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. 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�
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
__________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 9 Mexican War
Essential Questions: What were the causes and consequences of the Mexican War?
I. 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 (see map)
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. 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