Chapter 13Manifest Destiny

America’s destiny to reach from sea to sea is achieved.

Part 1: The Who and What of Manifest

Destiny

What is Manifest Destiny? The belief that the United States was

destined by God to extend from its boundaries to the Pacific ocean.

The term “Manifest Destiny” was coined by newspaper editor James O’Sullivan

Manifest destiny was achieved through the exploration of mountain men, the acquisition of land, and war with Mexico.

With “Manifest Destiny” achieved, we have to ask the question, who moved to our newly acquired lands?

Who moved West? Farmers looking for land, those hoping

to escape debt, those searching for new ways to make money, and the Mormons sought religious freedom.

Many of those who went west had migrated here from others countries.

Push-Pull Factors: Forces that push people out of their native lands and pull them to a new place.

How do Push-Pull Factors Work?

PUSH FACTORS Population Growth Agriculture

Changes Crop Failures Industrial

Revolution Religious &

Political turmoil

PULL FACTORS FREEDOM Economic

Opportunity Abundant Land

Defining the “new” Americans People who decide to leave their country

in order to settle in another place are called emigrants.

Once people arrive in their new country they become immigrants.

The new immigrants came from Ireland, Britain, China, Germany, and Scandinavia.

They settled in major northeastern cities, the mid-west and beyond.

Part 2: Natural Resources Encourage

Settlement

The Territory People were interested because Oregon

offered fertile soil and relief from the economic troubles of the northeast.

People traveled along the Oregon Trail in prairie schooners to reach their new homes in the west.

Interest in Florida was transferred to American

control in 1821, formerly a Spanish colony, Florida had much to offer.

Many Planters from Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas who has overused their land sought to settle in Florida.

Northern Florida became the home of many cotton and tobacco plantations.

Why did Americans Move to

Mexican controlled Texas offered vast amounts of land to people who agreed to settle their families there.

Soon trouble began when the large number of Americans refused to follow Mexico’s rules.

Americans living in Texas began to seek independence.

Gold in Interest grew in California because of

their vast natural resources (oceans, farmland, seaports)

Gold was struck in 1849- Population exploded over night, the industries of agriculture, shipping, and trade greatly increased.

Struggles for

Statehood

Part 3:

The Mexican Cession The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended

the war with Mexico, as a result we received a large amount of Mexican territory.

Today that land is made up of California, Utah, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

UtahThe Mormon oasis of Utah

struggled for many years to be accepted into the Union.

Their practice of polygamy and their frequent violent dealings with federal officials slowed their entrance into the United States.

Finally, in 1896 Utah became a state.

The Issue of Slavery As more and more states petitioned to

enter the Union, the question of slavery slowed the acceptance of several states.

The main issue- the government wanted to keep the balance between slave and free states equal.

This ensured that no one political/social view point would be overly represented in Congress.