Transcript Completing the Picture

Completing the
Picture
The continued growth of
the United States
Manifest Destiny
The
idea that it was the
American RIGHT to take
land desired for the
expansion of the U.S.
territories as well as to
spread democracy.
Ripe for expansion:
The
Oregon Territory
Texas
“California”
The Oregon Treaty
 1846—James
K. Polk signed an
agreement with Great Britain to split
the Oregon Territory on the 49th
parallel. England controlled the land
north of the 49th parallel, and the
United States controlled the land to
the south.
 This
settled the boundary
dispute between competing
claims by Great Britain and the
United States that had been an
issue since 1818.
The Western Territory
Americans
had been
settling this Mexican
possession well before it
became a part of the U.S.
They were drawn to it due
to stories, letters, books,
paintings, and songs.
It
was only the charm
(laziness) of the people
that kept California from
being great.
~Richard Henry Dana
Two Years Before the Mast
1840
“California”
 Polk
approached the Mexican
government with an offer to
purchase the land since Americans
were settling there, but he was
refused.
TEXAS
 Huge
tract of land---almost
empty
–WHY?
No
GOLD
No REAL FREEDOM
Santa Anna
 Mexican
dictator who
did not want
any more
English speaking
Americans in
Texas
They did it anyway…
 Which
led to skirmishes between
American rebels and Mexican
settlements.
 Santa
Anna’s troops marched against
the rebels, leading to a little
something we call…
The Alamo
Jim Bowie
David “Davy” Crockett
Results
American Rebels held out for twelve
days…but fell to Santa Anna’s men.
All perished but one slave of Crockett
and 20 or so women and children.
“Remember the Alamo” became the
rallying cry for American settlers
wanting independence.
Sam Houston
Houston’s resume:
Adopted
by Cherokee
Indians
Lawyer
Congressman
Governor of Tennessee
Indian trader in Texas
Victory Against Santa Anna
 Battle
of San Jacinto-- Sam Houston
rode into the battle on April 21, 1836
 Lasted a whopping 18 minutes
 Santa Anna’s men defeated due to a
siesta
 Independence
for Texas
established with
treaty
The Lone Star State
Independent
nation for nearly
a decade—The Republic of
Texas
Wanted to become part of the
U.S. but one issue stood in its
way…slavery.
1845—admitted as a state of
the United States of America
The Mexican War
 Border
dispute—Rio Grande or
Nueces River?
 Polk sent in troops to Texas
 Prominent Americans spoke out
against war—Douglass, Whitman,
Thoreau, Clay, Lincoln
 Skirmishes occurred in California as
well
 Resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo
The
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,
signed on February 2, 1848,
ended the war and gave the U.S
~undisputed control of Texas,
~established the U.S.-Mexican
border of the Rio Grande River,
~ceded to the United States
California, Nevada, Utah, and
parts of Colorado, Arizona, New
Mexico, and Wyoming.
In
return, Mexico received
$15,000,000. This exchange is
known as the Mexican
Cession. Mexicans living in the
conquered lands could choose
to return to Mexico or stay and
become American citizens.
1853--The Gadsden Purchase
–The U.S. paid $10 million to
Mexico to purchase what is
now southern Arizona and
southern New Mexico for the
construction of a southern
route for a transcontinental
railroad.
Deal, Or No Deal?
 Deal!
 ‘There’s
GOLD in
them thar hills!!’
…and an abundance
of natural resources,
too!