USI.26

Standard USI.27> media type="custom" key="29434103" align="right" = = = = = = =Describe the causes, course, and consequences of America’s westward expansion and its growing diplomatic assertiveness. Use a map of North America to trace America’s expansion to the Civil War, including the location of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. =

** Topics on the Page **

 * A. the War of 1812 **
 * B. the purchase of Florida in 1819 **
 * C. the 1823 Monroe Doctrine **
 * D. the Cherokees’ Trail of Tears **
 * ** Dramatic Event page on The Trail of Tears **
 * E. the annexation of Texas in 1845 **
 * F. the concept of Manifest Destiny and its relationship to westward expansion **
 * G. the acquisition of the Oregon Territory in 1846 **
 * H. the territorial acquisitions resulting from the Mexican War **
 * ** Dramatic Event page on Mexican Immigration to the United States **
 * I. the search for gold in California **
 * ** Dramatic Event Page on The California and Alaska Gold Rush**
 * J. the Gadsden Purchase of 1854 **
 * K. Economic Growth in the North and South, 1800-1860 **


 * For more on European and Asian immigration, see USII.3.
 * For more on westward expansion, see Grade 5.34 and AP United States History 9



Click here for a unit plan on expanding America

Click here for an interactive map on territorial expansion from 1790-1861.
 * To see each event in America's westward expansion on an interactive map, click [|here].

Click [|here] for an entertaining Youtube Crash Course video that overviews Westward Expansion.



** A. War of 1812 (see also 5.32) **

 * On June 12, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain.
 * The reasons for declaring war included British trade restrictions, the impressment of American soldiers into the British Navy, and British support of Native Americans against U.S. expansion; all policies that undermined the United States' sovereignty
 * The war was fought in three regions: the Atlantic Coast, the Great Lakes and Canada, and the Southern United States.
 * Neither side was prepared for war, which continued for two and a half years as a stalemate.
 * The two countries signed the [|Treaty of Ghent]in December of 1814 to end the war, although slow communication allowed fighting to continue for a few months after the Treaty was signed.
 * Many viewed the war as a second, more definitive, assertion of American independence.
 * The war's conclusion is said to have ushered in an "Era of Good Feelings," a period of American political unity that took place during the presidencies of James Madison and James Monroe.

Visit here for the full text of the Treaty of Ghent.

For more on the military history of the war, go to the War of 1812 Atlas at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The Emergence of the Frontier, the Expansion of Railroads, and Mining

**Which statement about the War of 1812 is accurate?** a) The United States enjoyed military superiority for most of the war. b) In some regions many people did not support the war. c) The peace treaty that ended the war doubled the size of the United States. d) Almost all the land and sea battles were fought at great distances from United States territory.

Correct Answer: B (National Assessment of Educational Progress; 29 percent of 12th graders answered this question correctly)

** B. Purchase of Florida (1819) [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Adams_onis_map.png/733px-Adams_onis_map.png width="437" height="359" align="right"]]**

 * After the American War for Independence, Britain returned control of Florida to Spain.
 * Spain continued to refuse to sell the territory to the United States, until pressure from rebellion in Spain's colonies (including Florida) encouraged the country to consider relinquishing control
 * During the First Seminole War, General Andrew Jackson took his battles from American Georgia into Spanish Florida, where Jackson continued to seize Spanish forts at Pensacola and St. Marks
 * Secretary of State John Quincy Adams decided to use Jackson's conquests to convince Spain that their hold on Florida was too weak to sustain.
 * Spanish foreign minister Luis de Onís and Secretary Adams reached an agreement whereby Spain ceded East Florida to the United States and renounced all claim to West Florida.
 * Spain received no compensation, but the United States agreed to assume liability for $5 million in damage done by American citizens who rebelled against Spain.

Under the Onís-Adams Treaty of 1819 (also called the Transcontinental Treaty and ratified in 1821) the United States and Spain defined the western limits of the Louisiana Purchase and Spain surrendered its claims to the Pacific Northwest.

** C. Monroe Doctrine (1823) **
In December 1823, President James Monroe addressed Congress with a new policy to solidify the split between the Americas and imperial Europe.
 * Known as the Monroe Doctrine, this policy has had a long-lasting effect on American foreign policy. It follows President Washington's farewell advice to keep American affairs separate from European affairs: "The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible" 1].

The Doctrine contains three main ideas:
 * //Separate spheres of influence for the Americas and Europe//
 * //Non-colonization//
 * //Non-intervention//

The Monroe Doctrine declared that the Americas could no longer be subject to colonization by European powers, providing precedent and support for U.S. expansion on the American continent.
 * As such, the Monroe Doctrine sent a strong message to European powers. It represented a symbol of American nationalism and it set the stage for the United States to expand west and to have a strong presence in Latin America as well.

Visit here for the full text of the Monroe Doctrine.

[[image:trail_of_tears_map.jpg width="536" height="355" align="right" caption="Trail of Tears Map"]]
Link to Dramatic Event page on the **Trail of Tears**

In May 1830 President Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law.
>> While this was true for some, most tribes were coerced into signing removal treaties against their will.
 * === The act gave the president the right to negotiate treaties with American Indians, under which Indians were to give up their land within American boundaries in exchange for land west of the Mississippi. In theory, the relocation was to be voluntary and peaceful. ===
 * === Still others were forcibly removed without signing a treaty. ===

The Indian nations of the Southeast resisted relocation.
 * The Choctaw, Seminole, Creek and Chickasaw nations each made some form of agreement with the Jackson administration that would ostensibly either protect their holding east of the Mississippi or guarantee a good deal west of the Mississippi.
 * The Jackson administration, however, betrayed each of these arrangements in one way or another.
 * The last of the five southeast nations, the Cherokee, faced perhaps the worst fate. In 1833, a few members of the Cherokee nation who were not authorized to negotiate treaties signed the [|Treaty of New Echota], which the Supreme Court ratified against the will of the Cherokee.
 * After the majority of the Cherokee refused to relocate voluntarily, the United States government sent 7,000 troops into Cherokee territory to force the remaining 16,000 westward.
 * Along the way, 4,000 Cherokee people died while countless others suffered from illness, cold and hunger. This removal process became known as the Trail of Tears because of its devastating effects on the Cherokee nation.


 * Visit here for Chief John Ross' letter of protest against the Treaty of New Echota.
 * Visit here for the text of the Indian Removal Act.

In President Jackson's Second Annual Message to Congress, he describes how pleased he is with the progress of Indian Removal. This document shows that Jackson espoused the common view that American Indians were uncivilized "savages," and illustrates his stated belief that removal was best for both Indians and white Americans.

Click here for a lesson plan called "Perspectives on the Trail of Tears" from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Click [|here] for an interactive map detailing different aspects of the Trail of Tears.

** E. Annexation of Texas (1845) **

 * In 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico, becoming its own independent republic including parts of present-day Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Click [|here] to view The Texas Declaration of Independence of 1836.


 * In Texas' first election as an independent republic, Texans voted in favor of annexation to the United States. However, no treaty of annexation was ratified by both Texas and the United States until 1845.
 * In March of that year, Congress passed the Joint Resolution for the Annexation of Texas to the United States.
 * Popularly-elected representatives from Texas voted to accept the resolution, and submitted the Ordinance of Annexation to Congress. In turn, Congress accepted Texas' terms and issued the Joint Resolution for the Admission of the State of Texas into the Union. President James K. Polk signed Texas as the 28th state in December of 1845.

[[image:resourcesforhistoryteachers/Screen Shot 2016-03-26 at 9.21.25 PM.png width="236" height="287" align="right" caption="Borders of Texas after 1845 Annexation"]]
Visit here for a timeline of the annexation process from the Texas State Archives.


 * There was much controversy over the admission of Texas as a state. Many questioned the legality of admitting a state by resolution rather than the traditional method of annexation by treaty.
 * It was later determined that annexation by resolution is legal.
 * In addition, there was plenty of opposition to the annexation of Texas. Many in the North believed that adding Texas as a state would throw off the balance between slave and non-slave states and push the U.S. toward civil war.
 * Mexico, too, opposed the annexation, as they still believed Texas to be Mexican territory. Mexico warned the United States that the annexation of Texas would likely lead to war, a prophecy that was fulfilled by the Mexican-American War.

Youtube video from EMS history detailing the Annexation of Texas Click here for a collection of primary sources regarding the Annexation of Texas

===** F. The concept of Manifest Destiny and its relationship to westward expansion **===

Perhaps no concept shaped American identity stronger than Manifest Destiny.


 * The term Manifest Destiny was first coined by Congressman Robert Winthrop, and made popular by newspaper publisher John O'Sullivan in the 1845 to promote the annexation of Texas.
 * The term quickly became used to justify aggressive westward expansion.
 * **Manifest Destiny** claimed that it was God's will for Americans to expand as far as possible in order to spread liberty and democracy.

Visit here to read "Annexation," O'Sullivan's editorial in which he describes "//our **manifest destiny** to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions//."

Visit here for a detailed description of Manifest Destiny from PBS, including multiple scholarly perspectives.

A short informational video, lots of games, and even a few easy quizzes on **Westward expansion** can be found here, part of the BrainPop series, easily accessible for younger kids.

Although the Manifest Destiny ideal was held in high regard for many US citizens, it was also a highly contested opinion.


 * Click [|here] for a short lesson plan provided by Gilder Lehrman Institute that includes primary source excerpts from those for and against the idea of Manifest Destiny, and guiding questions about the time period.
 * ** Westward Expansion: Encounters at a Cultural Crossroads from the Library of Congress features primary sources and teaching lessons. **

(For more on the Louisiana Purchase (1803), see Grade 5.29, and for more on the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806), see Grade 5.30)



** G. The acquisition of the Oregon Territory (1846) **
In 1846, Congress approved the Oregon Treaty, which established the boundary between Canada and the United States at the 49th parallel and ceded the Oregon Territory to the US from Britain. The 286,000 square miles of land includes the present-day states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and portions of Montana and Wyoming.

The British government did not want another war with the United States, and the U.S. was anticipating war with Mexico on the horizon. Thus, both sides were eager to come to an agreement. The treaty was a great success for President James K. Polk, as it gained land for the United States without entering into a conflict or a long, drawn-out process.

Click here for a website that has a variety of information on the Oregon Trail, using pictures to show what life was like exploring Oregon

For a woman's point of view [|this website, Triumph and Tragedy,]is a collection of women's voices regarding the journey for westward expansion.


 * Click here for the Oregon Treaty
 * Click [|here] to read primary documents from those who traveled on the Oregon Trail, provided by the Library of Congress.

Click here for a lesson plan on the Oregon Trail

Click here to play [|The Oregon Trail], and see if you can survive the harsh conditions that many families had to face on their journeys west.

** H. The territorial acquisitions resulting from the Mexican War **
The Mexican War was ended by the **Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago**, and was organized by General Winfeld Scott, and Nicholas Trist, who served as President Polk's representative diplomat. Two previous peace treaties had been attempted and had failed and so now, Scott and Trist planned to treat Mexico as a conquered enemy.
 * Trist believed that only complete surrender, including surrender of territory would be sufficient to end the fighting and began to draw up the treaty. Polk, wanting to be more diplomatic and believing that the delegations could be carried out in Washington, recalled Trist.
 * Briefly, Trist became a controversial figure, because he ignored the recall and opted instead to stay and force negotiations in Mexico.
 * This resulted in Mexico ceding to the United States much more territory (also known as the **Mexican Cession**) than Polk originally anticipated, including:
 * Upper California
 * New Mexico (territory encompassing present-day Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Colorado)
 * and Texas, with the Rio Grande as the southern border of the United States
 * Trist sent the treaty directly to Congress to be ratified (and they did), forcing Polk to accept his handiwork.

Photographs of the original document can be found here, as well as more information on the document here.
 * The National Archives has provided a wealth of other links to resources regarding the Mexican War here!


 * Click [|here] to view President Polk's message to Congress on War with Mexico in 1946.
 * For primary source resources on how the war was portrayed by the media, see The Mexican-American War and the Media, 1845-1848 from the Virginia Tech University Department of History.


 * Jefferson Davis was a Mexican War hero and served in the House of Representatives and the Senate, but he is nest known as the president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
 * The Papers of Jefferson Davis is a documentary editing project started at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The site contains Davis's letters, speeches, genealogy, and numerous images.


 * Link here for a collection of primary sources from the Mexican-American War.

A short informational video, lots of games, and even a few easy quizzes on **the Mexican-American War** can be found here, part of the BrainPop series, easily accessible for younger kids.

Click here for a lesson plan on the Mexican-American War

** [[image:rotating gif.gif width="43" height="43"]]See California and Alaska Gold Rush for more details **
Click [|here] to view primary source documents and images taken from the California Gold Rush time period.

A short informational video, lots of games, and even a few easy quizzes onthe Gold Rush can be found here, part of the BrainPop series, easily accessible for younger kids.

** J. The Gadsden Purchase of 1854 **
On December 30 1853, the Gadsden Purchase added a small part of Mexico to New Mexico Territory.
 * On May 30 1854, Nebraska Territory and Kansas Territory was organized; the remaining portion of unorganized territory became known colloquially as "Indian territory".

President Pierce sent verbal instructions for Gadsden through Christopher Ward, an agent for U.S. investors in the Garay project, giving Gadsden negotiating options ranging from $50 million for lower California and a large portion of northern Mexico to $15 million for a smaller land deal.
 * Gadsden met with Santa Anna on September 25, 1853.
 * Santa Anna refused to sell a large portion of Mexico. But Santa Anna needed money to fund an army, on December 30, 1953 he and Gadsden signed a treaty stipulating that the United States would pay $15 million for 45,000 square miles south of the New Mexico territory and assume private American claims, including those related to the Garay deal.
 * The United States Government agreed to work toward preventing American raids along Mexico’s border and Mexico voided U.S. responsibility for Native American attacks.
 * With a great deal of difficulty resulting from the increasing strife between the northern and southern states, the U.S. Senate ratified a revised treaty on April 25, 1854.
 * The new treaty reduced the amount paid to Mexico to $10 million and the land purchased to 29,670 square miles, and removed any mention of Native American attacks and private claims.
 * President Pierce signed the treaty and Gadsden presented the new treaty to Santa Anna, who signed it on June 8, 1854. After Gadsden’s Purchase a new border dispute caused tension over the United States’ payment, and the treaty failed to resolve the issues surrounding financial claims and border attacks. However, it did create the southern border of the present-day United States, despite the beliefs of the vast majority of policymakers at the time who thought the United States would eventually expand further into Mexico.

How did Americans and Mexicans react to the Gadsden Purchase? Click here to find out.

Click here for lesson plans on the Gadsden Purchase

[[image:rotating gif.gif width="43" height="43"]] **For more on the economies of North and South, see U.S.I.35**

 * __South:__** Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana (“Black Belts”) had large slave populations, moving with the plantation system from SE to SW.[[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/KarikaturzuAbol02.jpg/800px-KarikaturzuAbol02.jpg width="480" height="384" align="right" link="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/KarikaturzuAbol02.jpg"]]


 * With the cotton gin, cotton moved inland and became King Cotton, the No. 1 export. 1817-1840 460K à 1.35M cotton bales.
 * 1820s—Trade with Santa Fe—US merchants’ manufactured goods desired over Mexican goods in this region


 * __North:__** British manufactured goods sought by Indians, not American goods—Americans traded alcohol for furs. Over-trapping; burning up both men and animal supply

From 1800 to 1860, the United Stated began to divide into three distinct regions: the North, the South, and the West.
 * For the Northern and Western regions of the United States, the period was one of great growth and prosperity.
 * During this era, regional specialization developed where the North's economy depended on industry and commercial enterprises, the South needed plantations, subsistence farms, and slavery to survive, and the West's economy relied on family farms, agricultural processing, and manufacturing to anchor their economy.

With the rise of regionalism, came the development of faster communication and transportation within the United States.
 * Many canals and railroads were built to bring produce and agricultural goods to the North.
 * The advances made in transportation caused the North to become the center of commerce in the nation.
 * The South developed its own culture and economy based on the plantation system and slavery. Slaves became more important and valuable than trade and manufacturing. Cotton was extremely profitable and many plantations cultivated it for export.

Although the three regions developed independent lifestyles, defining characteristics, and individual economies, they relied on each other for survival.
 * The West depended on the national support from the Northern and Southern regions to protect the newly acquired territory;
 * the North manufactured goods to sell to the West andd bought their agricultural products and raw materials.
 * As time went on, the links to each other could not survive the strengthening of regionalism.

Here is a quick overview of the economic differences of the North and the South, provided by the Civil War Trust!

Two historians, Eric Foner and Noel Ignatiev, share their views on how westward expansion affected African Americans.

Read Eugene R. Dattel's article, "Cotton in a Global Economy: Mississippi (1800-1860)," to gain more information on the economy of the South and the role of "King Cotton."

Read [|Chapter 13: North and South] to learn more about the regionalism that developed in the United States from 1800-1860.

This [|lesson plan] called for students to examine an anti-railroad propaganda poster and analyze how it gives insight into community life during the time period, the growing sectionalism in America, and the impact of national decisions.


 * See this [|study guide] for additional information on the economic growth in the North and the South. The site also includes notes, links to on-line resources, e-learning, podcasts, teacher resources, and primary sources.
 * See AP History Notes section on [|Expansion, Business, and Transportation from 1800-1860] for more information. In addition to notes, the site also has descriptions of U.S. Supreme Court Cases, US Historical Documents, and sample AP US History topics.
 * Visit here for a chart of U.S. Territorial Acquisitions, including the aforementioned.
 * Visit here for articles and documents relating to American Westward Expansion.

=
In 1848, when European powers threatened to become involved in a domestic dispute in Mexico, President James Polk warned them not to interfere. On which of the following documents did he base his warning?=====

Correct Answer: B
Sources

Papers of Jefferson Davis (2009). Retreived 9 March 2011 from Rice University's site: []. Cotton in a Global Economy: Mississippi (1800-1860) (2011). Retreived 9 March 2011 from Mississippi History Now's site: []. Chapter 13: North and South. Retreived 9 March 2011 from: []. Teaching with Documents: Anti-railroad Propaganda Poster--The Growth of Regionalism, 1800-1860. Retrieved 9 March 2011 from National Archives site: []. Study Guide: The Rise of America, 1800-1844 (2009). Retrieved 9 March 2011 from Mrs. Ruland's Advanced Placement United States History Class's site: [|http://home.comcast.net/~mruland/APUS/UnitNotes/unit05/index.htm]. Expansion, Business, and Transportation from 1800-1860. Retrieved 9 March 2011 from AP History Notes's site: []. http://www.dipity.com/eganita/personal/ New images obtained from wikimedia commons.