Manifest Destiny and Its
Legacy, 1841-1848
John Gast, “American Progress” (1872)
Changes in 1840s America
• Massive Expansion and Growth
– Population
– Immigration
• Irish
– Potato Famine 1840s
– 2 million Irish to America 1830-1860, primarily
to northeastern cities
– Greeted by Nativism and Anti-Catholicism
» Anti Catholic Riots in Boston and
Philadelphia
» Maria Monk’s “Awful Disclosures” 1836
» Stereotypes: Bridget McBruiser and
Paddy
•Germans
– 1.5 million 1830-1860
– Refugees from crop failures and failed
democratic revolution in 1848
– Wealthier…move to Midwest to farm
– Contributions: Conestoga Wagon,
Kindergarten, “Continental Sunday”
•Response: Nativism
– Know-Nothing Party (aka American Party)
• National Market Economy Emerges
– Regions linked in trade and development
– Aided by new technology
• McCormick’s Reaper
• Cotton Gin
• Transportation – Turnpikes,
Steamboats, Canals, Railroads
– 1828: first RR; 1860: 32,000 miles of RR (3/4 in
N)
– RRs limited by different gauges and lack of
safety
• Samuel Morse: Telegraph 1844
• Patents:
– 1800-1810: 360
– 1850-1860: 28,000
• Industrialization
– Slow to come to American b/c of cheap land, lack
of $ for investment
– Bright future: raw materials, labor, consumers
– Textiles = America’s first industry
• Samuel Slater 1791
• Eli Whitney – Cotton Gin 1793
• Issac Singer – Sewing Machine
– Legal – “free incoporation”
• Charles River Bridge Case – 1842
– Workers – “wage slaves”
• 12 hr days the norm
• Jacksonian Workingmen’s parties – call for reforms
• Early unions – 300,000 trade unionists by 1830
– Hurt by Panic of 1837
– Commonwealth v. Hunt 1842 – unions NOT conspiracies
– 10 hr day for Fed Gov’t workers in 1840.
• Urbanization
– 1790 – 2 cities over 20,000 (NY & Phila)
– 1860 – 43 cities over 20,000
– Conditions bad!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Overcrowding
Tenements
No professional police or fire departments
No water treatment, no sewers, no garbage pickup
Roaming herds of pigs, rats, and dogs
Cholera outbreaks in 1830s
Foreign Affairs
• During the 1840s the US runs into issues
with Mexico and Britain
Don’t Mess with Texas
• How did Texas become the “Lone Star Republic”
– Mexico declares independence from Spain in 1821
– Mexican gov’t invites Americans to settle there to secure
Texas.
• Stephen Austin leads 300 families
• By 1830, there would be over 30,000 “Anglos” (Americans)
• Texas is dominated by Americans and has a strong American
identity.
– Mexico outlaws slavery in 1829; Texans settlers ignore this,
so Mexico attempts to crack down & bars further American
immigration.
• Texas declares its independence from Mexico in 1835;
after a year of fighting Mexico backs down.
• Texas then asks to be annexed to the US.
– President Jackson refuses to annex TX…doesn’t want to start
another fight over adding a slave state.
– Republic of Texas (Lone Star Republic) would remain
independent until 1844.
Trouble with Britain
• Anti-British sentiment running high.
– Britain upset at American slavery;
– Americans owed money to British banks, but
default on loans after the Panic of 1837.
– The Caroline Incident 1837
• A small Canadian insurrection begins in 1837.
• US policy = neutrality, but many Ams support the
rebellion because they hate Britain.
• Caroline--an American ship ferrying supplies to rebels
across the Niagara River in NY--attacked and burned by
British forces on the NY side of the river. This sparked
protests from the American government.
– The Creole Incident 1841
• Slaves on board an American ship revolt; Britain offers
them asylum in the Bahamas.
– The Aroostook War (1842)
• Boundary dispute over northern Maine.
• Lumberjacks and militia start fighting.
• Resolved by Webster-Ashburton Treaty 1842.
– Oregon Boundary
• US-Britain jointly occupied Oregon and have
disagreed about the border since 1824.
• 54º40’ = northern border…US wants this = all
of Oregon.
– Creole Incident (1841). GB offers 130 slaves
asylum in the Bahamas after they had revolted
and captured the American ship Creole
– Maine Boundary Dispute: "The Aroostook War"
-- 1842.
• GB's desire to construct a road from Halifax (Nova
Scotia) to Quebec in disupted territory
• Lumberjack war erupts involving local militia from both
Canada and Maine.
• resolved by the Ashburton-Webster Treaty (1842).
– The disputed territory was split roughly in half--with the
US getting about 7,000 of 12,000 acres and GB getting their
road.
– The Caroline incident was also patched up in these
proceedings.
Manifest Destiny
• Manifest Destiny – phrase coined by John O’Sullivan in 1845.
– Americans destined to expand, spread "superior" ideals and
institutions (democracy, Christianity, individualism, capitalism)
across the continent
– the perfect marriage of "land greed" and idealism…"empire and
liberty.“
• Expansion = Key issue in 1844 Election.
• Democratic platform
– Annex TX
– Occupy all of Oregon (54-40 or Fight!)
– Acquire California from Mexico
"Manifest Destiny!" and the
1844 Election.
• Manifest Destiny – phrase coined by John
O’Sullivan in 1845.
– Americans destined to expand, spread "superior"
ideals and institutions (democracy, Christianity,
individualism, capitalism) across the continent
– the perfect marriage of "land greed" and
idealism…"empire and liberty.“
• Democratic Platform in 1844:
– Annex Texas; occupy all of Oregon (54°40‘ or fight!)
James K. Polk
• Voters label Polk as Young Hickory“
• An expansionist.
• Effective at achieving his goals
– Annex Texas
• This is done immediately after his election in 1845.
– Occupy Oregon.
• He negotiates with Britain. Doesn’t succeed in taking all
the territory to 54-40, but instead compromises and
agrees to extend the 49 parallel border to the coast.
– Acquisition of California.
• This was accomplished with a bit more difficulty…the
Mexican War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
ceded California along with other Mexican territory to
the US in exchange for $15 million.
Mexican War
• Causes/Events Leading to the War:
– Slidell Mission Rejected
• Sec. State James Slidell
• Offers $25 million for California.
• Mexico, upset about US annexation of TX, rejects the offer
– Polk “provokes” Mexico into attacking the US
• Moves troops into disputed territory between the Nueces River and
the Rio Grande.
• Mexico attacks US troops, Polk proclaims “American blood has been
shed on American Soil”
• Opposition to the War
– Abolitionists
– “Conscience Whigs”
• Propose numerous “Spot Resolutions” asking Polk to show where
“blood had been shed” to prove it was not on American soil.
• “Spotty” Abe Lincoln – earns nickname because he proposes the
resolution so many times.
Texas Boundary Dispute
Consequences of the Mexican War
1. Vast new territory gained
–
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)
•
•
–
US gains the Mexican Cession (Cali, Arizona, Utah,
Colorado, New Mexico); gives Mexico $15 million
Mexico gives up claims to Texas; Rio Grande becomes the
border.
Gadsden Purchase (1853)
•
•
Small strip of land south of the Mexican Cession purchased
for $10 million.
Provides a pass through the mountains…the US wants to
build a railroad there.
Gadsen Purchase (1853)
Consequences of the Mexican War
2. Boosts the idea of Manifest Destiny.
3. Provides training and experience for future Civil
War generals.
4. Reputation of the US in Europe increased (the
US seen as a serious world power); reputation
of the US in the Americas decreased (the US
seen as a bullying menace)
5. Reignites the issue of slavery.
•
Will slavery extend into the new territories?
•
•
The Wilmot Proviso
California and the Compromise of 1850