Theme America s annexation of the western territories Manifest Destiny 1845: phrase coined by John L. O Sullivan, editor of the Democratic Review. America s superior institutions and culture gave it a God-given right to spread its civilization across the continent. Manifest Destiny Annexing Texas 1819: Transcontinental Treaty (also known as Adams-Onís Treaty) U.S. purchased Florida from Spain U.S. recognized Spanish sovereignty over Texas
By the time of the treaty s ratification in 1821, Mexico was independent of Spain. 1823:
In order to strengthen its border areas by increasing population, Mexico promised land to those who would: Pay a nominal amount Pledge to become Catholics Pledge to become Mexican citizens Stephen F. Austin: American impresario who encouraged Americans to take advantage of Mexico s offer; most who responded were Southern slaveholders 1830: 15,000 American white settlers in Texas with 1,000 slaves 5,000 Tejanos 1829:
Mexico abolished slavery Mexico ordered an end to American emigration
Response: Emigration continued Slaveowners freed slaves but made them sign life indentures
October 1835: Sam Houston, former army officer and governor of Tennessee, led the Texas militia against the Mexicans, which was led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. Mexican victories in 1836: The Alamo Goliad Texans were killed although they had surrendered April 1836: Near the San Jacinto River, Texans attacked during the Mexicans siesta, capturing Santa Anna 9 dead and 17 wounded Texans 630 dead Mexicans Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty of Texan independence setting its boundary at the Rio Grande River.
Texas tried to be admitted to the Union but failed. Reasons: Jackson did not want to go to war over it Northerners did not want to admit a slave state
1844: President John Tyler, a Virginian, supported Texas admission to the Union Democratic Senators Lewis Cass of Michigan and Stephen Douglas of Illinois supported it as spreading the benefits of American civilization
James Polk of Tennessee, the Democratic presidential candidate, supported the annexation of Texas and occupation of the Oregon territory Whig candidate Henry Clay opposed it, fearing the expansion of slavery and the growth of the slave power Polk was elected
Election of 1844 1845: President Tyler was able to pass a joint resolution in 1845 admitting Texas; a joint resolution required only a majority vote, not the two-thirds Senate vote of a treaty Mexico was convinced that U.S. had been plotting to gain Texas from the beginning. Polk s demands: Texas boundary at the Rio Grande instead of the Neuces River California New Mexico October 1845: Polk sent General Zachary Taylor and 3,500 American troops to the Nueces. When the Mexicans refused to meet his representative, he ordered them to the Rio Grande. April 1846: A skirmish occurred which resulted in Polk s claiming that Mexico had invaded U.S. territory. The Americans swept into Mexico and captured Mexico City. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): Rio Grande was boundary between Mexico and the U.S. U.S. gained the Southwest and California, about one-third of prewar Mexico U.S. paid Mexico $15 million U.S. government promised to honor American claims against Mexico U.S. promised to honor former Mexican citizens civil, political, and property rights
Annexing Oregon
Initially, Polk claimed U.S. had title to Oregon up to the 54°40'N latitude. Britain disagreed. June 1846: Britain and U.S. agreed that U.S. could have Oregon up to the 49th parallel Vancouver Island would remain British The Emigrants Far west (slavery prohibited): most emigrants were American-born whites from the Midwest and the Upper South, along with a few free blacks Arkansas and Texas: most emigrants from the Deep South went here along with their slaves 1840: 11,000 slaves in Texas and 20,000 in Arkansas Reasons why migrants moved west Economic opportunities: Gold Becoming merchants, shopkeepers, and peddlers Land speculation Practicing law or medicine Land cultivation: 1830s and 1840s preemption acts: squatters could settle on public lands and then purchase them for a minimum price when they went up for sale; families could buy a minimum of 40 acres.
Homestead Act (1862): 160 acres of free government land given to citizens or future citizens over age 21 who lived on it, improved it, and paid a registration fee
Health Religious or cultural missions Mining communities 1848:
Gold discovered in California Population: 14,000 1849: 100,000 1852: over 200,000 Most of the emigrants were single, male, and heterogeneous. Agricultural settlements: isolated early residents; communities gradually expanded Gold-rush settlements: rapid, usually short-lived growth Mining communities Half of mining-camp residents weren t miners: Merchants Saloonkeepers Cooks Druggists Prostitutes
5% of emigrants were women and children. Women provided cooking, nursing, laundry, and hotel services. Prostitutes were as much as 20% of California s female population in 1850. Mining communities 1848-1883: California produced two-thirds of U.S. gold. Results: Growth of San Francisco Agricultural and commercial development of California and Oregon Building of harbors, railroads, and irrigation systems across the West Mormonism 1846: Mobs chased Mormons out of Nauvoo, Illinois. Brigham Young wanted to move the community far west in order to preserve it.
1847: Young selected the Salt Lake in the Great Basin area, later called Utah. At that time it was part of Mexico. 1850: settlement population of 11,000 1860: 30,000 in Salt Lake and 90 villages in Utah Church officials occupied all important political posts. The Governing Quorum: the Church s high priests, who made religious and political decisions. After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Brigham Young was territorial governor and bishops also served as civil magistrates.
Mormons focused on converting Native Americans, not killing them, learning tribal languages and encouraging them to ranch and farm. Polygamy had been practiced in the early 1840s but was only publicly revealed by Brigham Young in 1852. Plains Tribes 1840s: White Americans first came into contact with the Plains tribes. Plains Indians were nomads, using horses to hunt buffalo for food, clothing, fuels, teepees, and trading. Problems: White settlers stock grazed on the grass that fed the buffalo and the Plains horses Whites hunting of buffalo
As a result of white encroachment, the number of buffalo declined, causing tribes to fight each other for hunting grounds and food (i.e. Sioux raiding the Pawnee). 1846: Sioux petitioned President Polk for compensation. He refused, so they attempted to impose their own tax on those settlers passing through, outraging whites. 1849: 20,000 crossed the Great Plains after the discovery of gold in California, which caused great destruction in the Platte Valley and spread cholera that killed thousands of Native Americans The Fort Laramie Treaty Council (1851) Government offer:
Native Americans would be compensated for the destruction of grass, timber, and buffalo Native Americans would receive annual payments of goods and services Tribes had to stay within government-drawn boundaries
Sioux refused to stay north of the Platte River because they had conquered Kiowa and Crow land south of it.