Transcript Chapter 11 - Trails West

CHAPTER 11 - TRAILS WEST
America on the Move
The West (1810-1850)
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Provided new opportunities
 Cheap
land
 Trade
 Freedom
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Getting There
 Canoe/flatboat
 Horseback/Wagons
 On
Foot
Section 1
John Jacob Astor
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The “high hat” – popular fur hats (U.S./Europe)
 “Mad Hatters”
Demand for furs
Astor – American Fur Company
 Bought furs from trappers/mountain men
 Costly to bring furs out
 Rendezvous
 annual meeting of fur trappers
 Sell furs to fur companies
John Jacob Astor
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In 1811, Astor founded a fur trading
post (Astoria) at the mouth of the
Columbia River in present day Oregon.
More Americans became interested in the fur
trade and came to the Oregon Territory.
Spain, England, And Russia all held claims to the
land.
U.S. claims were based on the exploration of
Robert Gray in 1792.
Oregon Territory
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By the 1840s, as the fur trade dwindled, only
England and the U.S. still were interested in
settling Oregon.
The 2 countries nearly went to war over the land.
Manifest Destiny – U.S. Government support.
The territory was divided by England and the U.S.
in 1846 (Oregon Boundary Treaty).
The Oregon Trail
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To get to the Oregon
Territory, settlers traveled
the 2,000 mile long
Oregon Trail.
It began in Independence,
Missouri.
It took about 6 months to cover the trail.
The cost then for a family of 4 to make the
journey was about $600.
The Oregon Trail
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Pioneers often began the journey in
the early spring.
Everything you would need for the
journey and future settlement had to
be brought with you.
Their wagons were pulled by oxen,
mules or horses.
Often large groups traveled together
in what were called Wagon Trains.
Many pioneers brought along small
herds of cattle.
The Oregon Trail
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Difficulties getting there.
 Shortages
of food, water,
supplies.
 Harsh weather
 Geographic barriers
 Native American Attacks
(few)
The Santa Fe Trail
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Ran from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe,
New Mexico
Old Native American trading route.
Trade U.S. goods with Mexican traders.
The journey was dangerous (weather, terrain).
Big Profits!!!
The Mormons
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Headed West to find religious
freedom.
Joseph Smith had founded the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints in N.Y. in the 1830s.
The Mormon faith had some
different ideas such as polygamy.
This put them at odds with other
Christians.
The Mormons
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Because they were persecuted in New York, The
Mormons headed West.
Settling in Illinois at for a bit, only to flee again
after Smith was killed by an angry mob.
Brigham Young led the Mormons to Utah.
They settled around the Great Salt Lake.
Salt Lake City, Utah remains the
center of the Mormon faith today.
The Texas Revolution
Ask about
us at the
end!
The Settling of Texas
• In the 1500s, Spanish explorers had laid
claim to what is present day Texas.
• Coronado – The Seven Cities of Gold
• Throughout the 1700s, the Spanish had
set up Roman Catholic missions to
attempt to convert the local Native
Americans.
• In 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
led a revolt for Mexican Independence
from Spain (Native Americans and
Mestizos).
Mexican Independence
• By 1821 Mexico had become
independent from Spain.
• The new government hired
empresarios to help bring
new settlers to Mexico. (WHY?)
• In 1823 Stephen F. Austin received a
grant from the Mexican government
and began colonization on the lower
Colorado River.
Mexican Constitution
• Austin’s colony was a huge success.
• Soon many more Americans flocked
to Texas attracted by offer of free
land.
• The settlers had to agree to obey the
laws in the new Mexican Constitution
in order to receive the land.
Trouble Starts
• One of the laws had outlawed
slavery in Mexico.
• Many of the new colonists had
brought slaves with them.
• They refused to give them up.
• By 1830, Mexico had halted further
settlement by Americans.
When Push Comes to Shove
• Many of the new
settlers were angered
by the turn of events.
• They began to talk
about seeking
independence from
Mexico.
• In 1836, Mexican
General Santa Anna
had taken over the
government and
suspended the
Constitution.
El Generalissimo
• Santa Anna headed to Texas to put
an end to the rebellious providence.
• Santa Anna’s army reached the
Texas town of Gonzales in October
1835.
• Santa Anna ordered the Texas
rebels to surrender their cannon.
• Instead, they raised a flag which
read “Come and take it”!
Texas Revolution
• On March 2, 1836 Texas
declared itself independent
from Mexico.
• A government was quickly
established and a
constitution written (it
legalized slavery!).
• Sam Houston was chosen to
head up the new Texas
Army.
• The rebels at Gonzales won
and the war had begun.
The Alamo
• While the Texans busied
themselves with their new
found independence,
Santa Anna was
organizing a massive
Mexican Army.
• After several classes with
the Mexican Army,
Colonel James Travis
seized the town of San
Antonio and began to
fortify an abandoned
Spanish Mission called
the Alamo (Spanish for
cottonwood).
A Little Help From
Our Friends
• Some Americans rushed to Texas to help
the Texans defend their independence.
• Among these volunteers were Davy
Crocket and Jim Bowie.
Remember the Alamo
• The 200 Alamo
defenders fought off
Santa Anna’s superior
force (4,000 men) for
13 days (February 23 –
March 6, 1836).
• The reinforcements
they were waiting for
never arrived.
• After defeating the
Alamo defenders,
Santa Anna’s Army
moved on to battle
another force of
Texans led by Sam
Houston.
Goliad
• On March 11 at the
Presido La Bahia in
Goliad, Texans faced
off against Santa
Anna’s Army.
• After a day long battle,
the Texans
surrendered.
• Santa Anna ordered
the rebels to be
executed.
• This action outraged
the people of the
Republic of Texas.
San Jacinto
• On April 21 1836
Texans under Sam
Houston defeated the
Mexican forces led by
Santa Anna at the
Battle of San Jacinto.
• During the battle,
Texans yelled
“Remember the Alamo”
and “Remember
Goliad”. (WHY?)
• This victory insured
independence for the
new Texas Republic.
• The 200 Alamo
Texan
Victory
Mexican
Victories
Santa Anna Surrenders
• Santa Anna surrendered to
Sam Houston.
• The government of Mexico
refused to honor the
surrender.
• As a result, the new Texas
government organized the
Texas Rangers to defend its
border with Mexico.
• Many Texans hoped that the
Republic could join with the
United States.
The Annexation of Texas
• In 1845, Texas was
annexed by President
James K. Polk.
• It became the 28th state to
join the Union.
The Twin Sisters
• Two identical iron cannons which were
manufactured at the Greenwood & Webb
Iron Works in Cincinnati.
• Funds were provided by Texas
sympathizers.
• The “Twins” were smuggled into Texas.
• The were used at the battle of Goliad.
Into Thin Air
• The guns were used by the Confederate
Army to defend Galveston during the
Civil War.
• After the war a group of Confederate
soldiers hid (buried) the cannon to keep
them from falling into Union hands.
• Despite numerous attempts to locate
them, the guns have become somewhat of
the American Holy Grail.
The Mexican
American War
1846-1848
The Annexation of Texas
Proponents
Americans who believed
in Manifest Destiny
wanted to admit Texas
to the Union.
Supporters viewed the
Texas Revolution in the
spirit of the American
Revolution.
Southerners supported
annexation because
Texas allowed slavery,
and its admission would
boost the South’s
political power.
Opponents
Americans were concerned
that the U.S. would have to
bear the substantial Texas
debt.
Northerners opposed
annexation because it would
spread slavery westward
and increase slave states’
voting power in Congress.
A major argument in
Congress was that the
Constitution said nothing
about admitting an
independent nation.
The Republic of Texas
Lasted for 9 years
Annexation was a significant
issue in the 1844 presidential
election.
When James K. Polk, the pro-annexation
candidate, won, Mexico warned that it
would consider the annexation of Texas as
an act of war.
Texas became a part of the United States on
December 29, 1845.
Tensions between the United States and Mexico
Mexico
Responds
Polk and
Manifest
Destiny
The annexation of Texas angered the Mexican
government.
Mexico had refused to recognize the Republic of
Texas.
When James K. Polk became president he wanted
to acquire the land between Texas and the Pacific
Ocean.
The territories, New Mexico and California, he
wanted belonged to Mexico.
Texans put the border at the Rio Grande.
Boundary Mexico maintained it was at the Nueces River.
Dispute
The dispute caused friction between the two
countries.
Slidell’s Trip
In the fall of 1845, Polk sent a special envoy to
Mexico.
John Slidell arrived with an offer to cancel the $3
million in claims against Mexico in exchange for
Mexico’s recognition of the Rio Grande as its boundary
with the U.S.
He was further authorized to pay Mexico up to $30
million to purchase New Mexico and California for the
United States.
Slidell was basically ignored by the Mexican
government. When he returned from Mexico he
recommended to Polk that Mexico be punished.
Vaqueros
• Mexican Cowboys
• buckaroo
• sombrero
• chaparejos
• el lazzo
• juzgado
• mustengo
The Bear Flag Revolt
 Bear Flag Revolt in California
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The U.S. sent John C. Fremont west to find
the source of the Arkansas River.
While in California he encouraged the
residents to rebel against Mexican rule.
California rebels in Sonoma rise up and
form the “Bear Flag Republic”.
The revolt lasted 26 days.
Fremont then arrived with troops and
claimed California for the United States.
The Mexican - American War
WAR • President Polk ordered General Zachary
Taylor to take his troops into the disputed
border territory.
• The U.S. used the event of a minor skirmish
with Mexican Troops to declare war on Mexico.
• 200,000 American men enlist for the war.
Fighting • American forces under Taylor advanced into
northern Mexico.
the War • General Winfield Scott marched his forces
From Veracruz to Mexico City.
• In a matter of months, U.S. Forces captured
New Mexico and California.
• When Mexico City fell, the Mexican
government was forced to give in.
Timeline – Major Battles
 May 8, 1846 Battle of Palo Alto - The first major
conflict of the Mexican-American War
 June 15, 1846 - American Gen. Winfield Scott
invades the port city of Veracruz
 March 23, 1847 Battle of Buena Vista – Santa Anna
claims victory then withdraws Mexican forces from
the field.
 September 14, 1847 - Gen. Winfield Scott leads a
victorious American army into Mexico City.
Results
of the
War
• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) Mexico turned over a huge tract of land known
as the Mexican Cession
• The U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for the
land.
• Debate continues over whether the MexicanAmerican War was justified.
Gadsden
• In 1853, the U.S. purchased land from
Purchase Mexico for $10 million for the construction
of a southern railroad
RESULTS OF WAR
 The US acquired 1/3 of Mexico
 Manifest Destiny Complete
 Need for a transcontinental RR
 Military experience for soldiers (Civil
War)
 US gains dominance in the Americas
 PROBLEM: Will the newly acquired
lands be slave or free?
Gold Fever
1848 - California
 The California Gold Rush began when gold
was discovered at Sutter’s Mill
 As the news of discovery spread, some
300,000 people came to California from the
rest of the United States and abroad
49ers
These early gold
seekers called “49ers”
traveled to California by
sailing ships and
covered wagons across
the continent.
San Francisco, the port
nearest the gold fields,
grew from 800 people
in 1848 to some 25,000
the next year.
The Donner Party
 Set out for California but
never made it
 They were stranded in the
Sierra-Nevada Mountains
during a bad winter storm.
 42 0f the original 87
travelers died
 Many of the survivors had
resorted to cannibalism in
order to live
Mining
When most miners reached California,
they moved into mining camps in the
gold fields.
Miners came from all
parts of the world.
The Search for Gold
 Prospecting – searching for gold
 Stake a claim – claim land as theirs to
mine/own
 Placer mining – panning for gold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnkg4b6EIxc
Mining Camps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM5-xFenaZI
 Miners banded together for protection
 Dirty filthy places
 All Males
 Entertainment – Gambling, Music,
Dances???
 No Laws - Vigilantes
 Once the mine(s) were successful
– then came the ladies
Boom Town
 Women
 Children
 Law Enforcement
 Banks
 Businesses
 Schools
 Churches
Ghost Towns
 When the mines “dried up”, the residents left
 The remains of ghost towns still exist in the
West – tourist attractions.
The Gold Rush Today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CUg09sWX1o
The Story Continues
“Gold Rush: Alaska”
 Discovery Channel TV show - follows six men who, in
the face of an economic meltdown, risk everything—
their families, their dignity, and in some cases, their
lives—to strike it rich mining for gold in the wilds of
Alaska.
 Premiered: Friday,
December 3, 2010