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American Pageant Chapter 17 APUSH Review

Election of 1840

  • Whigs chose William Henry Harrison
  • Vice President John Tyler
    • Former Democrat
  • Dies 32 days after taking office

Beef with President Tyler

  • Tyler still holds many Democrat beliefs
  • Starts to block goals of the Whig party (led by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster)
  • Attempts to annex Texas - Defeated by Congress

Election of 1844

  • Polk Wins!

Texas Annexed

  • Lame duck President John Tyler submitted proposal and Congress annexed Texas
    • Accomplished by a joint resolution (only needs a majority of both houses)
    • Does not need 2/3 approval by Senate

Goals of James K. Polk

  • Lower the tariff
  • National Expansion: MANIFEST DESTINY
    • Expansion into Oregonn "540° 40, or Fight!" threat to England
    • Annexation of Texas
    • Aquisition of CA

Manifest Destiny

  • Belief that it was America's destiny to conquer and civilize the entire continent
    • Built upon belief of white superiority
  • Term coined by John O'Sullivan in 1845
    • Western expansion been going on for some time
    • Louisiana Purchase (1803)
    • Missouri Compromise 1820
    • Jackson's Indian Removal policies in 1830s
  • Issue of slavery complicates the issue of western expansion

The Oregon Dispute: “54° 40’ or Fight”

  • Anglo-American Convention of 1818: U.S. and England agreed to peacefully jointly occupy Oregon territory
  • Oregon Trail: Many American settlers flood into the area
  • Major issue in the Election of 1844
  • Oregon Treaty 1846: 49th parallel, No war needed

Beef with Mexico

  • Mexico still viewed Texas as part of Mexico
    • Dispute over river Rio Grande & Nueces river
  • Polk attempts to buy California from Mexico
    • Slidell Mission: Mexico refuses offer of $25 million for CA
  • Polk sends Zachary Taylor into disputed territory between Mexico and Texas
    • U.S. forces attacked in April 1846
  • Mexican American War begins: 1846-1848

Controversial

  • Northern Whigs oppose the war
    • See it as an attempt by Southerners to extend slavery
  • Lincoln introduces the "Spot Resolution" demanding to know if attack really took place on U.S. soil
  • Wilmot Proviso: attempted to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico
    • Passed-by-House rejected by Senate

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)

  • Mexico gave the U. S. California, New Mexico, and rest of Southwest.
    • Increases U.S. territory by 1/3
  • Mexico gave up claims to Texas
    • Accepts Rio Grande border
  • Mexico lost about half of its territory
    • Strains relations between the U.S. and Mexico

New Controversies: (or the return of old)

  • New territories were brought into the Union which forced the issue of slavery into the center of national politics!