CH. 13 WESTWARD EXPANSION & MANIFEST DESTINY: HOW OUR NATION GREW IN SIZEMrs. Mata

NYOS Charter School

Overview

Louisiana Territory Florida AJ & the Cherokees

Indian Removal Act Trail of Tears

Texas Annexation Oregon Country Mexican-American War Gadsden Purchase

U.S. Territorial Acquisitions, 1803-1853

Louisiana Territory

First claimed by France, then given to Spain after French & Indian War.

In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte (French) convinced Spain to return Louisiana to France.

President Jefferson was concerned about the relationship between French settlers and American farmers who would share the Mississippi River President Jefferson sent his Secretary of

State, James Monroe, to France in 1803 with an offer to buy the port of New Orleans for $7.5 million

Louisiana Purchase

By the time James Monroe reached France, Napoleon changed his mind and no longer needed Louisiana

Napoleons offer to sell all of Louisiana stunned James Monroe. Instead of a city, suddenly the U.S. had the opportunity to buy an area of land as large as itself! On April 30, 1803 Secretary of State,

James Monroe, purchased Louisiana from Napoleon for $15 million, doubling the size of the U.S. ( about $0.02 per acre)

Louisiana Purchase Debate

Worries: Impossible to govern large territory Politicians in East would lose power to those

in West Should not have paid large sum of money The Constitution stated nothing about

purchasing of foreign territory President Jefferson was troubled by the

argument that the purchase was unconstitutional, but did not want to miss out on the opportunity to control the Mississippi River

Drama with Florida

In 1804, President Jefferson tried to buy Florida from Spain, but Spain said “no deal”

Spain’s control over Florida weakened: Slaves from the South sometimes ran away

to Florida Seminole Indians constantly raided lands in

Georgia

Jackson and Florida

In 1818, President Monroe sent Andrew Jackson to Georgia to stop the Seminole Indian raids

Jackson took it upon himself to march into Florida with over 3,000 troops. He Seminole Indians, destroyed their villages, and replaced the Spanish Governor

Fearing war, President Monroe sought advice from his cabinet and decided to send a message to Spain: either govern Florida properly or get out Spain decided in 1819 to exchange Florida to the

U.S. Signed the “Adams-Onis Treaty” negotiated by

Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams

Jackson’s Indian Policy 1831

Most of the eastern Indians lived in the South, belonging to five tribes: Creek Cherokee Chickasaw Choctaw Seminole

Most of these tribes hoped to remain in their lands, so they adopted the white ways by learning to read & write

The Cherokees had their own written language, newspaper, and a constitution modeled on the U.S. Constitution

As cotton growing spread westward, wealthy planters and poor settlers alike looked greedily at Indian homelands.

Jackson’s Indian Policy

President Andrew Jackson had little sympathy for American Indians. During his presidency, it became national policy to remove Indians who remained in the East by force.

By the time AJ became president, only 125,000 Indians still lived east of the Mississippi River.

War & disease had greatly reduced their population

Indian Removal Act

In 1830, urged on by President Jackson Congress passes Indian Removal Act

This law allowed the President to make treaties in which traded their land for new territory in the west

In 1831, the Supreme Court decided that the Cherokee Nation could keep their land & could not be forced off by the state of Georgia (Worcester v. Georgia Supreme Court case)

AJ was furious at this decision and declared that if they refused to move, they would be met with military force. He ignored the Supreme Court’s decision.

Trail of Tears

In 1836, thousands of Creek Indians who refused to leave Alabama were rounded up and marched west in handcuffs

In 1836, President Jackson forced more than 17,000 Cherokee Indians from their homes in Georgia into the western territory 4,000 of those Cherokees died during their

forced walk during the winter. Those who survived remember that journey as

the “Trail of Tears”

To Annex Texas or Not?

Texas remained an independent republic for 10 years

Americans were divided over whether to annex Southerners were eager to add another

slave state Northerners who were anti-slavery

wanted to keep Texas out Others feared that annexation would lead

to war with Mexico

James K. Polk & Texas Annexation

In 1844, President James K. Polk was a strong believer in Manifest Destiny and was eager to acquire Texas After Polk was elected President, Congress

voted to annex Texas In 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th

state

Oregon

In 1819, Oregon was claimed by four nations: Russia, Spain, Great Britain, and United

States. Spain gave it up as part of the Florida agreement, then later Russia let it go, so that left Great Britain and US to have joint custody

Lewis & Clark explored the Oregon coast in 1803-1804

Along with Texas, “Oregon fever” also played a role in the 1844 Presidential campaign, with James K. Polk, using the slogans, “All of Oregon or none!” and “Fifty-four forty or fight!”

Oregon

President Polk agreed to a compromise treaty with Great Britain that divided Oregon roughly in half at the 49th parallel This line now marks the western border

between U.S. and Canada President Polk got neither “fifty-four

forty” nor a fight. What he got was a diplomatic settlement that both the U.S. & Great Britain could accept without spilling a drop of blood.

President Polk wants more

Polk wanted to expand the U.S. as far as he could, and his gaze fell next on the huge areas known as California and New Mexico. He was determined to have them both, by purchase if possible, by force if necessary.

When Congress voted to annex Texas, relations between the US and Mexico became tense.

To make matters worse, Texas and Mexico could not agree on a border.

Mexican-American War begins

On April 25, 1846, Mexican soldiers fired on U.S. troops who were patrolling along the Rio Grande. 16 Americans were killed or wounded.

Polk claimed that Mexico, “has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil.” 2 days later, Congress declared war on

Mexico. General Zachary Taylor & Winfield Scott led the

Americans to victory over Mexico General Winfield Scott’s army captured Mexico

City in September 1847.

Manifest Destiny Come True

In 1848, Mexico and the U.S. signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mexico agreed to give up Texas and a vast

region known as the Mexican Cession This area included present day states of: California,

Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming

Basically, under this treaty, Mexico gave up ½ its territory

U.S. paid $15 million to Mexico and promised to protect the 80,000-10,000 Mexicans living in the Mexican Cession

Final Piece to the Puzzle

A few years later, in 1853, the U.S. acquired more land from Mexico

James Gadsden arranged the purchase of a strip of land just south of the Mexican Cession for $10 million

Railroad builders wanted this land because it was relatively flat and could serve as a good railroad route.

The acquisition of this land, known as the Gadsden Purchase, created the present-day border of the southwestern U.S. with Mexico

Create a 4 layered map of the United States, using your notes and knowledge you learned from class about Manifest

Destiny.

Your Homework Assignment

Bottom Layer-Physical Features Map

 2nd Layer:  Brief History of Acquisition

3rd & 4th layer