Transcript Quotes about “The West”

Chapter 9
Westward Expansion
p. 314-341
In the mid-1800s, many Americans wanted the nation
to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean. American
settlers overcome hardships in making this happen.
Quotes about “The West”
"It is America's right to stretch from sea to shining sea. Not
only do we have a responsibility to our citizens to gain
valuable natural resources, we also have a responsibility to
civilize this beautiful land."
- Thomas Jefferson ?
“I must walk toward Oregon, and not toward Europe. And
that way the nation is moving, and I may say that mankind
progress from east to west. We go eastward to realize
history and study the works of art and literature, retracing
the steps of the race; we go westward as into the future,
with a spirit of enterprise and adventure.” - Henry David Thoreau
“Eastward I go only by force; but westward I go free.”
- Henry David Thoreau
Quotes about “The West”
" The American claim is by the right of our manifest destiny to
overspread and possess the whole of the continent which
Providence has given us for the development of the great
experiment of liberty and … self-government entrusted to
us."
- John L. O’Sullivan 1845 (on page 321 of your book)
"If a young man is about to commence in the world ... we say
to him publicly and privately, go to the West. There, your
capacities are sure to be appreciated and your industry and
energy rewarded."
- Horace Greeley
“Go west young man and grow up with the country.”
- Horace Greeley
Chapter 9, Section 1
The West
p. 318-321
By the mid-1800s, many Americans
want the nation to extend westward
to the Pacific Ocean.
Look at the “Territorial Expansion” map on p. A-12 & A-13
9.1 SECTION FOCUS QUESTION:
What cultures and ideas influenced the
development of the West?
What Was “The West”?
Main Idea: By the early 1800s, Americans think of the area beyond the
Great Plains as the western frontier.
• As the nation’s population
grows, the western frontier
also grows beyond the
Mississippi River
– the land that forms the
farthest extent of a nation’s
settled regions
• The Great Plains: land
between the Mississippi River
and the Rocky Mountains.
• Not attractive to farmers
because breaking up the
ground requires hard manual
labor
– done by using one’s hands
p. 319
What Was “The West”? (continued)
• The Northwest: Land
west of Rocky Mountains
to the Pacific Ocean
– Region of Oregon,
Washington, & British
Columbia in Canada
The (new) Northwest
• The Southwest: land
including California, Utah,
Nevada, Arizona, New
Mexico, Texas, & part of
Colorado
– Spanish/Mexican culture &
history are very different
from the eastern U.S.
The Southwest
Mexican Settlements
Main Idea: Under Spain and Mexico, the Southwest develops a unique culture.
• Spain has mercantilist policy
toward its colonies:
– No trade with other countries
• Children of “Peninsulares”
(Spanish settlers) are called
creoles
• Creoles intermarriage with
Native Americans & Africans
results in mestizos
• Ethnic groups create a
distinct Southwestern
culture
– clear or definite; different in
its quality
Mestizos in the Southwest
Spanish Missions & Native Americans
• Spanish Missionaries
seek to convert Native
Americans to Roman
Catholicism.
• Native Americans are
forced to work in the
Spanish Missions.
• Thousands of Native
Americans die from
European diseases.
Spanish Mission
Mexico Wins Independence!
• Spanish issue land grants
to wealthy rancheros.
– government gifts of land
– owners of ranches
• Exploitation of Native
Americans & poor
Mexican peasants
• 1821: Mexico wins
independence from Spain
“…death to the Spaniards.”
-Father Miguel Hidalgo Sept. 15, 1810
Manifest Destiny
Main Idea:
Many Americans
believe that the
United States
should extend to
the Pacific Ocean.
American Progress
-by John Gast
c. 1872
• Many Americans become interested in westward expansion extending the nation beyond its existing borders.
• “Manifest Destiny” - coined by John L. O’Sullivan in 1845
• Extend U.S. from Atlantic to Pacific - “From sea to shining sea.”
9.1 SECTION FOCUS QUESTION:
What cultures and ideas influenced the
development of the West?
Native Americans, Spanish, and Americans
from the east all influenced the west. The
blending of ethnicities in the Southwest
created a distinct culture. The idea of
Manifest Destiny would lead to expansion
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.