Chapter 9 – Expansion Leads to Conflict
Section Notes
Manifest Destiny
Texas Independence
War with Mexico
History Close-up
The Battle of San Jacinto
Quick Facts
Causes and Effects of the
Mexican-American War
Visual Summary: Expansion
Leads to Conflict
Video
Expansion Leads to Conflict
Maps
American Trails West
Oregon Divided
Texas Revolution
The Mexican-American War
Images
A Day on the Trail
The Long Tom
Romanticizing Native American
Life
From Republic to State
Manifest Destiny
Main Idea
Americans in large numbers followed trails to the West in the
1840s and 1850s.
Reading Focus
• Why did Americans head west?
• What were the major western trails?
• How did the gold rush affect California?
• What were some major effects of westward migration?
Americans Head West
Americans believed in manifest destiny, the idea that the
nation had a God-given right to all of North America.
• Few gave thought to how
manifest destiny would
affect native peoples.
• Lumberjacks and miners
went to capitalize on
timber and minerals.
• Mountain men went west
to trap and trade.
• Farmers moved west to
farm vast, rich lands.
• Missionaries hoped to
convert Native Americans
to Christianity.
• Entrepreneurs made their
way to California.
Major Western Trails
Santa Fe
Trail
Oregon Trail
Mormon
Trail
The first major western trail was the Santa Fe
Trail, which stretched 800 miles from
Independence, Missouri, to the town of Santa Fe,
the capital of Spanish New Mexico. It began as a
trade route.
The 2,000-mile Oregon Trail stretched from
Independence, Missouri, to the rich farming lands
of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. It was used by
Native Americans, Lewis and Clark, fur traders and
mountain men, and finally migrants.
Between 1847 and 1853, some 16,000 Mormons
migrated west following the 1,300-mile route that
became known as the Mormon Trail. It ran from
Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City in present-day
Utah.
News from Sutter’s Mill
In 1848 gold was discovered in the American
River at John Sutter’s sawmill in northern
California.
When the news reached the United States, most
considered it a rumor.
President James K. Polk announced the gold
discovery in his State of the Union address on
December 5, 1848.
Newspapers across the country carried the story,
and thousands of Americans caught “gold fever.”
The Gold Rush
California gold
• The gold rush was a mass
migration of miners and
people who made money off
the miners to California.
• The migrants who left for
California in 1849 were
called forty-niners.
• Golden dreams brought
people from around the
world, but 80 percent of
them came from the United
States.
Getting there
• By land following the
California Trail
• Sailing around the southern
tip of South America or
south to Panama, crossing
Central America by mule
train, and then sailing north
to California
• By 1854 as many as
300,000 people had
migrated to California.
Booming cities
• When most miners reached California, they moved into
mining camps in the gold fields.
• Many others—especially businesspeople—settled in cities.
• San Francisco, the port nearest the gold fields, grew
from 800 people in 1848 to some 25,000 the next year.
• Stockton and Sacramento also grew rapidly during the
gold rush.
Major Effects of Westward Migration
The Oregon Treaty
• Presidential candidate
James K. Polk campaigned
in 1844 on the promise of
securing the Oregon
Country for the United
States even if it meant war.
• The United States and
Britain had jointly controlled
Oregon since 1818.
• Polk won, but made a treaty
with Britain, setting the
boundary between the
United States and British
Canada at the 49th parallel.
Communication Links
• Westward migration also led
to the need for business,
government, and personal
communication over long
distances.
• Butterfield stagecoaches
carried passengers and mail
between St. Louis and San
Francisco on a two-week
trip.
• Pony Express mail service
used relays of young riders
on fast horses between
Missouri and California.
Texas Independence
The Main Idea
American settlers in Texas revolted against the Mexican
government and created the independent Republic of
Texas.
Reading Focus
• What system did the Spanish use to settle Texas?
• How did Americans begin to move into Texas?
• What were the causes and effects of the Texas Revolution?
The Spanish Settle Texas
The original inhabitants were Native Americans, living in
Texas for thousands of years.
The Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to visit
Texas, crossing it several times during the 1500s. Spain
claimed Texas based on these explorations. Finding little
wealth in the region, they made no attempt to settle.
In 1689, the Spanish discovered the ruins of a French fort
built on the coast that had been destroyed by local Indians.
Alarmed that the French would try to claim the land, the
Spanish came up with a plan to settle Texas.
The Spanish Settle Texas
The mission system
The mission system ends
• The Spanish attempted to
settle Texas by building
missions, small settlements
designed to convert the
Indians to Christianity.
• Native Americans rejected
mission life, where they were
expected to give up their
culture as well as their
religion.
• The Spanish had effectively
used the mission system in
Mexico.
• Some Indian groups viewed
the Spanish as dangerous
trespassers, attacking the
missions and towns.
• They built two dozen missions
and presidios between the
late 1600s and 1700s; they
also built San Antonio and
Nacogdoches.
• Despite Spanish hopes, the
missions failed and the towns
never flourished.
• The system was built to
convert the Indians and to
thwart French claims. In
1762, France ceded to Spain
much of its land claim in
North America.
• By 1800, Spain still claimed
Texas, but had only three
settlements in the region.
Americans Move into Texas
• Moses Austin
– In 1820, Austin proposed to Spanish colonial officials that, in
exchange for land, he would build a colony in Texas. The
Spanish agreed, but Austin died before he could start. His son,
Stephen F. Austin, would carry out his wish for a colony. By
1824 about 300 families lived on farms and ranches throughout
Austin’s colony.
• Mexican independence and the empresarios
– Mexico gained its independence in 1821. The new government
wanted Texas settled. They assigned large amounts of land to
empresarios, contractors who recruited settlers and established
colonies. Austin was the most successful of the empresarios.
– By 1830, Texas had more than a dozen colonies with 30,000
settlers. This included several thousand enslaved Africans and
4,000 Tejanos, or Texans of Mexican heritage.
The Texas Revolution
American settlers in Texas had to agree to certain conditions in
exchange for receiving land. They had to surrender their American
citizenship; swear allegiance to Mexico; adopt the Roman Catholic
religion; and hold the land for seven years.
Tensions in
Texas
International
tensions
The settlers ignored the Mexican rules. They kept
bringing in slaves, even after Mexico outlawed
slavery. Settlers were still Americans, not Mexican.
In 1830, Mexico passed a law halting American
immigration and sent troops to Texas to enforce it.
Mexican officials suspected that the U.S. wanted to
acquire Texas. Originally claimed as part of the
Louisiana Purchase, the U.S. had dropped its claim.
But when an offer was made to buy a large part of
Texas for $1 million, Mexicans refused, but their
fears of U.S. intentions were confirmed.
The Texas Revolution Begins
Tensions between settlers, now calling themselves Texans,
and the Mexican government grew continually worse.
After several bloody protests, Texans held conventions to
discuss the best course of action. A plan to make Texas a
separate Mexican state failed. The new Mexican president,
Antonio López de Santa Anna, supported a strong central
government and enforced new laws banning state militias.
War came when violence erupted at Gonzales over
possession of a cannon. Though small, it was the first battle
of the Texas Revolution, and hopes for a peaceful
resolution between the Texans and Mexico diminished. At a
meeting, called the Consultation, the settlers founded a
government and asked Sam Houston to raise an army.
From the Alamo to Independence
The Alamo
Rebel Texan forces captured San Antonio, which
contained a fort called the Alamo. Santa Anna led
an army into Texas to punish the rebels and put
down the unrest once and for all.
Santa Anna
On February 23, 1836, Santa Anna’s force of 6,000
soldiers reached San Antonio. A demand of
surrender was met with cannon fire from William
Travis. The Mexican army laid siege to the fort,
pounding it for 12 days and nights. The fort was
finally stormed, with nearly all defenders killed.
March 2,
1836
While the Alamo was under siege, a small group of
Texans met at Washington-on-the-Brazos to issue
the Texas Declaration of Independence. They wrote
a constitution for the new, independent nation.
Fighting for Independence
The Runaway Scrape
Texans victorious
• Santa Anna’s army continued
to defeat the Texan rebels.
Prisoners were held in the
presidio at Goliad.
• Santa Anna’s army followed
Houston’s forces to San
Jacinto, where Houston
managed to take the Mexican
army by surprise. Texans
shouted, “Remember the
Alamo!” and “Remember
Goliad!” as they won a quick
victory.
• After Mexican soldiers
executed 340 prisoners at
Goliad, Houston retreated to
the east with his poorly
trained army.
• Word of Houston’s retreat and
the news of the Goliad
Massacre started a panic.
• In what would be called the
Runaway Scrape, thousands
of Texans, including many
Tejanos, fled Santa Anna’s
advancing army.
• The captured Santa Anna was
forced to sign the Treaties of
Velasco, ending the war.
Mexico had to withdraw its
troops and recognize Texas
independence.
• Problems with Mexico
continued for the Republic
of Texas.
War with Mexico
The Main Idea
Soon after annexing Texas, the United States declared war
on Mexico.
Reading Focus
• What were the arguments for and against the annexation of
Texas?
• What created tensions between the United States and Mexico in
the 1840s?
• What were the causes and effects of the Mexican-American War?
The Annexation of Texas
Proponents
Opponents
• Americans who believed in
Manifest Destiny wanted to
admit Texas to the Union.
• Americans were concerned
that the U.S. would have
to bear the substantial
Texas debt.
• Supporters viewed the
Texas Revolution in the
spirit of the American
Revolution.
• Southerners supported
annexation because Texas
allowed slavery, and its
admission would boost the
South’s political power.
• Northerners opposed
annexation because it
would spread slavery
westward and increase
slave states’ voting power
in Congress.
• A major argument in
Congress was that the
Constitution said nothing
about admitting an
independent nation.
The Annexation of Texas
• A Republic for nine years
– The annexation question was a significant issue in the 1844
presidential election. When James K. Polk, the pro-annexation
candidate, won, Mexico warned that it would consider the
annexation of Texas as a declaration of war.
• Tyler signs the joint resolution
– Outgoing president John Tyler signed the joint resolution of
Congress into law just three days before the end of his term, in
March 1845.
• Texas becomes a state
– Voters in Texas overwhelmingly approved annexation, and
Texas became a part of the United States on December 29,
1845.
Tensions between the United States
and Mexico
Mexico
responds
Polk and
Manifest
Destiny
The
boundary
dispute
The annexation of Texas enraged the Mexican
government. Mexico had refused to recognize the
Republic of Texas, and they broke off diplomatic
ties with the U.S. after the vote for annexation.
In March 1845, James K. Polk became president.
He wanted the nation to acquire the land between
Texas and the Pacific Ocean. These sparsely
populated territories, New Mexico and California,
belonged to Mexico. Polk sought an opportunity to
acquire these remote regions.
The U.S. needed to secure the boundary between
Texas and Mexico. Texans put the border at the Rio
Grande. Mexico maintained it was at the Nueces
River. There were also disputes about money, and
Polk wanted these issues resolved.
Slidell’s Trip
In the fall of 1845, Polk sent a special envoy to Mexico.
John Slidell arrived with a U.S. offer to cancel the $3 million
in claims against Mexico in exchange for Mexico’s
recognition of the Rio Grande as its boundary with the U.S.
He was further authorized to pay Mexico up to $30 million
to purchase New Mexico and California for the United
States.
Neither of the rivals for Mexico’s presidency would meet
with him. An angry Slidell recommended to Polk that Mexico
be punished.
The Mexican-American War
The war
starts
While Slidell was in Mexico, Polk ordered General
Zachary Taylor to take his troops into the
disputed border territory. The U.S. used the event
of a minor skirmish to declare war on Mexico.
Fighting the
war
American forces under Taylor advanced into
northern Mexico. General Winfield Scott marched
his forces into Mexico City. In a matter of months,
U.S. forces had captured New Mexico and
California. When their capital fell, the Mexican
government was forced to give in.
Results of
the war
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago (1848) forced
Mexico to turn over a huge tract of land known as
the Mexican Cession, while the U.S. paid Mexico
$15 million. Debate continues over whether the
Mexican-American War was justified.
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