17Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy

1
Chapter 17-18(1841-1854)

• 17-Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy
• 18-Renewing the Sectional Struggle

2
Manifest Destiny

• the popular belief that America was predestined
  by God to settle in the West.
• Idea created by John L. OSullivan in 1845
• Inspired many Americans to move to the Oregon and
  California territories.
• Driven by nationalism, population increase, rapid
  economic development, technological advances, and
  reform ideals.

3
Texas

• Independent from Mexico
• Applied for annexation, but refused by both
  presidents Jackson and Van Buren.
• Seen as a threat to unity because of unbalanced
  slave states and free states.
• Annexed by Tyler, who saw the threat of British
  influence.

4
Maine

• Conflict over ill-defined boundary between Maine
  and Canadian province of New Brunswick
• Known as Aroostook War or battle of the maps
• Settled by British ambassador Lord Ashburton and
  Secretary of the State Daniels Webster
• Webster-Ashburton Treaty

5
Oregon

• claims to territories
• U.S. (Lewis and Clark expedition, Robert Grays
  discovery of Columbia river, and trading post in
  Astoria)
• Britain (Hudson Fur Company) both had
• the Texas game
• Fifty-four Forty or Fight!
• Negotiated boundary at 49th parallel, but granted
  Britain Vancouver Island and right to navigate
  Columbia river.

6
President Polk

• Hard-working but not brilliant, shrewd,
  narrow-minded, conscientious, and persistent
• Goal lower tariff Walker tariff (reduced
  average rates from 35 to 25)

7
War with Mexico

• America wanted Mexico to sell territories in New
  Mexico and California and settle Texass border
• Mexicans refused to sell the territories and
  insisted that Texas's border was on Nueces river
  not Rio Grande.
• Whigs opposed war
• Gen. Kearney took Santa Fe, New Mexico territory,
  and southern California
• Frémont claimed California as an independent
  republic
• Taylors army pushed Mexican army back past Rio
  Grande and won a major victory at Buena Vista.

8
War with Mexico (cont)

• Scotts command invaded and took the coastal city
  of Vera Cruz, then Mexico City
• Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
• Rio Grande as southern border of Texas
• Cession of New Mexico and California

9
Wilmot Proviso

• Proposed by David Wilmot in 1846
• Wilmot proposed that an appropriations bill be
  amended to prohibit slavery in the new
  territories
• Passed the HoR twice, but defeated at the senate
• Leading to further political conflict and tension
  between north and south

10
Popular Sovereignty

• Idea by General Lewis Cass
• People from a sovereign territory should decide
  for themselves whether to be a slave state or
  free state

11
Election of 1848

• Creation of Free-soil party
• Most appealed to Democrats values
• Whigs General Zachary Taylor
• Democrats Lewis Cass
• Free-Soil Martin Van Buren

12
President Taylor

• hero of Buena Vista
• Never held civil office
• Died in 1850, leaving Fillmore to run the country

13
California Gold Rush

• Gold was found in the valleys of California
• People from everywhere moved into California to
  mine the gold
• Most miners were unsuccessful
• The influx of people overwhelmed the Californian
  government and led to outbursts of crime
• California applied to be a free state, which
  broke the usual territorial stage for the
  slave-ridden south

14
Sectional Balance

• Heated tension between the unbalance between
  slaves states and free states (more free states)
• California, New Mexico, and Utah to be free
  states
• North wanted the District of Columbia to abolish
  slavery

15
Underground Railroad and Compromise of 1850

• Slaves from the south were running away from
  their plantations to the free North or Canada
• Underground Railroad led slaves on extensive
  trails to the north.
• conductors were white or black abolitionists
  who would shelter or lead the slaves. (Harriet
  Tubman)
• Southerners demanded a new and more stringent
  fugitive-slave law
• In Texas, the government began detaching land
  from the territory and contributing it to New
  Mexico.

16
End of Senatorial Giants

• Clay urged that North and South make
  concessions and that the north yield the
  fugitive-slave law
• Calhoun leave slavery alone, return runaway
  slaves, and give the south rights as the minority
• Webster compromise and concession, supported
  Wilmot Proviso

17
New Guard of the North

• Liberal
• William H. Seward, spokesman for northern
  radicals
• Against concession and compromise

18
Manifest Destiny to the South

• Ostend Manifesto after refusal of sale of Cuba
  by Spain, southern adventurers led small groups
  into Cuba to take the island by force
  unsuccessful
• Walker expedition William walker tried
  unsuccessfully to take Baja California from
  Mexico, but later took Nicaragua in 1855 where he
  legalized slavery.
• Clayton-Bulwer Treaty provided that neither U.S.
  or Britain would take exclusive control of any
  future canal route in Central America
• Gadsden Purchase American purchase of land below
  current New Mexico territory from Mexico for 10
  mil. Land for the Pacific Railroad

19
Election of 1852

• Whigs have signs of trouble, party is weakening,
  ignored sectional conflict
• Whigs Winfield Scott
• Democrats Franklin Pierce
• Democrats emerge victorious with votes from all
  states but four.

20
President Pierce

• Cabinet contained aggressive southerners,
  including Jefferson Davis (future pres. of
  confederacy)
• Expansionist

21
Americans and the Great Pacific

• Became a pacific power with CA and OR
• Established connections with China, and urged
  connection with Japan
• Dispatched a fleet commanded by Commodore
  Matthew C. Perry
• Perry persuaded Japanese to sign commercial
  treaty with America

22
Bleeding Kansas Kansas-Nebraska Scheme

• Senator Stephen A. Douglas
• separating Nebraska territory into 2 territories,
  Kansas and Nebraska
• Nebraska would be presumably a slave state, but
  the Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery north
  of 3630 line.
• The south supported its right to be a slave state
• Douglas tried to have to Missouri compromise
  repealed, but failed

23
Welcome to the Civil War

• Forming the new Republican party
• Absolute crises in the nation

24
Chronology

• 1837- Canadian rebellion and Caroline incident
• 1841- Harrison dies after four weeks in office
  Tyler assumes presidency
• 1842-Aroostook War over Maine boundary and
  Webster-Ashburton Treaty
• 1844- Polk defeats Clay in Manifest Destiny
• 1845- U.S annexes Texas
• 1846-
• Walker Tariff
• Independent Treasury restored
• U.S. settles Oregon dispute with Britain
• U.S. and Mexico clash over Texas boundary
• Kearney takes Santa Fe
• Frémont conquers California
• Wilmot Proviso passes Houses of Representatives

25
Chronology cont.

• 1848-
• Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ends Mexican war
• Taylor defeats Cass and Van Buren for presidency
• 1849- California gold rush
• 1850-
• Fillmore assumes presidency after Taylors death
• Compromise of 1850, including Fugitive Slave Law
• Clayton-Bulwer Treaty with Britain
• 1852- Pierce defeats Scott for presidency
• 1853- Gadsden purchase from Mexico
• 1854-
• Commodore Perry opens Japan
• Ostend Manifesto proposes seizure of Cuba
• Kansas-Nebraska Act
• Republican party organized
• 1856- William Walker becomes president of
  Nicaragua and legalizes slavery