s bill for annexation in 1844.

8. Analyze.

9. Maine Border dispute Aroostook War (“Battle of the Maps”)
Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842)
Border dispute- during the early 1840s, border disputes arose from the ill-defined boundary between Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Canada was still under British rule and many Americans regarded Britain as the country’s worst enemy.
Aroostook War- conflict arose between lumbermen, who began fighting along the American/Candian border
Webster-Ashburton Treaty- Secretary of State Daniel Webster and British Ambassador Lord Ashburton hammered out the precise border in 1842 (and also settled the boundary of the Minnesota Territory)

10. Oregon Oregon Territory America’s claim to Oregon
Oregon Territory- at various times, the Oregon Territory was claimed by four different countries (Spain, Russia, Britain, and the United States). Spain had given up its claim in the Adam-Onis Treaty in (Russia gave up its claims after treaties with Britain and America in the 1820s)
Britain based its claim on its fur trade with Indians there, but the British population was dwindling.
America’s claim to Oregon- America based it’s claim largely on: 1. Americans had discovered the Columbia River 2. Lewis and Clark’s expedition 3. American fur trading 4. They had the dominate population (by the 1840s, more than 5,000 Americans had traveled the Oregon Trail to take advantage of Oregon’s fertile soils)
By the 1840s, many Americans felt it was the country’s manifest destiny to claim Oregon (and annex Texas)

11. Election of 1844 James K. Polk (Democrat) Henry Clay (Whig) Texas
“54-40 or Fight!”
California
Clay flip-flops
James K. Polk- a “dark horse” candidate and protégé of Andrew Jackson. Polk was a firm believer in manifest destiny and expansion. Democrats called him “Young Hickory”
Henry Clay- Clay again ran, representing the Whigs, who ridiculed Polk with the slogan, “Who is James K. Polk?”
Texas- Polk favored annexing Texas, even though many Northerners disliked the idea because Texas allowed slavery and it would tip the free/slave balance
54-40 or fight- Polk favored the “reoccupation” of Oregon, and the Democrats coined the slogan, “54-40 or fight,” indicating the desire to obtain the entire Oregon Territory and go to war with Britain if necessary to get it.
California- Polk also favored buying California from Mexico
Clay flip-flops- Clay flip-flopped on the issue of Texas, first saying he was against it and then saying he was for it (John Kerry?). His strategy alienated voters in New York, who formed a third party (Liberty Party)
Clay would have won New York, and the election, had he not lost votes to the Liberty Party

12. Election of 1844 Results A mandate? Polk, the “Expansionist President”
Results- Polk snagged the crucial state of New York from Clay and won the election.
A mandate?- many saw this election as a mandate from the American people, favoring manifest destiny and expansion. John Tyler, three days before leaving office, pushed the annexation of Texas through Congress. Polk would have to deal with Mexico’s reaction.
Polk, the “Expansionist President”- under Polk, the country would extend its territory to the Pacific Ocean

13. The Country Expands Texas Annexed Northern reaction Mexican reaction
The Oregon Treaty
Texas Annexed- Texas was annexed in 1845
Northern reaction- northerners saw Texas as an expansion of slavery
Mexican reaction- Mexico was angry over the deal, feeling that America had sided with their enemy.
The Oregon Treaty- no fight came over Oregon. Rather, America and Britain agreed to split Oregon along th 49th Parallel.
Northern reaction- some were happy, but others thought that Polk had sold out to southern interests because the deal gave up potential land that could have become free states.
(By this time the Mexican American War had broken out, and the compromise was hammered out in order to prevent war with both Mexico AND Britain)

14. Problems with Mexico California Texas Nueces or Rio Grande?
California- Polk wanted to buy California, and he sent John Slidell to Mexico City to negotiate a sale of California (and New Mexico).
Texas- Slidell was also sent to settle a dispute concerning the Texas/Mexico border
Nueces or Rio Grande?- Americans asserted that the border lay along the Rio Grande (which was agreed to in Santa Anna’s agreement to give Texas Independence). However, the Mexican government insisted that the Nueces River was the border.
Mexico refused to even negotiate the sale of California and insisted the border was the Nueces River

15. American Blood on American Soil?
Zachary Taylor
American blood shed
Lincoln’s “Spot Resolutions”
Zachary Taylor- Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to move his army toward the Rio Grande across the territory claimed by Mexico.
Why? (this would be seen as an invasion by the Mexicans and incite them to fight (and make a war look defensive)
American blood shed- April 24, 1846, a Mexican army allegedly crossed the Rio Grande and captured an American army patrol, killing 11.
Polk used this incident to send his (already prepared) war message to Congress, claiming that “American blood had been shed on American soil” (they hit us first!)
Lincoln’s Spot Resolutions- Abraham Lincoln, a freshman congressman from Illinois, doubted that American blood had been shed on American soil. He asked for the exact location of the attack, but got none.
Did Polk provoke the war? (Pretty much. Polk had already tried to get Congress to declare war based on an outstanding 3 million dollar debt Mexico owed, plus their refusal to negotiate about California)

16. The Mexican-American War
War declared (April 1846)
Northern reaction
Wilmot Proviso
Southern reaction
War declared- despite Lincoln’s doubts, Congress overwhelmingly approved a declaration of war against Mexico
Northern reaction- many Northerners felt that the Mexican war was a ploy to extend slavery by creating new American land below the Missouri Compromise line (Frederick Douglass was an outspoken critic)
Wilmot Proviso- during the first year of the war, Representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania introduced the controversial Wilmot Proviso, a proposal to ban slavery in all land that might be won from Mexico. This would get northerners on board (most of the country’s population was in the North) with the war and alleviate their fears of a “slavocracy.”
Southern reaction- southern Congressmen fought hard against this proposal, seeing it as a threat to slavery everywhere and as a violation of the Missouri Compromise
The Wilmot Proviso did not pass, but it can be seen as one of the many “opening shots” of the Civil War that would eventually come.

17. Military Campaigns California Bear Flag Republic Santa Fe Buena Vista
California- led by John C. Fremont, troops quickly helped California win its own fight for independence, called the Bear Flag Revolt
Bear Flag Republic- California, for a short time, was known as the Bear Flag Republic, though it would soon be taken into the United States at the end of the war.
America had tried to obtain California through diplomacy and purchase, and when that did not work, they took it by force.
Santa Fe- Santa Fe was a major strategic point to capture. It was a major trade town in northern Mexico.
When it was captured by Stephen Kearny, it cut off trade for Mexico in its northern areas. Soon, all of New Mexico was captured.
Mexico had now lost both New Mexico and California, and had lost them both quickly.
Buena Vista- meanwhile, Zachary Taylor led his men across the Rio Grande into Mexican territory. In doing so, Mexican forces moved to met him (and had to leave Mexico City unguarded to do so)
In February of 1847, Taylor’s men were attacked at Buena Vista by Santa Anna’s men, who outnumbered the Americans 20,000 to 5,000. However, the Americans prevailed and Taylor became a hero (and would later be elected president)

18. Winning the War Winfield Scott Mexico City
Winfield Scott- although Taylor was too small to conquer all of northern Mexico, he was able to keep Mexican forces occupied. This left the capital, Mexico City, vulnerable.
General Winfield Scott was sent via the Gulf of Mexico to Veracruz, where he then proceeded to march to Mexico City.
Mexico City- with an army of 14,000 men, Scott was able to capture Mexico City in September of Having their capital captured, Mexico surrendered.

20. America Expands Again Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Mexican Cession
Conscience Whigs
Polk and Expansion (Watch first 2:40)
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo- signed in February of 1848, Mexico ceded all of Texas, California, New Mexico, and the rest of what is now the American Southwest (minus the Gadsden Purchase) The United States agreed to pay 15 million dollar for the land (like a second Louisiana Purchase?)
Mexican Cession- name given to the land that Mexico ceded to the United States. Why didn’t the United States take all of Mexico? (they would have to deal with a lot of Mexicans who did not want to be ruled, it would be imperialistic, and antislavery northerners would be very unhappy with all the southern land obtained)
Conscience Whigs- also called “Mexican Whigs,” these congressmen denounced the war due to their anti slavery views. They had even threatened to cut supplies to the war effort. Had they done so, the United States may not have won, or at least would not have faired as well as they did in the end.
However, in the end, the Senate ratified the treaty and the Mexican Cesson land went to the United States. (southerners didn’t get what they wanted either—they wanted all of Mexico)

21. Mexican War…….….Civil War
Prelude to Civil War?
Free or slave states?
Prelude to the Civil War?- the Mexican War and the land acquired afterwards increased sectional tension between the North and the South
Free states or slave states?- debate over the status of slavery in the new future states would divide the country (remember, the Missouri Compromise had only applied to the Louisiana Territory. Now, the south had a lot of new potential slave land)