Essential Questions: What impulses lay behind the Manifest Destiny of America�s westward expansion?
How did westward expansion relate to the issue of slavery?
I. Growth as the American Way
A. By 1850, the Nation�s area had quadrupled
1. Most viewed American growth as good; some did not
a. It fostered �Young America� movement and idea of Manifest Destiny
b. Expansion also created problems for Native Americans
B. Manifest Destiny and Slavery
1. Expansion into the west also meant the spread of slavery
a. An �Empire of Liberty� is called into question
2. Political compromise was possible on slavery as long as the focus was on morality of slavery
where it already existed
3. Problems arose when issue became spread of slavery into new territories
C. Attractiveness of Westward Expansion
1. Horace Greeley exhorted Americans to �Go west, young man�
2. Richard Henry Dana�s Two Years Before the Mast encouraged western settlement
D. Travel Along the Oregon Trail
1. �Oregon fever� swept into Mississippi Valley in 1842 and 1843
a. Thousands of families sold their land, packed their belongings, and headed west
b. On the way, they passed through regions claimed by three nations, and the Native Americans
2. California Gold Rush in 1848 spurred further emigration
3. Migration was mostly a male enterprise
a. Attracted to adventure and chance to make it big out west
b. Women were usually reluctant to move
E. The Republic of Texas
1. Mexican government had begun encouraging U.S. settlement in the 1820�s
a. By 1835, Americans in Texas outnumbered Mexicans 6 to 1
2. The Mexican government tried to exert control and enforce the law
a. Mexico tried to outlaw slavery and ensure adherence to Catholicism
3. American settlers and Tejanos forged an alliance, protesting any further loss of autonomy in Texas
a. In 1836, settlers declared their independence from Mexico
4. Ensuing Military Revolution took seven months
a. In March 1836, General Santa Anna led the Mexican Army that captured the Alamo,
(a converted mission), killing all of its defenders
-The Alamo was defended by 187 men, including the legendary Davy Crockett
b. A month later, General Sam Houston�s Army routed a larger Mexican Army and captured Santa Anna,
forcing him to grant Texas her independence
c. After years of debating the annexation question, Texas was finally admitted into the union as a
slave state in December 1845
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Chapter 13 Manifest Destiny (sec 2)
Essential Questions: What were the causes and consequences of the Mexican War?
Why was the election of 1848 so significant?
II. Mexican War
A. Initial efforts to secure southwestern territory peacefully
1. When Texas came into the union, the U.S. and Mexico disagreed about the new boundaries
2. Offer in 1845 to purchase California and New Mexico outright for $30 million
a. James K. Polk pressured Mexico by sending troops to the disputed area
-This provoked a political revolt in Mexico that brought a militant anti-American regime to power
b. Polk eventually sent 4000 troops to advance to the Rio Grande
-Mexico responded by attacking
c. Congress declared war on May 11, 1846
B. The Military Campaigns
1. Zachary Taylor led the first military campaign along the Rio Grande
a. Taylor routed numerically superior Mexican forces
b. Taylor eventually pursued the retreating Mexican Army to the Mexican city of Monterrey
2. Second phase of war was a march by Stephen Kearny from Kansas to Santa Fe
a. Kearny then marched on California
-Americans there had already revolted against Mexican control
3. Despite many defeats, Mexico refused to surrender
4. When Taylor seemed reluctant to make the final blow, Polk appointed Winfield Scott to
command the third phase
a. Scott eventually won the war by seizing the coastal fortress of Vera Cruz in March 1847
b. He went on to capture Mexico City
C. Antiwar Sentiment in U.S.
1. U.S victories kept antiwar sentiment low
a. Whigs and North opposed war
b. South and Democrats supported war
D. Wilmot Proviso
1. David Wilmot, a democrat from Penn., introduced an amendment to an appropriations bill on August 8, 1846
a. The bill would have outlawed slavery in any territory gained from Mexico
b. Framed slavery debate for the next 15 years
c. The vote was defeated along sectional lines
E. Slavery hampered efforts at peace talks
1. Anti-slavery forces opposed acquiring territory that supported slavery
2. Pro-slavery forces called for the annexation of all of Mexico
3. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in February 1848, ending the Mexican War
a. U.S. acquired California, New Mexico, and Texas border at the Rio Grande
b. In exchange, U.S. would pay Mexico $15 million
III. The Election of 1848
A. Issue would be slavery in the territories
1. Southern Democrat John Calhoun supported states and property rights
2. James Buchanan called for extending the Missouri Compromise line to Pacific
3. Lewis Cass called for popular sovereignty
4. Whigs nominated Zach Taylor (a southerner and slaveholder) and adopted no platform a.
a.Strongest candidate in the south
5. Free-Soilers nominated Martin Van Buren and called for �no more Slave States�
6. Taylor would carry 8 of 15 states and the election
B. The California Gold Rush & Statehood
1. Once gold was discovered in1848, thousands of fortune seekers headed west
2. Slavery question still an issue
a. Polk tried to extend Missouri Compromise line
b. Whig controlled house tried to admit as free state
3. No action was taken until Taylor could assume office
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Chapter 13 Manifest Destiny (sec 3)
Essential Questions: What was the Compromise of 1850? Why was it so important? How successful was it?
IV. The Compromise of 1850
A. Cluster of slavery related questions remained unanswered in 1850
1. The return of fugitive slaves to their rightful owners
2. Continuing slave trade in Washington D.C.
3. Boundary dispute between New Mexico and Texas (potential for Texas to be split into 5 states)
4. California
B. Passage of the Compromise of 1850
1. California would come in as a free state
a. However, a state law allowed slave owners to keep their slaves while visiting the state
2. The territorial legislatures of Utah and New Mexico could legalize slavery without restrictions
3. The settlement of the Texas New Mexico border would favor New Mexico, but Texas would receive
$10 million in compensation
4. The abolition of the slave trade in Washington DC
5. Passage of new Fugitive Slave Law
C. The Fugitive Slave Law
1. The Constitution provided for the return of fugitive slaves but didn�t specify how it should be done
2. In Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842), the Supreme Court ruled that enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law
was a federal responsibility
3. Abolitionists denounced the law as draconian
4. Underground railroad emerged to help guide slaves to freedom
D. Uncle Tom�s Cabin,1851
1. The book, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, discussed the evils of slavery
a. Breakup of the slave family
2. Helped shape a generations view of slavery
V. Filibustering
A. U.S. Efforts to Control Cuba
1. Cuba had over 400,000 slaves
a. South saw Cuba as a potential site for additional slaves
2. Polk offered Spain $100 million for Cuba in 1848
a. When Spain refused the offer, the South turned to filibustering, or fomenting an uprising in Cuba
3. Several attempts were made to encourage slave revolts on the island
a. Overall, however, filibustering proved to be an unsuccessful strategy