AN AGE OF EXPANSIONISM
America: Past and Present
Chapter 13
Movement to the Far West
- American settlement reaches Pacific in 1830s and 1840s
- Settlement encroaches on lands claimed by Mexico and England
Borderlands of the 1830s
- 1842--Webster-Ashburton Treaty settles the northeast U.S.-Canadian boundary
- Americans begin settling in
Oregon territory (joint U.S., English claim)
New Mexico territory (owned by Mexico)
California (owned by Mexico)
Territorial Expansion by the
Mid-Nineteenth Century
The Texas Revolution
- 1820s--Americans move into Texas
- "Anglos" never fully accept Mexican rule
- 1829--Mexico tries abolishing slavery
- 1835--armed rebellion breaks out
The Republic of Texas
- March, 1836--Texans declare independence
- April, 1836--Santa Anna defeated at San Jacinto
- May, 1836--Santa Anna’s treaty recognizes Texas' claim to territory (Mexico repudiates)
- Texas offers free land grants to U.S. settlers
- Annexation to U.S. refused by Jackson
Texas Revolution
Trails of Trade and Settlement
- Santa Fe Trail closed to U.S. travelers as a result of Mexico’s war with Texas
- Oregon Trail conduit for heavy stream of settlers to the Oregon country
- Oregon settlers demand an end to joint U.S., English occupation
The Mormon Trek: Westward Flight
- Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints founded by Joseph Smith, 1830
- Mormon church seeks revival of pure aboriginal American Christianity
- Mormons persecuted for unorthodoxy
- Flee New York for Nauvoo, Illinois
- Murder of Joseph Smith prompts resettlement to Great Salt Lake in Utah
The Mormons Trek: Mormons in Utah
- 1847--State of Deseret established
- Desert transformed into farmland
- Mormons at first resist U.S. governance
- 1857--Brigham Young accepts post as territorial governor of Utah
Western Trails
Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War
- Widespread call for annexation of newly-settled lands
- “Manifest Destiny” a slogan of those believing the U.S. divinely ordained to encompass Mexico and Canada
Tyler and Texas
- 1841--John Tyler assumes presidency after William Henry Harrison’s death
- Tyler breaks with Whigs
- 1844--Tyler negotiates annexation with Texas for re-election campaign issue
- Senate refuses to ratify
- Tyler loses Whig nomination to Henry Clay
The Triumph of Polk and Annexation
- Democrats nominate James K. Polk
- Polk runs on expansionist platform
annexation of Texas for Southern vote
U.S. jurisdiction of Oregon for Northern vote
- Polk, Congress interpret his election as mandate for expansion
- Texas annexed before Polk inaugurated
The Doctrine of Manifest Destiny
- "Manifest destiny" first used in 1845
God wants the U.S., His chosen nation, to become stronger
Americans make new territories free and democratic
growing American population needs land
- Limits to American expansion undefined
Polk and the Oregon Question
- 1846--Polk notifies Great Britain that the U.S. no longer accepts joint occupation
- England prepares for war, proposes division of the area
- Senate approves division of Oregon along 49o north latitude, Treaty of 1846
- U.S. gains ownership of Puget Sound
- North condemned Polk for division
Northwest Boundary Dispute
War with Mexico
- May 13, 1846--War on Mexico declared
- General Zachary Taylor wins campaign in northern Mexico
- Colonel Stephen Kearney captured New Mexico and joined John C. Frémont in taking California by early 1847
- September, 1847--General Winfield Scott occupies Mexico City
Settlement of the Mexican-American War
- February, 1848--Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
- Rio Grande becomes southern border
- New Mexico, California ceded to U.S.
- Mexican War politically contentious
Whigs oppose
Northerners see as Slave Power expansion
The Mexican-American War
Internal Expansionism
- “Young Americans” link territorial growth to other material achievements
technological innovation—e.g. telegraph
transportation improvements
growth of trade
mass immigration
- Discovery of California gold inspires transcontinental projects
- Territorial expansion wanes after 1848, economic, population growth continues
The Triumph of the Railroad
- 1840s--railroad begins displacing canals
- Rail construction stimulates iron industry
- Railroads stimulate new forms of finance
bonds
preferred stock
government subsidies
Railroads, 1850 and 1860
The Industrial Revolution Takes Off
- Mass production, the division of labor makes production more efficient
- Factory system emerges
gather laborers in one place for supervision
cash wages
“continuous process" of manufacturing
- Agriculture becomes mechanized
- Northern economy based on interaction of industry, transportation, agriculture
Mass Immigration Begins
- 1840-1860--4 million Irish, Germans immigrate to U.S.
- Most come for higher wages
- Immigrants fill low-paying jobs in port cities
- Low immigrant wages contribute to slums
- Urban reform movement results
Immigration to the United States, 1820-1860
The New Working Class
- 1840s--factory labor begins shifting from women, children to men
- Immigrants dominate new working class
- Employers less involved with laborers
- Post-1837 employers demand more work for less pay
- Unions organized to defend worker rights
The New Working Class (2)
- Wage laborers resent discipline, continuous nature of factory work
- Workers cling to traditional work habits
- Adjustment to new work style was painful and took time
The Costs of Expansion
- Working class poses problem for ideals
working for wages assumed the first step toward becoming one’s own master
new class of permanent wage-earners conflicts with old ideal
- Economic expansion creates conflicts between classes
- Territorial expansion creates conflicts between sections
- Both sets of conflicts uncontrollable