Chapter 14

1. Chapter 14 Manifest Destiny 1820 - 1860

2. Section 1: The Oregon Country • Oregon Country – OR, WA, ID, parts of WY, MT, and Canada; climates/vegetation varied • Russia, Spain, Britain, US had claims to OR territory • 1818 – Britain and US agreed to share OR for 10 years; Spain and Russia give up claims in 1825

3. Mountain men – fur traders; lived hard lives • Rendezvous – meeting place • Beckwourth – discovered pass through Sierra Nevada Mts. • Bridger – first to cross Great Divide (Rockies) • Jedediah Smith – observed Yellowstone National Park

4. Marcus/Narcissa Whitman and Henry/Eliza Spalding – 1st women to cross Rockies; set up missions, Indians killed Whitmans • Oregon Trail – from Independence, MO to Columbia River, OR • Emigrate – to move to another location • 1840 – 1860 – 60,000 traveled OR Trail

5. Prairie Schooners – lightweight covered wagons hitched to oxen; wagon trains • Typical trip – started in MO in May; 5 months to cross Rockies before winter; rode dawn to dusk; wagons into circle; ate dinner (fuel was buffalo chips); dumped supplies when crossing deep rivers; messages left by roadside; many died of disease, drowned, or accidents

6. Little violence between settlers and Indians on trail • US wanted to annex (add) OR • James Polk – pres. candidate in 1844; wanted US to expand territory to parallel to 54o 40’ (“Fifty-four forty or fight”) • Polk elected; began negotiations with Britain; agreed to 49th parallel • OR territory in 1848; state in 1859

7. Section 2: Texas Independence • 1820’s – first settlers in Spanish-owned colony TX • Colony TX – mostly Native Americans • Empresarios – people who were given large tracts of land for luring settlers • Moses Austin – to bring 300 families for land near Brazos River • Stephen Austin – took over after dad died; established settlement

8. Settlers agreed to be citizens of MX, obey MX laws, become Roman Catholics • Austin gave land to 300 “good” families • Some settlers set up land without permission; didn’t follow rules, used slaves (against MX laws) • 1830 – Americans to Mexicans 5:1; MX forbade further Anglo immigration; built 5 military posts to enforce laws

9. 1833 – Austin presents petition to include more immigration and create TX as state • Santa Anna – TX to remain part of MX; became dictator • Oct. 1835 – MX tried to seize cannon at Gonzales; “the Lexington of TX” (1st battle of TX independence) • Dec. 1835 – MX tried to occupy San Antonio; were driven out

10. March 1836 – created Republic of TX; Sam Houston commander of army • San Antonio – less than 200 TX soldiers defended mission called Alamo • Defenders of Alamo were Wm. Travis, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett; fought for 12 days; Travis killed, Bowie died fighting in sickbed, Crockett captured and executed; MX victorious

11. Susanna Dickson – survived and told Houston • Houston ordered fort at Goliad to be abandoned; Fannin (commander) and troops captured and 350 executed • Houston – patiently planned attack on Santa Anna • Attacked San Jacinto while troops slept; yelled “Remember the Alamo”; more than 600 MX casualties; only 9 TX died • May 14, 1836 – Houston elected President of Republic of TX

12. Section 3: War with MX • 1837 – TX existed as independent nation; Congress unsure of slave issue • MX – didn’t recognize TX independence; tensions increased • Manifest destiny – clear that expansion across US would occur • Election of 1844 – Polk wins • 1845 – Congress to annex TX as 28th state

13. Polk – sends Slidell to MX to set Rio Grande as southern border of TX and buy CA for $25 and NM for $5 million; MX insulted • Polk sends Zachary Taylor to Rio Grande River; 11 Americans killed • May 13, 1846 – Congress declares war on MX; some called it “Mr. Polk’s War”; abolitionists against it; most supported Polk

14. February 2, 1848Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo • MX ceded (gave up) all CA and NM; includes NV, UT, parts of AZ, CO, WY • US paid $15 million to MX • US paid $3.25 million claims against MX • MX agreed to recognize TX as part of US • MX accepted Rio Grande as border between TX and MX

15. Gadsden Purchase – bought for $10 million from MX (map page 460) • Mexicans in US territory could relocate to MX or become US citizens; most stayed in US • MX Americans taught irrigation and mining • Some hostility existed between groups

16. Section 4: Spanning a Continent • Brigham Young – brought 15,000 followers 1,300 miles on foot from IA to Salt Lake Valley, UT for religious freedom

17. Mormons • Belong to Church of Jesus Christ or Latter-Day Saints • Referred to as “Saints” • Founder was Joseph Smith • Property was owned by all • Polygamy which angered many • Moved from NY to OH to Mo to IL • Mob attacked and killed Smith • Successor Young moved to UT

18. 1850 – Congress recognized Young as governor of UT territory; built canals and irrigation systems • 1860 – 30,000 Mormons lived in Salt Lake City; 90 other towns • 1896 – UT becomes 45th state

19. John Sutter • Built sawmill in northern CA • Worker named Marshall found gold • Many fled to find gold (called forty-niners) • 5,000 miners came from Chile • More than 80,000 came across land

20. Mining Town • Most lived in tents • Women made money by doing laundry or opening a boardinghouse • No police or prisons • Vigilance committees formed • Vigilantes – law without judge or jury

21. Prospectors – miners • 1849 – CA entered Union as free state • African Americans – fled to CA but denied right to vote and were segregated • Native Americans – forced to work in mines or households; disease reduced population from 150,000 (1848) to 35,000 (1860)

22. Bureau of Indian Affairs (1824) – tried to reduce Indian land claims; created 8 reservations in CA • Chinese heard of Gam San (“Gold Mountain”); thousands fled to CA; passed law to tax Chinese miners; started laundries, restaurants, boardinghouses • San Francisco – “Chinatown”

23. Miners became farmers, shopkeepers, or city workers when gold dried up • Small towns were left as abandoned ghost towns.