American History

1. US HISTORY
Chapter 13
Manifest Destiny
1818-1853

2. Lesson 1 – The
Oregon Country• Oregon Country
– Spain, US, Great Britain, &
Russia all claimed Oregon
– US based claims largely on
Lewis & Clark expedition
– 1819 – Adams-Onis Treaty 
Spain agrees to stop land
claims at northern border of
California
– 1824 – Russia gives up land
claims south of Alaska
– For many years, US & GB agree
to joint occupation

3. Lesson 1 – The
Oregon Country• Oregon Trail
– Trail from
Independence, MO to
Oregon Country
– Thousands of settlers
made the voyage
– Manifest Destiny – idea
that the US was
destined by God to
spread from the Atlantic
to the Pacific

4. Lesson 1 – The
Oregon Country• “Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!”
– Many Americans wanted to
own all of Oregon
– This slogan referred to what
the northern border would be
– Election of 1844 – Polk wins
over Clay...Polk believed in
Manifest Destiny and getting
all of Oregon
– 1846 – US & GB agree to
settle the border at the 49th
parallel

5. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas
• Florida
– US got control of the territory
from Spain in 1821
– Many farmers from the south
moved to Florida…many new
plantations established
– Florida applied for statehood
in 1839
– Congress didn’t want to upset
balance between free and
slave states
– Florida finally became a state
in 1845…Iowa joined in 1846

6. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas
• Problems in Texas
– Mexico won independence
from Spain in 1821...shortly
after, Mexico began
programs to encourage
immigration to Texas
– Many Americans moved
there...land was very cheap
– By 1830, number of
Americans living in Texas
outnumbered Mexicans living
there...Americans didn’t want
to adopt Mexican culture

7. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas
• Problems in Texas
– Mexican Govt. stopped all
immigration from the US and a
new tax was placed on goods
imported from the US
– These new policies upset the
Americans living in Texas...many
began to call for independence
– 1833 – Antonio Lopez de Santa
Anna became new President of
Mexico...named himself dictator,
got rid of Mexican Constitution, &
took away local control of the
government

8. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas
• Texas War for Independence
– 1835 – fighting began b/w
Texans & Mexican Army
– Dec 1835 – Texans drove
Mexican Army out of San
Antonio
– Early 1836 – Santa Anna was
furious about losing San
Antonio, takes army to get it
back
– Santa Anna encountered a group
of Texans barricaded inside a
small mission called “The Alamo”

9. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas
• Battle of the Alamo
– Texans had about 180
soldiers...Santa Anna had
several thousand
– Alamo’s defenders included
William Travis, Jim Bowie, &
Davy Crockett
– Alamo held off Mexican
forces for 13 days...Mexicans
finally got in & killed nearly
everyone (including Travis,
Bowie, &
Crockett)...Remember the
Alamo! became a rallying cry
for the rest of the war

10. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas

11. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas
• Republic of Texas
– Texas declared independence
from Mexico on March 2, 1836
– Sam Houston was named
commander of Texan forces
– Goliad Massacre – Texans
abandon fort at Goliad...as
they retreated, they
encountered Mexican
forces...fight broke out, Texans
surrendered...Mexican forces
killed all the
Texans...Remember Goliad!

12. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas
• Battle of San Jacinto
– Texans conduct surprise
attack on Mexicans
– 600 Mexicans were
killed...700 were captured
including Santa Anna
– May 14, 1836 – Santa
Anna signed peace
treaty...recognized Texas
independence

13. Lesson 2 – Statehood for Florida and Texas
• Lone Star Republic
– Sam Houston was
elected as first president
– Houston sent a
delegation to
Washington...wanted US
to annex Texas
– Pres. Jackson said
no...didn’t want to upset
balance b/w free & slave
states
– 1845 – Texas was finally
annexed by US &
became a state

14. Lesson 3 – War with Mexico
• Problems with Mexico
– No one knew the southern
boundary of Texas...US
said it was the Rio Grande
River...Mexico said it was
the Nueces River
– President Polk sent John
Slidell to Mexico to settle
the dispute
– US offered to buy CA for
$25 million, buy NM for $5
million, & have the Rio
Grande as the border

15. Lesson 3 – War with Mexico
• Problems with Mexico
– Mexico viewed this as an insult
and announced its intention to
reclaim Texas
– Polk ordered Gen. Zachary
Taylor to take his soldiers into
the disputed territory
– April 1846 – Mexico attacked &
killed 11 US soldiers in disputed
territory
– Polk: “Mexico has shed
American blood on American
soil.”
– May 1846 – Congress declared
war on Mexico

16. Lesson 3 – War with Mexico
• Mexican War
– US was led by Zachary Taylor...Mexico was led
by Santa Anna
– Polk had a three part plan to win the war
•1) Gain control of and secure the Rio Grande as
the border of Texas
•2) Gain control of New Mexico & California
•3) Gain control of Mexico City (Mexico’s capital)
– All three were accomplished by Sept.
1847...Mexico surrendered

17. Lesson 3 – War with Mexico
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
– Ended the Mexican War
– Signed in Feb. 1848
– US gets:
• Rio Grande as southern
border
• California & New Mexico
(Mexican Cession) for $15
million
• Gadsden Purchase (1853) –
US bought southern strip of
present-day AZ & NM for
$10 million...US mainland
reached current size

18. Lesson 4 – California &
Utah• California Gold Rush
– Gold was first discovered
near Sutter’s Mill in 1848
– Thousands “rush” to CA
from all over the world
– “Forty-niners” – those
that came in 1849
– “Boomtowns” – cities that
popped up quickly
– San Francisco’s population
• 1849 – 1,000
• 1856 – 50,000

19. Lesson 4 – California &
Utah

20. Lesson 4 – California &
Utah• Mormons
– Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints
(Mormons) was started by
Joseph Smith in NY
– Believed in communal
property & polygamy
– Moved from NY to OH to
MO to IL to UT
– Smith was killed in IL by an
angry mob...Brigham Young
led them to UT...settled
next to the Great Salt Lake
Joseph Smith
Brigham Young