Unit Eleven: Manifest Destiny

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Unit Eleven Manifest Destiny

• Mexican American War

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The Election of 1840

• The Election of 1840 was between Democrat Martin
  Van Buren and Whig William Henry Harrison.
• The main issue of the campaign was the Panic of
  1837 with the Whigs calling Van Buren Martin Van
  Ruin, in return the Democrats called Harrison a
  yokel who only needed a log cabin and hard cider.
  
• The Whigs used this to create the Log Cabin
  Campaign to make Harrison seem as one of the
  people. (They used log cabins as rally points and
  passed out Hard Cider (apple liquor) to the
  people with the slogan Tippecanoe and Tyler
  too. The strategy worked and Harrison won.

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Log Cabin Campaign
Harrison
Click above to hear Tippecanoe and Tyler too
VS.
Van Buren
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Whose President?

• A third party developed during the election
  called the Liberty Party (abolition/Antislavery)
  which nominated James G. Birney but received few
  votes.
• When Harrison took the oath of office he was 68
  years old and gave one of the longest
  inauguration speeches on a cold wet day catching
  a cold that resulted one month into his
  administration in him dying from pneumonia.
• Harrison was the first President to die in
  office, which led to the question as to whom
  should now be President, since at this time the
  U.S. Constitution said nothing about it.

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Im President

• Debates in Congress, among Harrisons Cabinet,
  and the Vice President raged, but
  Harrisons Vice President John Tyler
  simply assumed the power and took over
  the responsibility of President.
• Tyler was a democrat who switched to the Whigs
  because of his dislike for Jacksons polices, was
  a states rights man, and extremely pro-slavery
  which brought him at odds with the Whig Party.
• The Whig Party ran by Henry Clay tried to pass
  legislation to create a third BUS, a higher
  tariff, and distribute surplus money to states,
  which Tyler disagreed with most of these actions.
  

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Im President

• At this point all of the Presidential Cabinet
  (but Webster) resigned and Tyler was read out
  (kicked out) of the Whig Party, at this point
  they called him His Accidency. (first President
  without a Party)
• The biggest legislation passed by Tyler and
  Congress was the Pre-emption Act of 1841 that
  allowed people called Squatters/Preemptors
  (settle on public land) the ability to purchase
  public lands in the West directly from the
  government before it was surveyed.
• This law encouraged people to move West to settle
  the land and expand the country. (was also seen
  as an attempt to expand slavery)

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Tyler Administration

• Tyler also supported annexation of Texas, but the
  Senate rejected a bill allowing it. (The issue
  was over slavery)
• In 1841-1842 Tyler had to deal with an event
  called the Dorr Rebellion led by Thomas Dorr in
  Rhode Island for universal suffrage which failed.
  
• In 1843 the House of Representatives tried to
  bring the first charges of impeachment (to charge
  a public official of misconduct) against an
  acting President, it did not pass.
• In the last year of his term, Tyler also was
  almost killed when the cannon on the USS
  Princeton blew up while firing. (two cabinet
  members were killed)

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Election of 1844

• In the Election of 1844 Tyler tried to run as a
  third party candidate called the National
  Democratic Tyler, but dropped out of the race and
  returned to his plantation renamed Sherwood
  Forest.
• The Whigs chose to run Henry Clay even though had
  been defeated twice before for the job.
• The Democrats chose to run the
  dark horse candidate (a person
  who is little known) James K. Polk
  over Martin Van Buren.

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Just Who is James K. Polk?

• Two other third party candidates were James G.
  Birney of the Liberty Party and Joseph Smith Jr.
  a Mormon independent candidate who ran until he
  was assassinated in an Illinois prison.
• The main issue that developed during the election
  was the annexation of Texas as a state.
• Polk won the election of 1844 and in 1845 Texas
  became the 28th State, Florida was also added
  before Texas as the 27th State.

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Expansionism

• James K. Polk was an expansionist, who wanted to
  expand the boarders of America from the coast to
  coast.
• Polk stated in his inauguration address that he
  would serve only one term and that he would lower
  the tariff and settle all the land disputes in
  the West.
• During the 1830s and 40s many Americans had moved
  into Western lands outside of the jurisdiction of
  the United States and wanted their settlements to
  become part of the U.S., which led to issues with
  Britain and Mexico over Oregon, California, Utah,
  and the new state of Texas.

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Fifty-four Forty or Fight

• For many years the Oregon Country
  was a disputed land between Russia,
  Spain, United
  States, and Brittan.
• In 1828 Brittan and the United States
  agreed to a co-ownership of the Oregon Country,
  but in the 1840s disputes developed over where
  the line between them was.
• From 1844 to 1846 Americans ran the slogan
  Fifty-Four Forty or Fight meaning that they
  wanted all of the Oregon territory or war would
  be declared, Polk used this as a bluff to
  work out a deal, which split the Oregon
  Country along the 49th north latitude
  at its current
  location.

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California and New Mexico

• Both Jackson and Tyler had tried to purchase
  California from Mexico.
• In 1842 Commodore Thomas Jones actually had taken
  over the port city of Monterey raising the
  American flag, but found out America and Mexico
  were not war and gave it back with an apology.
• In 1843 John C. Fremont had explored California
  and gave report on what he found making many
  expansionists want this area too especially with
  the growing issues over Texas.

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Texas Dispute

• To handle the issue Polk sent John Slidell with a
  special envoy to Mexico City to purchase
  California and New Mexico and handle the border
  dispute with Jose Joaquin Herrera, but the
  Mexican President refused to meet with Slidell
  out of fear of revolution in Mexico due to
  anti-American sentiment.
• Texas became a disputed land, when America
  annexed Texas as a state, the Mexican government
  refused to recognize the treaty and broke
  diplomatic relations with America.

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Texas Dispute

• Also the boundary between Texas and Mexico came
  under dispute with Texas and America recognizing
  the Rio Grande and the Mexicans recognizing
  Nueces River which was further north.
• In response to these issues Polk sent General
  Zachary Taylor (old rough and ready) with 3,000
  troops to encamp on the Rio Grande and wait
  until orders from him or Mexican aggression.
• The Mexican government saw this as an act of
  aggression sent an army to encamp on the other
  side and wait for American aggression. (Mexican
  standoff)

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The Mexican- American War

• While Taylor waited the call for volunteers went
  out, which many Americans joined to fight. (most
  were unruly, and Taylor instituted harsh
  punishment and training to bring the militias
  under control)
• Taylor sent 70 scouts to overlook the area to see
  if the Mexican Army had crossed the Rio Grande,
  while looking into a hacienda the scouts were
  attacked known as the Thornton Affair.

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The Mexican- American War

• Shortly after Polk asked for a declaration of war
  from Congress and the Mexican-American War began
  in 1846. (American blood, on American soil)
• The war from the beginning was split in
  popularity with the southern states in favor and
  the New England states against it calling it Mr.
  Polks War to expand the nation and slavery.
• Congressmen Abraham Lincoln even offered the
  spot resolution in Congress asking if the spot
  Americans died was American soil or did they
  entice the Mexicans.

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The Mexican- American War

• As war broke out John C. Fremont
  moved into California aiding a group
  of settlers led by William B. Ide who
  took the town of Sonoma and
  established the Republic of California in the
  called the Bear Flag Revolt.
• The military strategy for the war was a three
  prong attack 1.) March from Rio Grande and
  secure Northern Mexico, 2.) March from Fort
  Leavenworth (Kansas) and take New Mexico (Santa
  Fe), 3.) March from Santa Fe and take California.

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The Mexican- American War

• Taylor marched south winning the Battle of Palo
  Alto, Battle of Resaca de la Palma, and the
  Battle of Monterrey the key to Northern Mexico.
• During this time Santa Anna was allowed past
  General Winfield Scotts Blockade and returned to
  Mexico to negotiate a peace treaty, but instead
  took back over Mexico.
• After this Santa Anna met Taylor at
  the Battle of Buena Vista which the
  Americans won forcing Santa Anna
  to retreat back to Mexico City.

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The Mexican- American War

• While Taylor marched south General Stephan W.
  Kearny marched toward Santa Fe taking the town
  and control of New Mexico (without a shot fired),
  at this time he split his forces in half to take
  California and the other to reinforce Taylor.
• Kearny with a force of 300 men helped Commodore
  John D. Sloat take San Diego, Los Angles, and
  Monterey forcing the Mexican army out of Alta
  California.
• With California, New Mexico, and Northern Mexico
  under control the focus was turned to Mexico City
  and Santa Anna.

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Who to Chose?

• After the victory of Buena Vista Taylor received
  major press and became a popular war hero in
  America, fearing that he would use this to run as
  a Whig Presidential candidate, Polk chose to halt
  Taylor and allow General Winfield Scott Ol Fuss
  and Feathers finish the War. (Scott was a
  Democrat)
• In 1847 General Winfield Scott made a naval
  amphibious landing taking the port city of Vera
  Cruz, then marched down the coast line finally in
  the Battle for Mexico City defeating Santa Anna
  ending the war. (He followed the same path Cortez
  had taken to conquer the Aztec)

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The Mexican-American War
Zachery Taylor
Winfield Scott
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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the
  Mexican-American War which included these terms
  1.) Mexico gave up claim to Texas up to Rio
  Grande, 2.) U.S. got California and New Mexico,
  3.) U.S. paid Mexico 15 million dollars, 4.) U.S.
  took over 3.5 million in debt Mexico owed U.S.
  citizens. (one and two are known as the Mexican
  Cession)
• Even though some wanted to take all of Mexico and
  others did not like it because of the possibility
  of the expansion of slavery, the Senate ratified
  the Treaty in 1846.

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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
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Polks Legacy

• When Polk left office in 1849 he left a legacy of
  expanding the American borders from Coast to
  Coast and carving out mostly the present borders
  of the U.S.
• In 1848 Polk even tried to purchase Cuba for up
  to 40 million dollars from Spain, but they
  refused.
• To round the Southwest in 1853 ambassador James
  Gadsden purchased the southern part of Arizona
  and New Mexico from Mexico for 10 million dollars
  known as the Gadsden Purchase. (completed the
  present borders)
• For the Senate to ratify the purchase a proviso
  (amendment) was added by David Wilmot called the
  Wilmot Proviso that prohibited the expansion of
  slavery in any lands gained by the Mexican War.

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Pokes Legacy
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California Gold Rush

• Shortly after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was
  signed John Sutter discovered gold at his lumber
  town called Sutters Mill in 1848.
• News of the gold strike led massive numbers of
  usually young single men in 1849 (forty-niners)
  to make it rich off the California Gold Strike.
  (the people who actually got wealthy were the
  merchants and saloon owners (casino/bar))
• These men called prospectors panned for gold and
  then would use it to purchase things in the local
  Boomtown (town that sprang up quickly).
• When a gold strike went bust the people moved
  making the town a ghost town because all the
  building were left intake.

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New Life in the West

• The gold strike brought many people out west,
  even an influx of Chinese immigrants into
  California, even though many headed back East
  some stayed and settled.
• Two of the biggest problems in the West were
  water rights and law and order.
• In the West a law of prior appropriation was
  established giving water rights to the first
  person to discover it or to dig a well. (big
  business).
• In Western boom towns law and order was
  established by groups of settlers known as
  vigilante committees (citizens taking the law
  into their own hands).

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GOLD!!!!!!
San Francisco at the start of the Gold Rush
Justice
49er
Sutters Mill