The Westward Movement
The Frontier• The frontier is an imaginary line dividing
civilization from the wilderness
• The United States Census Bureau defined the frontier as that area having less than 6, but more than 2 people pr square mile
• The Census of 1890 determined that the frontier was sufficiently enough populated, and was officially declared closed.
Gateways to the West
The United States in 1783 and 1803The Louisiana Purchase, 1803
• The Louisiana Purchase formed all or parts of the fifteen states (South to North):
• Louisiana• Arkansas• Oklahoma• Texas• New Mexico• Missouri• Kansas• Colorado• Iowa• Nebraska• Wyoming• Minnesota• South Dakota• North Dakota• Montana
The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803 – 1805)
Meriwether Lewis (1774 – 1809) William Clark (1770 – 1838)
Sacagewea (1787/88 – 1812) of the Shoshone Nation
Route of the Corps of Discovery (1803 -1805)
Zebulon M. Pike (1779 – 1813)
The Pike Expedition (1806 – 1807)
Significance of theLouisiana Purchase
• The size of the United States was doubled
• The territory was a source of wealth and natural resources
• The United States now controlled the entire Mississippi River
• The French threat in North America was removed
• The precedent was established for future purchases of territory
• It moved the Democratic-Republicans toward a loose interpretation of the Constitution
Population Shifts
The National PikeAmerica’s First Interstate
“Highway”
The Erie Canal (1825)
• The canal provided an all-water route from New York to the Great Lakes
• Freight rates between New York and Buffalo dropped from $100 / ton to $25 / ton
• Travel time from New York to Michigan was reduced from approximately two months to approximately two weeks
• The canal aided in the migration of people to Michigan
Michigan’ Population Growth1820 - 1860
Manifest Destiny
The Era of Manifest Destiny
• The Mormons in Utah
• The Mexican War, 1846 – 1848
• California Gold Rush
Joseph Smith (1805 – 1844) Brigham Young (1801 – 1877)
Mexican War, 1846 - 1848
The Gold Rush
Cattle Drives 1865 - 1885
Reasons for Success
• Supression of the Indians
• Elimination of the Buffalo
• Lax land laws
• The coming of the Railroads
Threats
• Rustlers
• Indians
• Farmers
Cowboys: The Kings of the Trail
Nat Love (1854 – 1921)
“Stampede by Lightning” Frederic Remington
The Decline of the Cattle Industry
• The industry was becoming too violent
• Too many people were getting into the industry causing a decrease in profits
• In the mid-1880s the Great plains were hit by two severe winters followed by two severe droughts
The Railroads• The first transcontinental railroad was completed in
1869; it ran from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California; by 1890 there were five transcontinental railroads
• Entire nation now linked by rail
• It was easier to transport people and products across the country
• However, it signaled the end of the Indian way of life and helped to bring about an end to the cattle drives
• Economic significance: By integrating the total production effort, the U. S. was now a single trade area
The Transcontinental RailroadCompleted in 1869
The Age of Imperialism
Major Territorial Acquisitions, 1850 - 1900
• 1867: Alaska (Statehood in 1959)
• 1867: Midway Island
• 1893: Hawaii –Annexed in 1898 (Statehood in 1960)
Johnson, Seward and Alaska
Andrew Johnson (1801 – 1875)
17th President of the United States (1865 – 1869)
William H. Seward (1801 – 1872)
Secretary of State (1861 – 1869)
Hawaii
Pearl Harbor
Queen Lydia Liliuokalani (1838 – 1917)
The last monarch of Hawaii (1891 – 1894)
Cleveland and McKinley
• President Cleveland (Democrat) opposed annexation of Hawaii; he believed that most Hawaiians preferred independence
• President McKinley (Republican) favored annexation and in 1898 annexation was achieved by a joint resolution of Congress
• Hawaii served merchant ships as a supply and refueling station
• Attracted American missionaries who converted the natives to Christianity
• Attracted American investment in the sugar plantations. Almost all of the sugar grown in Hawaii was sold in the United States
• Pearl Harbor was acquired as a naval base
The Buffalo Soldiers
Theodore Roosevelt, ambiguously enlightened
1. “There is not any more puzzling problem in this county than the problem of color.”
2.“The only wise and honorable Christian thing to do is to treat each black man and each white man strictly on his merits as a man.”
Fort Brown, Brownsville Texas
1st Battalion, 25th Infantry Regiment
On November 5th, 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt dismissed, without honor, 167 members of the 1st Battalion.
[they] “were bloody butchers that should be hanged.”
6 of the 167 had won the Medal of Honor.
The Brownsville Incident, 1906