Manifest Destiny

Chapter 9

• accept Mexican citizenship.

• worship in the Catholic Church.

• follow the Mexican Constitution, which did not permit slavery.

American expansionists had their eyes on Texas. Only 4,000 Hispanic Tejanos lived there in 1821.

Mexico sought to defend and to develop Texas by inviting settlers. They offered inexpensive land on three conditions. Settlers had to:

• Led by Stephen F. Austin, 30,000 Anglo-Texans outnumbered the Tejanos six-to-one by 1835.

• Many brought slaves and ignored the Church.

• In 1834, Antonio López de Santa Anna seized power in Mexico City, seeking greater centralized control. But Texans wanted more autonomy.

American settlers arrived, but tensions grew as Americans ignored the Mexican government.

• In 1835, Texans declared independence for the Lone Star Republic.

• Santa Anna personally led a siege of Texan forces at the Alamo in San Antonio.

• After twelve days, he stormed the mission and executed any surviving defenders, including Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett.

Instead, Santa Anna created a set of martyrs. “Remember the Alamo,” became the Texans’ rallying cry.

Many Southerners were inspired to volunteer and joined the Texans.

Several weeks later, Santa Anna took Goliad and again executed prisoners, in an attempt to frighten Texas into surrender.

Sam Houston led a counter-attack.

At the Battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna was defeated and taken prisoner.

Houston later became president of the Lone Star Republic.

After statehood in 1845, Houstonserved as governor and then asU.S. Senator from Texas.

Fearing execution, Santa Anna signed a treaty expanding the Texas border to the Rio Grande and giving half of New Mexico to the Texans.

•The Mexican government refused to honor this treaty demanding a return to the original border at the Nuecos River.

•Fighting would persist for ten years over the disputed borderlands.

Britain did not concede all of the territory. Rather then fight, Polk made a deal to split Oregon and extend the 49th parallel border with Canada to the Pacific Ocean. Northerners felt betrayed.

In 1844, expansionist James K. Polk was elected president on a promise to obtain both Oregon and Texas.

In Congress, northern Democrats reluctantly agreed to annex Texas if all of Oregon was also added.

• President Polk claimed all land as far as the Rio Grande, tripling the previous size of Texas.

• General Zachary Taylor was sent to occupy these border lands.

• Mexico objected to the granting of statehood to Texas and saw statehood as an invasion of Mexican territory.

The United States annexed Texas in 1845, leading to war with Mexico.

•Southern Democrats favored war, while Northern Whigs felt that Polk deliberately provoked Mexico.

•The war was popular in the United States.

•Whigs dropped their opposition, fearing they would be labeled disloyal as the Federalists were for opposing the War of 1812.

When Mexican patrols killed American soldiers, Congress declared war on Mexico.

The U.S. had many advantages, including greater wealth and a better-equipped military.

General Winfield Scott led an overwhelming campaign in Mexico from Veracruz to Chapultepec, forcing Santa Anna to abandon his capital Mexico City and the war.

The United States easily defeated Mexico.

Halls of Montezuma

• Polk was excellent military planner

• Taylor occupied northern Mexico and John C. Fremont established independent Republic of California

• Winfield Scott and troops advanced toward Mexico city while enduring tough battles

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Nicholas P. Trist was peace commissioner

• Mexico accepted Rio Grande as border Mexico accepted Rio Grande as border with Texas and ceded New Mexico and with Texas and ceded New Mexico and Upper California to the USUpper California to the US

• US paid Mexico $15 million US paid Mexico $15 million

• Polk wanted more but to get he’d have to continue fighting an unpopular war

• Senate ratified for similar reasons

Slavery Question

• New territories would be free or slave?• David Wilmot proposed anti-slavery laws in

any land from Mexico. Wilmot Proviso didn’t pass Senate since southerners had power

• Calhoun argued Congress couldn’t control• Two compromises offered1. Polk and southerners liked plan to extend

Missouri Compromise line to Pacific2. Senator Lewis Cass said let local leaders

decide (popular sovereignty)

Election of 1848• Whigs- Zachary

Taylor• Democrats- Lewis

Cass• Free Soil- Van Buren

(Barnburners)• Taylor won election

with 1.36 million to Cass’s 1.22 million. Van Buren got 10%

• Slavery issue never discussed

Gold Rush

• Between 1849-60 over 200,000 people went to California looking for gold

• Spanish population now minority

• Order difficult to keep, few women

• Taylor wanted California as state and letting people decide on issue of slavery

• Outlawed; southerners angry since tipped balance in Senate to North

Compromise of 1850

• Clay’s Proposal-California admitted as free state-SW territory had no mention of slavery-Southerners could bring in slaves-Slave trade (not slavery) over in DC-Congress pass more effective fugitive slave law

• Caused greatest debate in history of Senate

• Calhoun demanded North yield on every point and wanted right of states to secede from Union

• Webster defended Clay’s proposal

• Taylor’s death and Milard Fillmore taking over paved way for compromise

• Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois pushed each measure through Senate separately