Ch. 15: Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation
Ch. 15 Objectives
Students will
• Explain how the United States made five key
territorial acquisitions from 1803 to 1853 (in
other words, how we gained land to become
a bigger country).
• Explain the concept of Manifest Destiny and
how it was used to justify U.S. expansion
during this time period.
• Debate what the U.S. should have done in
each case of territorial acquisition, using
historical facts and personal values.
• Manifest Destiny was the belief by many Americans that it was
America’s destiny to move westward, expanding its borders
from the Atlantic Ocean in the East to the Pacific Ocean in the
West.
• Belief in manifest destiny persuaded the American people and
American leaders to support numerous efforts to acquire more
territory, making America a much larger country.
• Over the course of 50 years (from 1803-1853), America tripled
in size and achieved the manifest destiny goal of stretching
from coast to coast.
Mississippi River
New
Orleans
• The Mississippi River is
the longest river in North
America.
• It is an important source of
transportation for both
people and goods.
• Farmers living in the states
you see to the left could
send their crops down the
river and into the Atlantic
Ocean, where they could
be shipped around the
world.
New Orleans
In 1803, the port city of
New Orleans
belonged to France.
However, America
wanted New Orleans
for itself so that
American farmers
could ship their crops
down the Mississippi
River and out into the
Atlantic Ocean. From
there, those crops
could go to Eastern
cities or Europe. The
city was seen as vital
to American trade.
What action should the
United States take?
Complete the top half of pg. 3 by circling
your choice and explaining your answer.
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 French are
no longer a threat to the United States.
• President Thomas Jefferson
decides to send James Monroe
to France to offer France $7.5
million for New Orleans.
• France’s leader, Napoleon
Bonaparte, offers instead to
sell the entire Louisiana
Territory to the U.S.
• At the time, France was on the
brink of war with Britain and it
feared that it might lose the
territory anyway during the
war, so it made sense to sell it.
“A Noble Bargain” • On April 30, 1803,
Monroe signed a treaty
giving Louisiana to the
U.S. in exchange for
$15 million dollars
(That’s about 2 to 3
cents an acre!).
• The French foreign
minister told Monroe,
“You have made a
noble bargain for
yourselves, and I
suppose you will make
the most of it.”
The Purchase
Debate
• While many Americans
viewed it as the greatest
land deal in history,
some disapproved.
• Politicians in the East
thought they might lose power as new states were
carved out of the Louisiana Territory– states that might
outnumber those in the East.
• Others complained that America had plenty of land as
it was and too little money to be spending it on buying
more.
• Some criticized that Jefferson had no Constitutional
right to make such a deal, but later that year the
Senate would ratify the treaty and double the size of
the U.S.
Complete the bottom half of pg. 3
Complete the bottom half of pg. 3
President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana
Territory from France for $15 million.
Florida
• Spain had colonized
Florida in the late 1500s.
• In 1804, Jefferson sent
two diplomats to Spain
to buy Florida, but Spain
refused to sell.
• Many white Americans
in the Southeast wanted
Florida because many
escaped slaves ran
away there and the
Seminole Indians were
carrying out raids in
Georgia.
Andrew Jackson
Invades Florida
• In 1818, President Monroe
sent General Andrew
Jackson to Georgia to end
the Seminole raids.
Jackson was told that he
could not chase the
Seminoles into Florida, but
he did anyway.
• Jackson marched 1,700
troops into Florida and over
the next few weeks had
captured nearly every
military post in the colony
and had removed the
Spanish governor and
replaced him with one of his
own officers.
What action should the
United States take?
Complete the top half of pg. 4 by circling
your choice and explaining your answer.
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
raids by Indians and runaway slaves.
C. Offer to buy Florida in order to avoid war
with Spain.
“Govern or Get Out”
• Monroe asked his cabinet for advice;
all but one of its members suggested
removing Jackson and apologizing
to Spain for his actions.
• The one member of his staff who disagreed was
John Quincy Adams. He advised sending Spain a
blunt message – either govern Florida properly or
get out.
• Fearing war, Spain got out.
• In 1819, the Spanish government agreed to give
Florida to the U.S. in exchange for the U.S. paying
off $5 million in settlers’ claims against Spain and to
honor Spain’s longtime claim to Texas.
• Not all Americans were happy about leaving Spain
in charge of Texas.
Complete the bottom half of pg. 4
Complete the bottom half of pg. 4
Texas
• In 1821, Spanish officials
granted Moses Austin a huge
tract of land in Texas. After
his death, his son Stephen
settled in it soon after Mexico
had gained its independence
from Spain. By 1827, there
were 297 families settled on
Austin’s land.
Stephen Austin
(1793-1836)
“Father of Texas”
Rising Tensions
• Austin’s successful colony started a rush of
American settlers to Texas.
• By 1830, there were about 25,000 Americans
in Texas compared to 4,000 Tejanos (Texans
of Mexican descent).
• Tensions rose between the two groups.
• Ultimately, the Mexican government
responded by closing Texas to further
American immigration.
• The government sent troops to Texas to assert
its authority and to enforce the immigration
laws.
The Texans Rebel
• While some Texans called for
revolution, others like Stephen Austin
asked the Mexican government to
reopen Texas to immigration and to
make it a separate Mexican state.
• But when Austin presented the
Texans’ demands to General Antonio
Lopez de Santa Anna, he was tossed
into jail for promoting rebellion.
• Soon after Austin was released,
Texas rose up in revolt. Santa Anna
marched north to crush the rebels
with his army of approximately 6,000
troops.
The Alamo
• The town of San Antonio,
Texas was defended by
about 180 Texan volunteers
when a large part of Santa
Anna’s army arrived.
• They had taken over an old
mission known as the
Alamo.
• Outnumbered by at least
ten to one, the Texans held
off the Mexicans for 12
days.
• Eventually, the Americans
were defeated.
• Santa Anna ordered that
those who had survived the
battle be executed, a
decision that would fill
Texans with rage.
“Remember the Alamo”
The Battle of the
Alamo showed
how determined
the Texans were
to gain their
independence
and it
encouraged
those still
fighting to seek
revenge.
“Remember
the Alamo”
soon became
a battle cry
for the Texas
revolutionary
army.
Battle of San Jacinto
• Sam Houston, the
commander of the Texas
revolutionary army, hoped
to lure Santa Anna deeper
into Texas. This would
make it harder for him to
supply his army and keep it
battle-ready.
• In April 1836, Santa Anna
caught up with Houston
near the San Jacinto River.
Texas Wins Its Independence
Texas Wins Its Independence
• Houston staged a surprise attack and the
Texans overran the Mexican camp.
• Santa Anna fled, but was captured the next
day.
• In exchange for
his freedom, he
ordered all his
remaining troops
out of Texas,
granting Texas
its independence.
What action should the
United States take?
Complete the top half of pg. 5 by circling
your choice and explaining your answer.
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.
To Annex Texas or Not?
• Texas became known as the Lone Star
Republic because of the single star on its flag.
• But most Texans were Americans who
wanted to make Texas part of the U.S.
• In the U.S., southerners wanted to annex
Texas (make it part of the U.S.) because it
was a slave state. However, northerners who
opposed slavery wanted to keep Texas out.
Others feared annexation would lead to war
with Mexico.
• In 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th state.
Complete the bottom half of pg. 5
Complete the bottom half of pg. 5
Oregon Country
• Oregon Country
was a treecovered
wilderness
stretching from
the Rocky
Mountains to the
Pacific Ocean.
• The U.S. and
Britain both
claimed
ownership but
agreed for a
time to a
peaceful “joint
occupation” of
Oregon.
Discovering Oregon
Lewis & Clark
• America’s claim to Oregon was
based on the Lewis and Clark
expedition, which President
Jefferson had ordered following
the Louisiana Purchase.
• Jefferson wanted them to explore
the Louisiana Territory to see
exactly what the U.S. had just
purchased from France.
• Between 1804 and 1806,
Meriwether Lewis and William
Clark had led a small band of
explorers to the Oregon coast.
Oregon Fever
• The first American settlers to
travel to Oregon were
missionaries. While they
were unable to convert many
Oregon Indians to Christianity, their reports of
Oregon’s fertile soil and abundant forests soon
attracted more settlers.
• Early settlers described it as a “pioneer’s paradise”
and in 1843 about 1,000 pioneers packed their
belongings into covered wagons and headed for
Oregon.
• A year later, the number of pioneers headed for
Oregon doubled.
What action should the
United States take?
Complete the top half of pg. 6 by circling
your choice and explaining your answer.
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.
All of Oregon or Half?
• President James K. Polk was
a strong believer in Manifest
Destiny and he had played a
key role in Texas becoming
part of the U.S.
• He would also play a key role
in determining the fate of
Oregon Country.
• Polk struck a deal with Britain
that divided Oregon roughly in
half at the 49th parallel.
Complete the bottom half of pg. 6
Complete the bottom half of pg. 6
War with Mexico
• After gaining Texas and Oregon,
President Polk (to the right) was
determined to have the huge areas
of California and New Mexico as
well– either through purchase or
war.
• He sent a representative to Mexico
to try and buy the territories, but
Mexican officials refused even to
see him.
• After Texas became part of the U.S.,
Polk sent General Zachary Taylor
(to the left) to defend the TexasMexican border in case Mexico tried
to take it back.
War Breaks
Out in Texas
• The annexation (taking in)
of Texas by the U.S. upset
Mexico, which believed it
to be an act of war.
• In addition, Texas and
Mexico had never agreed
on a border.
• On April 25, 1846 Mexican
soldiers fired on American
troops who were patrolling
the Rio Grande, killing or
wounding sixteen
Americans.
• Polk used the incident as
an excuse to go to war.
War Breaks Out in Texas
• At the time, American
President Polk stated that
Mexico “has invaded our
territory and shed American
blood on American soil.”
• Mexican President Mariano
Paredes (on the bottom left)
saw it differently, declaring
that a greedy people “have
thrown themselves on our
territory . . . The time has
come to fight.”
The Fall of
New Mexico
• A few months after
declaring war, General
Stephen Kearny led his
army into New Mexico
and captured it without
firing a shot.
The Fall of
California
• Meanwhile, a group of
Americans led by the
explorer John C.
Fremont launched a
rebellion against
Mexican rule in
California.
• They arrested and jailed
the Mexican
commander of Northern
California.
• Then they raised a
crude flag showing a
grizzly bear sketched in
blackberry juice.
• They declared California
the Bear Flag republic.
The United States
Invades Mexico
• At this time, General Zachary Taylor
had pushed into Mexico, capturing
the Mexican city of Monterrey.
• General Santa Anna marched north
to meet Taylor with an army of
20,000 Mexican troops.
• The two forces battled in February
1847 near a ranch called Buena
Vista.
• The fighting was fierce but General
Santa Anna was eventually forced to
make a retreat.
The
United States
Invades Mexico
• A month later, American forces led
by General Winfield Scott landed at
Veracruz in southern Mexico.
• Over the next six months, Scott’s
army would fight their way to
Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.
• Scott’s army captured Mexico City
in September 1847.
The United States Invades Mexico
What action should the
United States take?
Complete the top half of pg. 7 by circling your
choice and explaining your answer.
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.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• In 1848, Mexico and the
U.S. signed the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo,
ending the war.
• In the treaty, Mexico
agreed to give up Texas
and a vast region known
as the Mexican Cession
(about half of the
country).
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• This area included the present-day states of
California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New
Mexico, as well as parts of Colorado and
Wyoming.
• In exchange, the U.S.
agreed to pay Mexico
$15 million and
promised to protect
the 80,000 to 100,000
Mexicans living in
Texas and in the
Mexican Cession.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
“From Sea to
Shining Sea”
Gadsden Purchase
• In 1853, the U.S. acquired more
land from Mexico in the
Gadsden Purchase.
• James Gadsden arranged for
the U.S. to buy a strip of land
just south of the Mexican
Cession for $10 million so that
railroad builders could build a
railroad through it.
• While most Americans were
pleased with the new
boundaries of the nation, many
had believed the U.S. to be too
good a nation to bully or invade
its weaker neighbors.
• The war with Mexico changed
that and Americans now knew
the dark side of Manifest
Destiny.
Complete the bottom half of pg. 7
Complete the bottom half of pg. 7
“From Sea to Shining Sea”
America
achieves its
Manifest
Destiny
This map
illustrates the
expansion of
the United
States (in
blue) from
colonial times
(1750) to the
present.
What does each shaded region
represent? (See if you know all six).
Check Your Answers: