Westward Expansion

Westward ExpansionIn 1836, Texas won their independence from Mexico in a war. The Texans were mostly Americans that had moved to the Mexican frontier and disliked the Mexican Government.

Westward Expansion

Westward Expansion10 years after Texas became independent, the US and Texas wanted to join and make Texas a state. The Mexican government was furious. Texas was so large and they had always meant to take it back over.

Westward ExpansionPresident James K. Polk desperately wanted to extend the US to the Pacific Ocean, to do this he signed the Oregon Treaty which gave the US a sliver of land in the Pacific Northwest, but he wanted the entire coast.

Westward ExpansionPolk offered to buy lands in the west from Mexico in 1846, but Mexico had 4 different governments that year and was in political chaos - - the only thing, it seemed, all Mexicans agreed on was that they did not want to give any land to the US.

Westward ExpansionAfter a few bloody battles at the Texas border, Polk and the US invaded Mexico. In two years the US was in Mexico City and forced a deal with the Mexicans- the US would give the Mexicans some money, if the Mexicans gave up what is today California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Colorado and Nevada - - The Mexicans were completely defeated and took the deal because they had to.

Westward Expansion Before After

Westward Expansion

The US had 2 major problems after they got all of the land in the west:

Westward Expansion1: Indians…

Westward Expansion2: How could the government convince

people to move west…?

Westward ExpansionHow can the US make this happen….?

Westward Expansion

Answer…

Westward ExpansionThe answer to number two came when gold was discovered in California in 1848 at Sutter’s Mill in northern California (right after we’d taken it from Mexico). More and more gold was found in streams and mines in California…

Westward Expansion

By 1849 the entire world heard about how much gold was in California. Many believed that all you had to do was get there… and you’d find gold and be rich. This became known as the California Gold Rush, and the people that went were nicknamed 49ers because of the year they’d gambled everything and moved west (1849)…

Westward Expansion

Westward Expansion

With people came railroads, cities and a need for resources. Native Americans were pushed off of their land… Some ran

Westward ExpansionSome gave up

Westward ExpansionSome fought…

Westward Expansion…but they all ended up the same

Westward ExpansionBy 1869, the US had built a railroad that went from coast to coast – or was better known as the Transcontinental Railroad.

Do you think the US had a right to expand the way it did?

– Florida– Trail of Tears– Mexican American War– Trans-Continental Railroad– Reservations

If yes, explain why the actions taken in the examples above are ok. If no, what would America be like today without all of these places and their resources?