Westward Expansion

Expanding Democracy and Nationalism

Thomas Jefferson – 3rd President• Jefferson wanted to obtain New Orleans as a

trading port• He sent representatives to speak to the French

about buying the port • At first, the leader of France, Napoleon, did

not want to sell the port. But when there was a revolt in Haiti (an island in the Caribbean that was a French colony) Napoleon decided to give up on the idea of having colonies in America.

France and England at War

• Why is this important to us?1. Napoleon could not afford to wage war

against England and keep American colonies2. When Jefferson offered to buy New Orleans,

Napoleon offered to sell all of the Louisiana territory to the United States for $15,000,000

Louisiana Purchase – the Map

Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark

• Once the President had made the purchase of the Louisiana territory through a “treaty,” he decided to send an expedition to explore the territory

• The purchase made many Americans feel very proud that our country was growing – this created nationalism – a pride in one’s country

War of 1812• The young U.S. and Great

Britain went to war in 1812 because:

1. The British were taking Americans and making them serve on their navy ships

2. The British were selling guns and arms to the Native Americans on the frontier

James Madison becomes the 4th President

• Madison was President during the War of 1812

• When the British invaded Washington, D.C. they burned much of the capital, including the President’s home

War of 1812 -

• Star Spangled Banner was written – Battle of Fort McHenry

• British invaded and burned Washington

• Andrew Jackson becomes a hero at the Battle of New Orleans

• Outcome?• The U.S. wins the war• This creates more

nationalism

James Monroe becomes the 5th President

• The Federalist Party, and political parties in general sort of went out of fashion for a time

• This “Era of Good Feeling” made Americans proud – again, an increase in nationalism

• James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine stating that the U.S. would not tolerate European countries trying to colonize in the Americas. (Mexico had just become independent from Spain, too.)

Manifest Destiny• After the Purchase of

Louisiana, many people thought it was the destiny of the U.S. to expand all the way to the Pacific Ocean

• Mexico, now independent from Spain, started to invite Americans to come to the area that is now Texas to stop so many indian attacks

Invention of the Cotton Gin• Just as people were

moving west, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. The gin made it possible to separate cotton seeds from the cotton fibers

Cotton becomes a big cash crop• The cotton gin made it

profitable to grow lots of cotton because it was now cost effective to grow it and process it

• All of the southern slaveholding states began to grow cotton

• Cotton growing spread west

Missouri Compromise

Mexico

Missouri Compromise

• As people moved west, many wanted the new states to be slave states so that they could grow cotton on plantations

• Terms of the Compromise: Missouri would enter as a slave state

• Maine as a free state – keeping balance of power in Senate equal

• No slavery above the 36’30” line

Area gained by Mexico?

• All of the area that is all of what is present day Mexico, along with what is present day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California

Why did Americans living in TX start a rebellion?

• Santa Anna became the leader of Mexico and he tightened control over Texas, making new rules – Americans living in Texas rebelled

Texas Wins Independence

• What happened at the Alamo?

• Americans were trapped there and killed by the Mexican Army

• After a series of battles who won the war for Texas Independence?

• The Texans of course! (Many of them were Americans.)

What did Northerners fear about Texas?

When did annexation of TX become a big issue?

• With the election of 1844

• By the way, who won that election?• James K. Polk

Which 2 Presidents supported TX becoming a state?

• President Polk and President Tyler

Why did the British give up Oregon so easily?

• Keeping the territory was no longer profitable• They were trading with America for cotton and

selling factory made cloth to America, so they wanted to keep the trade relations friendly

What actions by U.S. caused war with Mexico?

• General Taylor led troops to the border of Mexico

• Mexico and the U.S. did not agree on the border!!

• When Mexican troops attacked, the U.S. had an excuse to go to war

War with Mexico

Treaty that ended the war?

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Terms of the Treaty?• Mexico had to surrender or give up New

Mexico territory and California

What was gained in the Gadsden Purchase?

• The U.S. gained the southern portion of the New Mexico territory (which would eventually become part of New Mexico and Arizona.)

The Cherokee and the Trail of Tears

• How did westward movement affect Native Americans?

• As Americans moved west, they pushed natives off of the land, eventually the U.S. government rounded up many tribes and moved them to reservations

• The Cherokee were forced to march to Oklahoma – Trail of Tears because so many died

What did Congress pass in 1830?

• The Indian Removal Act

Trail of Tears?

• Forced Removal of the Cherokee and other eastern tribes to Oklahoma territory

• The march was made in the winter and many Natives died along the way so it became known as the Trail of Tears

What was discovered in California in 1848?

What happened as a result?

Why was Compromise of 1850 passed?

• So many people were flocking to CA that the U.S. felt like it needed to get a stable government there

Terms of the Compromise?

• CA enters as a free state• Fugitive Slave law passed• Other territories can decide slavery by popular

sovereignty

Different Motivations?

• Land• Religious freedom• Gold