By: Madison Maynard

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny — The idea that the destiny of the United States was to expand westward so that it stretched from sea to sea

Facts• Idea or phrase coined

by newspaper publisher John L. O’Sullivan

• Coined in 1845

Oregon Country

Oregon Country – huge area of land between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean

States• Washington• Oregon• Idaho• Montana• Wyoming

Facts• Obtained by a treaty

with Great Britain• It was a joint

occupation• Joint occupation – the

possession and settling of an area shared by two or more countries

Oregon TrailFacts• 2000 mile journey• Started in the Mississippi

Valley• Goes through and over the

Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains

Rivers Crossed• Platte• Snake• Columbia

“Fifty-Four Forty”• Democratic slogan for

the presidential election of 1844

• Referred to the longitude and latitude that the democrats believed should be the nation’s northern border in Oregon

TexasMain Idea – Texas won their

independence from Mexico and asked to be admitted to the United States

Facts• Conflict started in 1803• Stephen F. Austin organized

the first land grant colony in Texas

• General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna became the President of Mexico in 1833

Mexican Decree of 1830• Stopped all immigration

from the U.S.• Stopped all trade with

the U.S.• Encouraged immigration

from Mexico and European countries

• Angered Texas

The Battle of the Alamo• The Alamo was a small

Spanish mission in Texas• The location of the

infamous “Battle of the Alamo”

• William B. Travis was the commander of the forces located there.

• The 184 men held off Santa Anna’s troops for twelve days.

• On March 12, 1836 cannon fire smashed the Alamo’s walls and Santa Anna’s troops rushed in.

• Everyone was killed except for the woman and children, so that they could tell the tale

• Among the dead were William B. Travis, Davy Crockett, and James Bowie.Meanwhile, at Washington-On-The-Brazos on March 2, 1836, the

Texans were officially declaring their independence. Sam Houston was became the Commander in Chief of the Texas forces.

The Battle of San JacintoFacts• Occurred on April 21,

1836• The Battle Calls were:• “Remember the Alamo!”• “Remember Goliad!”• At the end of the battle,

Santa Anna signed a treaty recognizing Texas’ Independence

• Andrew Jackson refused to allow Texas to become a slave state because it would upset the balance between slave states and free states in Congress

• Texas was officially became a state on December 29, 1845

• James K. Polk was president during this time

War With MexicoStates Included in Territory:• New Mexico• Arizona• Nevada• Utah• Colorado• Wyoming

The Santa Fe Trail• The path taken by the first

American trader—William Becknell

• Started at the Missouri River• Crossed the prairies and

followed the Arkansas river west

• Came to the Rockies, then turned south into New Mexico Territories

Facts• Trade with New Mexico

affected the U.S., because many people started settling there and wanted that land

War with Mexico, cont. Facts• Spanish Missions influenced the culture in California• John C. Fremont described the climate as “mild climate and

scenic beauty”• Extending the U.S. to the Pacific Ocean was rationalized by the

people saying that they would be safely bordered by an ocean, rather than a foreign nation.

Start of the War• The U.S. claimed that the border of Texas was the Rio Grande

river• Mexico claimed that the border was the Nueces River• Polk called an emergency cabinet meeting to decide whether

there were grounds for war with Mexico• They agreed that there were grounds for war

War with Mexico, cont.• Frederick Douglass called the war “cruel” and “disgraceful” because he

believed that the Western Expansion of the United States would carry slavery with it.

• The Republic of California’s flag was called the California Bear Flag because it is white with a bear and a star on it.

End of the War• Polk sent General Winfield Scott to capture Mexico City• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war in February 1848• The border of Texas was the Rio Grande River• We obtained California and New Mexico• In 1853 we had the Gadsden Purchase, which cost us $10 million.• We obtained the southern edge of Arizona and New Mexico

New Settlers in California and Utah

Gold Rush• 1849• California• The people who came were

came the forty-niners• They had to cross the Sierra

Nevada mountain range to get there

• Mexico, South America, China, Europe, and Australia all sent ’49ers

• Boomtown—a community experiencing a sudden growth in business or population (esp. during the 19th Century)

• San Francisco went from a tiny village to a city of about 2000 people

Religious Refuge in Utah• The Mormons took refuge

in Utah• Their founder was Joseph

Smith• A mob in Illinois killed him

in 1844• Brigham Young took his

place• They settled near the Great

Salt Lake, (Salt Lake City)• Utah became a state in

1896

• Americans accept Manifest Destiny

• As the East becomes more crowded, Americans want more land

• The West contains furs, lumbers, and precious metals

Causes

• Native Americans are forced off of their lands

• The United States wars with Mexico

• The U.S. extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific

Effects