Manifest Destiny

James K. Polk

and

American Expansion

Dark Horse- James Polk

• Election of 1844– Whig-Henry Clay– Democrat- James K Polk

• Key Issues:– Should the United States add Texas?

• This would upset the balance of slave/free states– Polk says yes– Clay says no

– Further Expansion (Manifest Destiny)• Polk wants to continue expanded aggressively• Clay believes in a more cautious approach

Texas Annexation

Mexican Cession

Oregon Country

Gadsden Purchase

Texas Annexation

Texas Annexation• Annexation of Texas occurred on February 28, 1845.

• Annex means “add on.”• Approve the annexation of Texas (took 10

years)– Reason

• 1- Mexican dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna warned that annexation would be "equivalent to a declaration of war.”

• 2- Northerners opposed annexation over the slavery issue

• Results– Mexican War

Mexican War

Mexican War• Mexican War Timeline

– January 1846 - Zachary Taylor crosses the Nueces River into the disputed border between Mexico/United States.

– April 1846 – Mexican troops cross the Rio Grande into the disputed border with Mexico/United States.

– April 1846 – Mexican and United States troops skirmish with losses on both sides

– April 1846 – U.S. declares war on Mexico

Nueces RiverNueces River

Rio Grande RiverRio Grande River

Bang

Taylor’s ForcesTaylor’s Forces

Mexican ForcesMexican Forces

Mexican Cession

Mexican War Continued…• May 1846 – January 1848 - Fighting on many fronts• January 1848 – Mexico City is captured

• Results:• Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ends the Mexican War

– Mexico Cedes all of California and New Mexico to the United States.» Cede means “gives”

• Created the New Mexico Territory and California

Oregon Country

Oregon Country

• Oregon Country originally shared by four powers– 1. United States – 2. Great Britain – 3. Spain– 4. Russia

Oregon Country

• Oregon Treaty of 1846– Divided Oregon at latitude 49 degrees North.

• Great Britain got the land north of the line• United States got the land south of the line

• The states of Oregon (1859), Washington (1889), and Idaho (1890) came out of our portion

Gadsden Purchase

Gadsden Purchase• In 1853, the United States paid Mexico

$10 million dollars for a strip of land in Arizona and New Mexico

• Purchased this land to complete the building of a railroad.

Native Americans

Native Americans

• Three ways the U.S. dealt with the Native American “Problem”– 1. War/Force– 2. Assimilation– 3. Segregation/Reservations

Segregation/Reservations

• Explanation: Designate areas for the Native Americans to live

• Example: The Reservation System• Reason: Native Americans needed to be moved off

land wanted by the United States• Positives:

– Control Native Americans– Don’t have to fight them again and again

• Negatives: – Resources needed to provide for the Native

Americans

War/Force

– Explanation: Fight the Native Americans for their land

– Example: Battle of Wounded Knee

– Reason: Native Americans wouldn’t move

– Positives:

• Don’t have to pay the Native Americans

– Negatives:

• U.S. soldiers killed

• Native Americans killed (is this a disadvantage)

• Native Americans may retreat and fight again

Assimilation

• Explanation: Bring the Native Americans into “American” society and culture

• Example: Carlisle Indian School• Reason: “Civilizing” the natives• Positives:

• Native Americans could help the country• No loss of life for U.S. soldiers

• Negatives:• Many Native Americans refused to give up their

culture• Only a small portion of the Native American

population was able to have schooling