Chapter 11 - Expanding West 

• Moses Austin got permission, in 1821, to take three hundred families to Texas. Austin was from the state of Missouri. He wanted this land for farming. Mexico gave them this land because they thought the Americans would fend off the Native Americans. Before he can make the journey, he dies. His son, Stephen Austin, took over the project. The Mexicans wanted settlers to blend into the Mexican culture by following three things:

  1. Follow the religion - Catholicism
  2. Using the Mexican language - Spanish
  3. No slavery

• As word spreads, more Americans come. Most settlers kept their American identity and expected to be granted American rights. The Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna decided to enforce the law in Texas by sending troops there.

• The Texans declared that they were fighting to gain the republican rights that the Mexican constitution promised. Texans easily took Goliad, which was a Mexican supply base, and then took control of San Antonio.

• Jim Bowie and Sam Houston were two of the American commanders. The last place Houston wanted to fight a battle was at San Antonio’s abandoned mission (church), the Alamo. Since this was not a fort, it would be difficult to defend since it was a church.

• One the 13 day of the siege, Santa Anna directly attacked the Alamo. Only 3 Americans survived. After the Alamo, the Texans believed the only choice now was freedom; enraged, they wanted revenge. The began to chant “Remember the Alamo!” as their battle cry.

• The Battle of San Jacinto ended in twenty minutes where the Texans killed or captured almost the entire Mexican army of 1,400 men. Houston kept the Texans from killing Santa Anna, choosing rather to hold him hostage to prevent further attacks on Texas.

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• Texas applied for admission into the Union of 1836. The United States refused because Mexico threatened war if Texas became a state. Hence, Texas stool alone for nine years as the “Lone Star Republic”
• There were two reasons the US government did not want Texas to become a state:

1. The US government did not want to be in war with Mexico
2. Would create a unbalance in Southern vs. Northern states (slave vs. free states)

• By 1844, many Americans were calling for Oregon Territory to be brought into the Union as a free state. James K. Polk was the Speaker of the House won the next presidency. He was known as “Young Hickory” because he followed in the steps of Andrew Jackson. He is the only Speaker of the House to become President. He died during his presidency due to his constant work.
• In 1845, Texas became a state due to Oregon becoming a state

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• John L. O’Sullivan gave the name to “Manifest Destiny.” Many traveled for the desire for wealth the the lure of the land. Trappers and traders were the first whites to arrive in a new western area. These were known as mountain men.

• Jedediah Smith located the most useful pass, South Pass (the most famous mountain man) Manifest Destiny caused Americans to steal, kill, and covet the land. The first American trail west was the Santa Fe Trail.

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  Manifest Destiny: The belief in the 1800’s that the US was destined by God to expand across the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.