Unit 1 Westward Expansion

Manifest Destiny

The idea that white Americans are divinely ordained to settle the entire continent of America from the Pacific to the Atlantic

- American exceptionalism

- Spread democracy and European culture

- Mission to remake the West in the image of agrarian farming America

Louisiana Purchase

828,000 square miles ceded by Spain to France in 1803

Thomas Jefferson approved purchase for $15 million to gain fertile land for farming

France sold it because they had no plans for the territory

New Orleans was strategically important

Largest land sale in history

Florida

Seminole people caused problems - led to campaign in War of 1812

Florida could be used to attack them (Spain)

Refuge for outlaws and runaway slaves

1818: Jackson invaded

Spain distracted by South American rebellions

Florida officially purchased by the US in 1819

Texas

Texas became independent after war with Mexico in 1836

Expansionists supported annexation to prevent foreign influence

Texans sought union for security against Mexico

Northern states opposed adding a slave state and feared Texas splitting

1845: Polk reassured Congress Texas would remain one state

Texas became the 28th state on December 29, 1845

Oregon

5x more Americans vs British in Oregon Territory (1846)

Polk called for US control of the entire territory, threatening war with Britain

"54, 40, or fight"

Compromise in 1846, dividing territory - north went to Canada

US land formed Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and parts of Montana and Wyoming

Mexico War

Annexation of Texas + Polk's 1844 election led to war (1846-1848)

Manifest Destiny, clashed Mexico

Mexico rejected US attempts to purchase land between Texas and the Pacific

Polk provoked by sending troops to disputed border, leading to Mexican attack

Congress authorized war, Mexico City fell

1848: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

US gained 55% of Mexican territory, including California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, parts of Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming

Gadsden Purchase

1853: James Gadsden was sent to Mexico to purchase land for railroad development

Southerners supported southern railway that aiding slave trade

US was coast to coast, achieving Manifest Destiny

Heightened sectional divisions over slavery in new territories

Who went West?

Farmers

Ex-slaves

Miners

Mormons

Fur Traders

1830's financial crisis in the east

Environmental factors

Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountains

Bears and wolves

Weather conditions

Donner Party

Took Hastings Cut-off (longer route) to California

Delayed, trapped by snow in Sierra Nevada

Lost oxen and supplies

First death: Baylis Williams (malnutrition)

Survivors resorted to cannibalism

Fur trade

Fur bearing animals, was very popular in Europe

Sold fur to Astor American Fur Company and Rocky Mountain Fur Company
First trades with natives

Lewis and Clark Expedition

1804: Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore new US land

Aims: map area, find Pacific route, build native relations, boost fur trade

Travelled 8000 miles, recorded climate, terrain, plants, animals

Built trade links with native tribes

1805: Zebulon Pike explored upper Mississippi and Colorado (28 months)

Transport and Communication

1811: Cumberland Pike road built (600 miles)

1807: Robert Fulton's steamboat (10 mph, major river transport)

1857: Butterfield's transcontinental mail (St Louis to San Francisco)

1860: Pony Express (fast 10-day mail relay)

1861: Telegraph made communication quicker and cheaper (replaced Pony Express)

Oregon Trail opened up westward migration

Rail Roads

Chartered Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads

Gave land and money to companies

Sold land to attract settlers, offered loans and housing

Building the railroad destroyed buffalo herds, harming Native Americans

Farming

Homestead Act: Allowed families to claim 160 acres: live 5 years for free or pay $1.25/acre after 6 months

Created the 'Wheat Belt'

1874 Locust Plague destroyed crops, worsened hardships

Farmers

1/10 of Americans became homesteaders by 1805

Only 40% succeeded; many went bankrupt and returned East

Farming Acts

Morrill Act (1862): Gave land to states to create agricultural colleges

Timber and Culture Act: Offered 160 acres if farmers planted trees on 40 acres

Desert Land Act (1877): Allowed 640 acres for $1.25/acre if farmers set up irrigation

Timber and Stone Act (1878): Land for mining and lumbering

Federal government provided land, but farmers also bought from states/railroads

Farming Technology

John Deere's steel plough: Helped break through tough prairie soil

McCormick mechanical reaper: Made large-scale grain harvesting efficient

Deep wells & windmills: Solved water supply problems for crops like maize

Barbed wire & fencing: Enabled large-scale cattle farming

Mormons

Founded by Joseph Smith in New York after finding the golden plates (Book of Mormon)

Moved to Utah to find the "Land of Zion"

Persecuted for:

• Treating slaves and natives kindly

• Polygamy

• Siding with the church, not the government

  Moved to Utah to find the "Land of Zion”

Mining

1848: Gold discovered in California, leading to boomtowns with gambling, saloons, and brothels

Temporary settlements - ghost towns

Settlements like Virginia City

1859: Comstock Lode (Nevada), 1874: Black Hills (Dakota)

Silver and other metals found in areas for mining unlikely for agriculture (Badlands)

Deep shafts and mills, leading to long-term settlements by 1880

Cattle Farming

Livestock dealers made large profits ($30-40, Chicago)

Cattle drove north

Texas longhorn’s "Texas fever" - Kansas quarantine law

"Cow towns" (dodge city) - demand for meat and jobs

Branded cattle so no stealing

Effects of cattle farming

Railroads made livestock transport easier but cattle lost weight, needing grazing breaks

Barbed wire invented to prevent escapes and theft

Meat demand increased from miners, railway workers, and Natives