Farmers switch from subsistence to specialization, producing one or two cash crops to sell at home or abroad. Increased industrialization led to

greater efficiency of production.

Workers, who had once produced much of what they needed for

themselves, began spending their earnings on goods produced by

other workers.

Industrial and agricultural production multiplied while

incomes rose.

Farmers began to use mechanized equipment to meet the growing demand for food

in cities.

Manufactured items became less expensive as technological

advances lowered prices.

Invention/Improvement(Date)

Inventor Significance

Vulcanized rubber (1839) Charles Goodyear wouldn’t freeze in cold weather or melt in hot

Sewing machine (1846) Elias Howe led to factory production of shoes and clothing

Telegraph (1837) Samuel Morse made long distance communication almost instantaneous

Steamboat (1807) Robert Fulton made water transportation faster, cheaper

Railroads (1830s-1840s) -------------------- became fastest means of overland travel

Steel plow (1837) John Deere can be pulled by horse instead of oxen

Mechanical reaper (1851) Cyrus McCormick allowed one farmer to do the work of 5 hired hands

Expansion in Expansion in TexasTexas

Chapter 9, Section 3P. 288

Mexican IndependenceMexican Independence

• Mexico won its independence in 1821.• Northern Mexico included present-day

NM, CA, TX, AR, NV, and UT.• Mexico discovered that owning a large

territory did not mean controlling it.• Apache and Comanche Indians attack

Mexican settlements in NM, and TX.

Mexico Invites US SettlersMexico Invites US Settlers• Mexican gov’t encouraged American

farmers to settle in TX to protect the territory from Indian attacks.

• American farmers were able to buy cheap land from empresarios, or land agents, but pledged to obey Mexican law and observe Catholicism.

• Americans soon outnumbered Mexicans in TX.

Austin in TexasAustin in Texas • The most successful

empresario, Stephen F. Austin established a strict colony in TX, and prospered.

• The US repeatedly tried to buy TX from Mexico, with no success.

TX Fights for IndependenceTX Fights for Independence• As American immigration to TX surged,

cultural tensions increased.• Mexico abolished slavery in 1829 and

insisted in vain that the American colonists free their slaves, which they were unwilling to do.

• In 1830, Mexico sealed its borders to any further immigration and slapped a heavy tax on American imports.

• Mexico could not enforce its policies.• The Anglo population doubled between

1830-1834.• By 1835, 1,000 Americans were pouring

into TX each month.• When Mexican president Antonio Lopez

de Santa Anna suspended the Mexican Constitution, several rebellions erupted, including the Texas Revolution.

““Remember the Alamo”Remember the Alamo”• Austin had argued with Santa Anna for

more self-gov’t for TX, w/o success.• Austin decided that war was the colonists’

only option to continue their way of life.• Santa Anna led a 4,000 man army

towards San Antonio to force the Texans to obey Mexican laws.

• At the same time, Austin issued orders for Texans to arm themselves.

• In San Antonio, 187 Texans moved into the Alamo, an old mission and fort.

• Santa Anna’s forces surrounded the Alamo and laid seige to the city.

• As the battle for the Alamo raged, Texans declared their independence from Mexico.

• After 12 days of fighting, Santa Anna’s men penetrated the Alamo and killed every last defender.

http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/playlists/exclusive-video#the-alamo

The Lonestar RepublicThe Lonestar Republic• 6 weeks after the Battle of the Alamo,

Sam Houston led 900 men against Santa Anna’s forces near the San Jacinto River.

• Shouting “Remember the Alamo,” the Texans killed 630 Mexican soldiers in 15 minutes and captured Santa Anna, who they set free after forcing him to sign a treaty granting TX its independence.

• Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.

• For 9 years, most Texans hoped the US would annex TX into the US.

• Its hopes were delayed by antislavery forces who did not want TX to upset the sectional balance.

• Shortly after James K. Polk, a southerner and slaveholder, became president, TX became the 28th state.

The War with MexicoThe War with Mexico

Chapter 9, Section 4 p. 293

Polk Urges WarPolk Urges War• Hostilities between the US and Mexico

reignited over the American annexation of TX in 1845.

• James K. Polk had been elected US President in 1844; and he believed that war with Mexico would bring not only TX, but also NM and CA, into the Union.

• The TX-Mexican border was disputed.

Slidell’s RejectionSlidell’s Rejection• Polk sent John Slidell to offer to buy CA

and NM from Mexico and to gain Mexican approval of the Rio Grande as the TX border.

• Mexican president General Jose Herrera refused to see Slidell.

• Polk then sent General Zachary Taylor to blockade the Rio Grande, which the Mexicans viewed as a territorial violation.

Sectional Attitudes Sectional Attitudes Toward the WarToward the War

• Many Southerners supported a war with Mexico. They saw it as an opportunity to extend slavery.

• Many Northerners opposed the war. Antislavery Whigs and abolitionists saw the war as a plot to expand slavery and ensure Southern domination of the Union.

The War BeginsThe War Begins• With Taylor positioned on the Rio

Grande, John C. Fremont led a military expedition into CA, another violation of Mexico’s territorial rights.

• Mexico had had enough. A Mexican force crossed the Rio Grande, and in a skirmish, killed 11 US soldiers.

• Polk sent Congress a message that Mexico had started a war with the US.

• Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of war, despite dissent across the country.

• In 1846, Polk ordered Stephen Kearny to march from Fort Leavenworth, KS, to Santa Fe, NM, where he met with upper-class Mexicans who wanted to join the US.

• New Mexico fell to the US without a shot fired.

The Bear Flag RepublicThe Bear Flag Republic• A group of American settlers, led by

Fremont, hoisted a flag over Sonoma that featured a grizzly bear, and declared their independence and proclaimed the nation of the Bear Flag Republic.

• Kearny’s forces arrived from NM and joined forces with Fremont. Mexican troops quickly gave way, leaving US forces in control of CA.

The War in MexicoThe War in Mexico• American forces were very

successful in Mexico.• American leadership under

people like Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant was much more capable than Mexican leadership.

• The American invasion of Mexico lasted about a year.

• Along with Taylor, the Americans were led by General Winfield Scott.

• Santa Anna, who had been in exile in Cuba since being overthrown by Herrera, promised Polk that he would help the American cause if the US could sneak him back into Mexico. Once in Mexico, he reclaimed the presidency and took control of the army.

• Taylor’s forces captured Monterrey in 1846 and Buena Vista in 1847.

• Scott’s forces made an amphibious landing near Vera Cruz and captured that city.

• Scott then marched on Mexico City, which he captured on Sept. 14, 1847. Scott’s forces did not lose a single battle during the Mexican War.

America Claims the America Claims the Spoils of WarSpoils of War

• Mexico lost 50,000 men and half of its land.

• US lost 13,000 men (11,000 died from disease), but enlarged US territory by 1/3.

Treaty of Guadalupe Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoHidalgo

• 1848: US and Mexico sign peace treaty, with Mexico ceding CA, NV, NM, UT, most of AZ, parts of CO, and WY. The US paid $15 million for these territories.

• 5 years later the US paid Mexico an additional $10 million for the Gadsden Purchase, establishing the current borders of the lower US.

Election of 1848Election of 1848• Polk did not run for reelection in 1848

due to his poor health.• Democratic nominee was Lewis Cass.• Some Democrats supported Martin

Van Buren, who led the new antislavery Free-Soil Party.

• The Whig nominee, war hero Taylor, narrowly won the election.

The CA Gold RushThe CA Gold Rush• In 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s

Mill in CA’s Sierra Nevada Mts.• News spread quickly and thousands

flocked to CA to pan for gold.• The population of San Francisco jumped

from 1,000 in 1848 to 35,000 in 1859.• CA quickly reached the population

requirement and applied for statehood as a free state.

http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/playlists/exclusive-video#gold-rush

California’s application for statehood again

threatened to throw off the sectional balance

between free and slave states.