Post on 26-Dec-2015
Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy
1841 - 1848
Harrison & Tyler
Harrison contracted pneumonia & died after serving only 4 weeks (Curse of Tecumseh) Shortest administration
John Tyler – “Accidental President” Closet Democrat At odds with the Whig party his
whole administration
Whig’s Plan for Gov’t
Whig’s “secret platform” – strongly nationalistic Financial reform - wanted to end the
independent treasury system (Tyler signed it) & create a “Fiscal Bank” (Tyler vetoed it)
Proposed a “Fiscal Corporation” (vetoed by Tyler)
Whig Tariff
Tyler’s view on the tariff Tyler agreed that money needed to be collected for the
national treasury. However, he did not agree that the money made off the
sale of western land should be split among the states.
Whigs response Remove the dollar-distribution & reduce tariff
Tyler signs tariff
Whigs Respond to Tyler
Whigs formally expelled Tyler from the party Some attempts to impeach him in the House Entire cabinet, except Sec of State Webster, resigned Death threats were common
Problems with England
Bitter feelings between US & Britain 2 wars & Jacksonian Democracy British travelers looked down on Americans
“Third War with England” Fought in the papers & with ink
Money Americans borrow lots of money from Britain and
defaulted on their loans
Problems Continue
Canadian Insurrection (1837) Americans furnished military supplies & volunteered Never had a lot of support
Caroline Incident (1837) American steamer carrying supplies to the insurgents across
the Niagara River Attacked on the NY shore by British & set on fire
McLeod claimed to have taken part/ later found to be untrue
Creole (1841) British officials in Bahamas offered asylum to 130 Virginia
slaves who had rebelled & captured the American ship
Land Disputes in Maine
British want to build a road from Halifax to Quebec Road would go through disputed territory
Land claimed by both Maine & Britain
Disputed land – Aroostook River Valley “Aroostook War”
1842 – London sent Lord Ashburton to meet with Sec. Webster to work out a compromise
Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842)
Map p. 374 British got less land but did receive land for
Halifax-Quebec route British actually surrendered 6,500 square miles
Caroline affair was also worked out with “an exchange of diplomatic notes”
The Lone Star Republic
Viewed as a province in revolt by Mexico Plans were made to reconquer Texas in the future
Texas began negotiations with England & France Hoping to become a protectorate of either
Britain was very interested Check expansion of America / challenge Monroe Doctrine British abolitionists wanted to end slavery in Texas Free-trade area Cotton-producing area – help relieve British dependence
on South
Texas Becomes a State
Texas became a major issue in the presidential election of 1844 Polk (D) & Clay (W)/ Polk wins
Lame-duck President Tyler interprets Democratic victory as a “mandate” to acquire Texas
Joint resolution (only a simple majority of Congress required for approval)/ approved 3 days before Tyler leaves office
Texas becomes 28th state in 1845
Oregon Country
Sprawled west of the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean, and north of California to the line of 54°40’ (present southern tip of Alaska panhandle)
Claimed at one time or another by: Spain, Russia, Britain, and the US Spain dropped out – Florida Treaty of 1819 Russia retreated because of treaties with US & Britain
British Claims to Oregon
Strong claims especially portion north of the Columbia River
Claims based on Prior discovery Exploration Treaty rights Actual occupation Hudson’s Bay Company – trading profitably with the
Indians for furs
American Claims to Oregon
Claims based on Exploration – Lewis & Clark / Capt. Robert Gray Occupation Presence of missionaries & other settlers
Scattered American & British pioneers live peacefully side by side
America & Britain
Treaty of 1818 – joint occupation of Oregon US wanted to divide domain at the 49th parallel Britain wanted the Columbia River
Oregon Fever – hundreds of pioneers came to Oregon (Oregon Trail) By 1846 – 5000 Americans had settled south of the
Columbia River British – 700 settlers north of the Columbia River
Actually only a small segment was disputed territory
Election of 1844
Henry Clay (W) Probably most popular
man in US 105 electoral votes 1,300,097 pop. votes
James K. Polk (D) Speaker of the House Gov. of Tennessee 170 electoral votes 1,338,464 pop. votes
Manifest Destiny
Belief that Almighty God had “manifestly” destined the American people for a hemispheric career.
They would irresistibly spread their uplifting & ennobling democratic institutions over at least the entire continent, and possibly over South America as well.
Polk as President
Methodical & hardworking Unwilling to delegate authority Four-Point Program
1. Lower tariff
2. Restoration of the independent treasury
3. Acquisition of California
4. Settlement of Oregon
Success for Polk?
Lower tariff Sec of Treasury – Robert J. Walker proposed to reduce the
Tariff of 1842 (32% to 25%) Supported by southerners/ Complaints from New England
& Middle States Walker Tariff of 1846 – passed and raised a lot of revenue
Polk’s Points 2-3
Restoration of the independent treasury Restored in 1846 ( dropped by the Whigs in 1841)
Oregon Proposed compromise of 49° instead of 54° 40’ 1846 – Britain proposed same compromise Polk gave issue to Senate & Senate approved the
compromise “Fifty-four forty or fight” did not happen
Mexico & California
Why California? Bay & harbor/ Manifest Destiny
Population – Mixed Indians, Spanish-Mexicans, & foreigners- mostly American
Polk wanted to buy CA Diplomatic relations had been severed Issue over boundary – Nueces River or Rio Grande Texas in general
Let’s Make a Deal
Polk sends John Slidell to Mexico City in 1845 Instructed to offer $25 million for CA & territory to the
east Mexicans would not permit Slidell to present his offer
American Blood on American(?) Soil
Jan. 13, 1846 – Polk ordered 4000 men, under General Zachary Taylor, to march from the Nueces River to the Rio Grande Polk expected Mexicans to attack
May 9, 1846 –Polk asked Congress for war Reasons:
Unpaid claims ($3 million) Slidell’s rejection
Polk really wanted Mexican troops to fire first
“Jimmy Polk’s War”
April 25, 1846 – Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande & attacked General Taylor’s command 16 Americans killed or wounded
Polk goes before Congress “American blood on the American soil” Congress voted for war Congressman – Lincoln// “spot” where American blood had
been shed
Mexicans wanted to humiliate the “Bullies of the North”
War with Mexico
Polk’s goal – capture California Fight on a limited scale & then pull out
when we captured California
Santa Anna – made deal with US Let him slip back into Mexico, he would sell his country Polk agreed & Santa Anna betrayed him
Mexican – American War
1846 – General Stephen W. Kearny Led his troops to Santa Fe Easily captured & then headed for California
Captain John C. Frèmont – explorer Collaborated with naval officers & with local Americans to
take California California Bear Flag Republic
General Zachary Taylor
Taylor - fought his way across the Rio Grande into Mexico Feb. 22-23, 1847 -- Victorious over the Mexican forces
at Buena Vista Became a war hero immediately
General Winfield Scott
Scott – suffered several disadvantages Inadequate # of troops, expiring enlistments, more
numerous enemy, mountainous terrain, disease, & political backing at home
Sept. 1847 – Mexico City Most distinguished general in the country
Talks of Peace
Polk – anxious to end war with territorial gains sent chief clerk of the State Dept. Nicholas P. Trist with
Scott’s invading army Scott & Trist arranged an armistice with Santa Anna at a
cost of $10,000 Santa Anna pocketed money & continued with plans
Polk recalls Trist Trist refuses to return Works out treaty
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Feb. 2, 1848 Terms of Treaty
American title to Texas Yielded the area stretching westward to Oregon
& the ocean & embracing all of California US paid $15 million & assume debt of $3.25
million Treaty was approved by Senate
Results of the War
13,000 American lives lost/ mostly from disease US increased by 1/3
Even greater than Louisiana Purchase
Stimulus to Manifest Destiny Provided field experience for the Civil War
Robert E. Lee & Ulysses S. Grant Justified existence of West Point
US viewed by Mexico as the “Colossus of the North Check out page 388 and the great metaphor
Slavery Issue
David Wilmot (PA) feared southern “slavocracy” Proposed the Wilmot Proviso
slavery should not exist in any territory that was captured from Mexico
Wilmot Proviso Passed twice in the House, but not
the Senate Symbolized the burning issue of slavery
in the territories
John C. Calhoun
“Mexico is to us the forbidden fruit . . . the
penalty of eating it would be to subject our institutions
to political death.”