History Alive
Chapter 15
Manifest Destiny and the
Growing Nation
• Which two physical features
formed the eastern and western
boundaries of the Louisiana
Territory?
• The Mississippi River and the
Rocky Mountains
• Which of the United States’
territorial acquisitions extends
farthest to the south? What
latitude does it reach?
Florida, 25º north latitude
• Which U.S. territorial acquisition(s)
border the Gulf of Mexico?
Florida, Louisiana Purchase, and
Texas
Which U.S. territorial
acquisition(s) have a border
th
along the 49 parallel of
latitude?
Oregon Country
• Pretend you are a pioneer who left
St. Louis, Missouri, and crossed the
Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains,
the Great Basin, and the Sierra
Nevada before settling in a
territory acquired by the United
States. In which territory did you
settle?
• Mexican Cession; specifically,
California
Pretend you are a Native American
who lives along the Columbia River.
What would American settlers call
the territory in which you live?
Oregon Country
Pretend you are a Mexican with a
small ranch on the northeast
bank of the Rio Grande. In what
year did your land become part
of the United States?
• 1845
Which territory acquired by the
United States is today the entire
southern border of Arizona?
• Gadsden Purchase
• If you were exploring along the
Missouri River, which territory
would you be learning about?
• Louisiana Purchase
• Name all the territories acquired
by the United States that share a
border with Mexico.
• Texas, Mexican Cession, and
Gadsden Purchase
• If you had moved to 30º north
latitude and 96º west longitude,
in which territory acquired by
the United States would you
have settled?
• Texas
• Which territory acquired by the
United States is located north of
the Mexican Cession and west
of the Louisiana Territory?
• Oregon Country
The End 
• Read Section 15.2 in History
Alive! The United States
Through Industrialism up to
the subhead “A Noble
Bargain.”
Situation #1 Louisiana Purchase
What action should the United States take?
A. Offer to buy the city of New Orleans from
France so that American farmers can export
their goods from that port.
B. Threaten to go to war if France does not
hand over New Orleans to the United States.
C. Offer to buy all of the Louisiana Territory,
including New Orleans, so that the French are
no longer a threat to the United States.
• Explain your choice: The United States
should select option ____ because…
• Read the remainder of Section 15.2 to
find out what happened.
#1
In 1803, Thomas
Jefferson purchased
the Louisiana
Territory from France
for $15 million
Farmers feared that
Napoleon would
close New Orleans
and they would be
unable to export
their crops.
Situation # 2 Florida
What action should the United States take?
Circle your choice.
A. Use military force to take Florida from
Spain since Andrew Jackson’s invasion
proves that Spain’s army is weak.
B. Apologize to Spain for Jackson’s invasion.
Send troops to patrol the border between
Florida and the United States to prevent
Indian raids and runaway slaves.
C. Offer to buy Florida in order to avoid war
with Spain.
Explain your choice: The United
States should select option ____
because…
Read the remainder of Section
15.3 to find out what happened.
#2
Runaway slaves
joined the
Seminole Indians
Andrew Jackson marched into Florida to end attacks on Georgia
farms by runaway slaves and Seminole Indians. Although Spain
owned Florida, it feared war with the United States. Therefore,
Spain gave Florida to the United States.
Situation #3 Texas
What action should the United States take?
Circle your choice.
A. Let Texas remain an independent
country. Try to establish good relations
with Texas, and avoid angering Mexico.
B. Annex Texas to the United States and
risk war with Mexico.
C. Make a treaty with Mexico agreeing to
split Texas between the two countries.
Explain your choice: The United
States should select option ____
because…
Read the remainder of Section
15.4 to find out what happened.
#3
In 1827, almost 300 families
under the leadership of
Stephen Austin received
permission from the Mexican
government to settle in Texas.
As the number of American
settlers rose to 25,000,
Mexico became alarmed and
closed Texas to immigration.
Santa Anna, head
of the Mexican
government,
defeated the
Americans at the
Alamo and killed
all defenders.
Eventually, Texas
received its
independence
from Mexico and
was annexed by
the
United States.
Situation # 4 Oregon Country
What action should the United States take?
Circle your choice.
A. Annex all of Oregon to the United States
and risk war with Britain.
B. Offer to sell Oregon to Britain in order to
increase the money in the United States
Treasury.
C. Make a treaty with Britain agreeing to
divide Oregon between the two countries.
Explain your choice: The United
States should select option
____ because…
Read the remainder of Section
15.5 to find out what
happened.
#4
Drawn by glowing
descriptions of Oregon
Country, 1,000 pioneers
moved into the territory.
President James Polk settled the
Oregon boundary dispute. He
made an agreement with Britain
to make the northern border of
Oregon the 49th parallel.
Situation # 5 War with Mexico
What action should the United States take?
A. Apologize for invading Mexico, offer to buy
California and New Mexico, and accept the
Nueces River as the border between Texas and
Mexico.
B. Demand that Mexico recognize the Rio Grande
as the border of Texas and cede (give up)
California and New Mexico to the United States.
C. Annex all of Mexico to the United States
because it is weak after losing the Mexican War.
Explain your choice: The United
States should select option ____
because…
Read the remainder of Section
15.6 to find out what happened
#5
By the terms of the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United
States received California, Nevada,
Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and
parts of Colorado and Wyoming. In
exchange, the United States paid
Mexico $15 million.
A dispute over the boundary
of Texas led the United States
into war with Mexico. The
United States believed the
border to be the Rio Grande,
while Mexico thought it was
the Nueces River.