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2.  Millions of Americans in 1840s & 50s believed that God chose Americans to control of the Western Hemisphere  Felt mission was to spread democratic institutions from "sea to shining sea.“  Land greed and ideals joined into a potent mix for expansion  "Manifest destiny" phrase coined in 1844 by John L. Sullivan  Movement really began in 1830s with Jackson & Van Buren removing Indians

3.  Democrats supported "Young Hickory" James K. Polk  Sought to annex Texas & gain Oregon up to the 54-40 parallel.  Whigs supported Henry Clay  Liberty Party: 1st party created to block the extension of slavery  Candidate: James G. Birney, founder of Kentucky Anti- Slavery Society  Party ran in both 1840 and 1844 elections.  Polk d. Clay 170-105 (Clay lost NY by 5K votes)

4.  Polk’s 4-Point Program  Lowered the tariff of 1842 from 32% to 25%  Restoration of the Independent Treasury System (1846)  Acquisition of California  Settlement of the Oregon dispute

5.  Control of the Oregon Territory had been under dispute for decades  John Jacob Astor: Developed the American Fur Company into a huge enterprise organizing the fur trade from the Great Lakes to Oregon.  Conflict with Russia  1812: Russia established Fort Ross just north of San Francisco  1820: Monroe Doctrine  1824-25: Treaties with U.S. & Britain pushed Russia to 54-40’ line  U.S. & Britain became sole possessors.

6.  1840’s: Flood of American pioneers came to Oregon on a trail blazed by Jedediah Smith  Oregon Trail began at Independence, MO or Council Bluffs, IA  2,000 mile trail; average of 17 deaths per mile for pioneers  1846: 5,000 U.S. settlers lived south of Columbia River; British had only 700 people living north of river  Early in 1846, Britain agreed to 49 th parallel

7.  1835-1836: American settlers in Texas fought the Texas Revolution  1836-1846: They ruled themselves as the Republic of Texas  Mexico refused to recognize Texan independence.  Threatened war if the U.S. should try to annex the territory.

8.  Texas was the leading issue in the Election of 1844  Opponents feared expansion of slavery into new region.  Southerners strongly supported annexation.  1845: President John Tyler won a joint resolution in Congress for annexation  Mexico claimed U.S. had unjustly taken Texas; refused to recognize its annexation

9.  Polk wanted to buy California from Mexico  The Texas issue had caused Mexico to sever diplomatic relations with U.S.  Boundary dispute: Original boundary was the northerly Nueces River; Texans claimed the Rio Grande to the South  Polk honored Texas’ boundary & claimed $3 million in damages  Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico City in late 1845 to buy California for $25 million  Mexico refused to allow Slidell to present his proposition

10.  January 1846: Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to march from Nueces River to Rio Grande, and ordered Navy in Gulf of Mexico and California coast to be ready.  Polk was prepared to force a showdown, but none occurred

11.  April 1846: Mexican troops crossed Rio Grande and attacked Taylor; 16 casualties  Polk sent war message to Congress.  Congress overwhelmingly voted for declaration of war.  Southern expansionists eager to take more Mexican territory.  A majority of Whigs opposed the war in principle.  Some Whigs questioned if the war had begun on U.S. territory  Spot Resolutions: Rep. Abraham Lincoln sought the exact "spot“  Many Whigs believed U.S. had no legal right to land south of Nueces River.  Ralph Waldo Emerson feared slavery issue in new conquered territories would lead to a severe sectional crisis: "Mexico will poison us!"

12.  California Campaign  Captain John C. Fremont captured California, after the state had earlier won its independence in the Bear Flag Revolt  In 1846, General Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe and moved in to reinforce California

13.  Pacific Coast Campaign  Commodore John D. Sloat seized Monterey & San Francisco.  Mexico Campaign  General Zachary Taylor was victorious at Monterey and Buena Vista  Taylor became an overnight hero (elected president in 1848).  General Winfield Scott pushed inland from Vera Cruz and captured Mexico City  Mexico still refused to negotiate and instead carried on guerrilla warfare.

14.  Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)  Provisions:  U.S. gained California, and modern-day NM, AZ, UT and NV - ½ of Mexican territory  U.S. to pay $15 million and assumed claims of U.S. citizens against Mexico of $3,250,000  Treaty approved by Senate 38-14 despite bitter debate  "Mexican Whigs" disapproved of war & even threatened to cut off supplies to U.S. forces in Mexico  Expansionists in South clamored for all of Mexico  Calhoun pushed for treaty immediately before significant opposition mounted

15.  Most significantly, slavery issue reignited: Slavery or not in new the territories?  In a broad sense, Mexican War resulted in Civil War  Abolitionists saw Mexican War as conspiracy of southern slave owners.  Wilmot Proviso (1848)  Slavery should never exist in any of territory gained from Mexico  Twice passed House but not Senate; endorsed by all but 1 free state  Southerners resented Northern attempts to prevent expansion of slavery

16.  U.S. territory increased by 1/3 (including Texas); bigger than Louisiana Purchase  13,000 Americans dead, mostly by disease.  Sentiment for Manifest Destiny increased in U.S.  Latin America began to negatively view U.S. as the "Colossus of the North“  U.S. forces experienced in war; would effect scope of Civil War