Ch.3.2 & 3.3

Essential Question:What problems did our new

nation TRY to overcome?

Manifest Destiny

Americans Believed that God wanted us to settle America from sea to shining sea

What’s the problem with that attitude????

Problem #1 What should be done with all the new land we bought from France (Louisiana Purchase)?

Outcome of Purchase?

• Sale doubles the size of the U.S.• 4 cents/acre• Questions about Texas, the west, & Florida• Spain is NOT happy!•What to do about all the native people in

OUR land????? (President Jackson will solve that problem)

Problem #2 What’s up with Missouri?

• In 1819, Missouri asked to enter the union• Yeah! a new state•Uh oh, a crisis develops between the

North & the South over Missouri…•Will Missouri be a free or slave

state????

Solution:

The Missouri Compromise•In 1820 Missouri is admitted as a slave state•Maine enters the union as a free state•From now on slavery will only be legal south of 36 degrees latitude

Problem #3What do we do with all the native people living on our land?

President Jackson

•Was for relocating tribes•Was racist• knew Native-Americans would keep

whites from settling in West•Wanted to open more land for crops

(cotton)

Indian Removal Act - The Fight

• In 1830 Congress, with the support of President Jackson pass the Indian Removal Act• Most whites agreed with this at the time• Cherokee fight gov in the courts, in 1832 the Supreme

Court rules in Worcester v. Georgia that the state of Georgia could not regulate Cherokee land or invade it. (Supreme Court says Georgia is behaving very unconstitutional)• Yeah for the Cherokee!• Oh, never mind… President Jackson refuses to ENFORCE

the Supreme Court’s ruling• The state of Georgia & President Jackson ignore Supreme

Court decision & refuse to return the land

Trail Of Tears

The Move

•1837 - US Army gathers 15,000 Cherokee & forces them to march west•Destination -

Oklahoma

The Tragedy

0

2500

5000

7500

10000

12500

15000

Cherokee Indians

Survived

Began March

1 out of every 4 die on trip from exposure, disease, hunger, exhaustion, illness, etc.

Problem #4 Pioneers

What challenges did pioneers face moving west?

Check your assignment from The Story of Us – Westward for help.

What is Manifest Destiny?

• In the 1840s, expansion fever gripped the country• Americans truly believed that movement westward was

predestined by God

Manifest DestinyExpresses the belief that the United States was ordained to expand to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican and Native American territory

Why did Americans move west?

• Americans moved west for practical reasons. For settlers, the abundance of land was the greatest attraction• As the number of western settlers grew, merchants and

manufactures followed seeking markets for their goods and services• Many Americans also trekked west because of personal

economic issues. Americans were looking for a new start.• Americans took several trails to the West. The Santa Fe Trail

was a trade route between Independence, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico• The Oregon Trail stretched from Independence, Missouri to

Portland, Oregon• Mormons used the Oregon Trail to move west. The religious

group had been persecuted in the East. They settled on the edge of the Great Salt Lake in Utah

Problem #5 How do we handle Texas?• In the 1820s Mexico encouraged Americans

to settle in Texas•Mexico hoped the American settlers would

make the area more stable• Steven Austin, set up a colony of American

settlers living in Texas• Soon English speaking settlers from America

outnumbered Spanish speaking Texans by 10 to 1• This caused cultural conflicts

• The cause of the clash of cultures in Texas: 1) English v. Spanish 2) Protestant v. Catholic 3) SLAVERY•Many of the American settlers came from

the South and brought their slaves with them•Mexico had outlawed slavery in 1829. •Mexico tried to prevent more Americans

from coming to Texas… but the Americans keep coming• Austin asks Mexico for more self gov.

• In 1836 war breaks out – known as the Texas Revolution. The war is fought over Texan independence

• A small Texan force tried to defend The Alamo, a mission in San Antonio

• The Mexicans capture it, they kill all 187 Americans (including American hero and legend, Davey Crockett)

• Mexico’s intention was to send a message to America: STAY OUT, TEXAS IS OURS

• But… America hears, “Remember the Alamo!”• “Remember the Alamo” becomes a rally cry for

American Texans• Under the command of Sam Houston, the Texans

capture Santa Anna and win Texan independence = The Republic of Texas (the lone star state)

Problem #6 War with Mexico

Mexican American War 1845-1848

1st American war not fought because of:

• Independence•Politics•Provocation

In fact, it’s the 1st war we

fight for territory!

Election of 1844

•Polk made it the “Manifest Destiny” election• Said he’d “re-annex” Texas

because it was part of the Louisiana Purchase• The U.S. & Mexico had a

dispute over the border of the northern region of Mexico

•President Polk sends troops to the Texas border for protection• Then moves troops south to Rio Grande•US soldier found dead & war is declared!•New Mexico immediately asked to join

the U.S.•American settlers in CA declared their

independence from Mexico & set up the Republic of California (Our state was its very own country for a bit)

USA WinsTreaty of

Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)• We get: 500,000

sq. miles of land!• CA, NV, NM, CO,

AZ, WY, UT & TX• Border set at Rio

Grande• Mexico gets

$15,000,000 minus debts

“One of the most unjust wars ever waged by a stronger nation against a weaker nation.”Ulysses S. Grant

• Gold is discovered in CA months after treaty is signed… No wonder why NFL fans in Mexico hate the 49ers

• Americans flock to CA trying to get rich quick!

• CA becomes a state in 1850