Transcript Chapter 17 PowerPoint

Manifest Destiny
1841-1848
1. Politics of the 1840s
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The key theme of the 1840s is WESTWARD EXPANSION
Dramatic things take place in the 1840s
William Henry Harrison is the first president to die in office in
1841. He only serves a month in office.
The new president – John Tyler from Virginia
Tyler was a Democrat – he advocated for states’ rights;
rejected ideas for a new Bank of the U.S.
Also, we have more trouble with Britain in the 1840s
We thought they were snobs; they thought we were dirty
Tensions mounted when a small revolution against Britain
took place in Canada and some fiery Americans got involved
More tensions mounted when the U.S. and Britain got into a
boundary dispute
Britain’s Lord Ashburton and the U.S. Secretary of State
Daniel Webster worked it out, and settled the issue over
what is today Maine.
2a. Texas and Oregon
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Texas
Belonged to Mexico, then declared independence and
became an independent republic
Then applied for statehood into the United States
This was an issue in the Election of 1844, and the man who
would solve this was James K. Polk (D)
The Democrats wanted expansion, the Whigs, who
nominated Henry Clay, didn’t
Tyler left office, and his last act was to admit Texas to the
Union in 1845
This angered Mexico who still claimed Texas as theirs
President John Tyler
The United States - 1845
2.b. Texas and Oregon
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The British, as we just saw on the map, still owned land in
North America
Oregon Territory
A wave of curiosity and exploration overcame many
Americans in the 1840s who took to the Oregon Trail
The British who were already there, saw themselves highly
outnumbered by excited settlers and avoided a boundary
dispute
So, the United States claimed Oregon as their territory,
setting up the present day northern boundary with Canada
along the 49th parallel
3.a., b. War With Mexico
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Texas was a good addition, but many Americans wanted the
rich and spacious territory of California.
Polk offered to buy California from Mexico and sent lawyer
John Slidell to do the deed but relations were too
embittered and Mexico insulted the offer.
Deadlock with Mexico also continued over Texas’ boundaries
The disputed claim was over the boundaries of the Rio
Grande and Nueces Rivers
Polk orders General Zachary Taylor to march 4,000 men
dangerously close to Mexican forces along the disputed
boundary…why?
April 25th, 1846 – Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande
and attacked, killing 16 American troops
Did Polk provoke war?
Bottom line – He could have worked it out, but he wanted
California and didn’t want to wait to negotiate…
3.c. War With Mexico
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General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna led the forces of
Mexico
For the U.S. – Stephen W. Kearny and John C. Fremont
Kearny and Fremont helped secure California
General Zachary Taylor won a big battle in the city of Buena
Vista in 1847
General Winfield Scott won the major battle that took
Mexico City in late 1847
The Mexicans were outmatched by the U.S. Army
4. Consequences of the Mexican War
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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war in 1848.
It confirmed America’s title to Texas
It gave the U.S. California
Mexico got $15 million
Lives lost – 13,000 American lives were lost
American Military – It was here that the U.S. Army learned
how to fight – soldiers gained priceless experience
Latin Americans - America was seen as a greedy and
untrustworthy bully by Latin America
4. Consequences of the Mexican War
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Probably another significant effect of the War was that it
brought the issue of slavery up to the forefront again.
With most of the land gained BELOW the 36/30 latitude
agreed upon in the Missouri Compromise, the Northern
states were upset about the addition of many more slave
states
Enter David Wilmot and his great idea that never was to be
The Wilmot Proviso – Proposed that all land won from
Mexico would be slave free
Significance – It proved that the issue of slavery and
sectionalism in the U.S. was far from over…
President James K. Polk